2024

The forecast says sun and upper 70s for all of this week... The warm temperatures are good for the germinating Fava I've planted at the garden but guess I'm heading there every day to water the little things.

Neighborhood Zig Zag.

Hi Kitty! I'm not sure your hoomans are going to approve of this activity... You're down in the mud!!

You know what? I think I'm gonna grab this hybrid thing, if it pulls off easily. Stripetti = Spaghetti Squash x Delicata.

The Butternut growing up the back of the Wax Bean trellis!

And look at this cute thing! And another one, ripe on the ground!

Butternuts make me happy.

This is the single volunteer Fava plant, behind the strawberries. The Seascape freebies are mostly dead, these are the strawberries I bought in the spring.

And here's the volunteer Squashes, growing out of the compost!

Oh good! The Sunchoke in the front finally has some buds!

And so happy to see more of the first planting of Fava, coming up!

∞ Since Roe fell, hundreds of pregnancies have become crimes

∞ RNC nepo baby dismisses Trump's deadly abortion bans as 'niche' issue

∞ GOP Senate nominee still can't grasp why women care about abortion

Yep. Single Issue Voter, here!

Abortion, Abortion, Abortion!!!

The wind is blowing today, the weather page says breezy and 19mph.

I'm walking the neighborhood zig zag before getting to the garden.

There are no other humans at the Community Garden, so I'm doing a walk about. A plot on the west side, where I don't usually visit, has caught my eye!

The flowers are a bit past their prime, but so bright and cheerful!

Okay! I'm at my plot and I'm gonna run the stirrup hoe since things have dried out again.

Aubergines!

My cute little Favas. Nothing coming up in the second area that I planted, yet.

Yep, I got some Sungolds... I haven't been picking them because they lost their sweetness after the cold snap in August.

But apparently you can just throw cherry tomatoes into the freezer without any prep. I should have been doing that!

My little Gentleman Friend, the juvenile Anna Hummingbird, makes an appearance... but zooms off when I get the camera.

Trying to get pics of Goldfinches up on the tall Sunchokes... haha, the wind is flapping all the branches around. Not great photography conditions!

And plus, I wonder if the birds ever get dizzy, trying to hang on to their snack while it's being blown all over the stupid place!

In other news... They caught one of the bastards...

∞ Suspect arrested in connection with Fern Ridge Trail rape investigation

Turns out the guy was a real pos, with a couple domestic abuse assaults on women. And when two women have come forward, you know there's more.

No word about the other rape that happened at Wild Iris.

I'm walking past the garden today. I'll go in, on my way back. But look who's here now!

This Red Shoulder Hawk has been hanging around the Community Garden for a while!

I don't think the hawk I saw here in August was her. But I do think the hawk I saw on Sept20 and Sept23 are her!

So maybe I could think about giving her a name.

She flies over to her preferred branch, just outside the Garden...

Oh my gosh! Is that my little Gentleman Friend?? What the HECK! (Look at the branch, far left!)

Bahaha!! Wow, he has some guts! The hawk probably isn't going to bother about hunting a hummingbird, but still! That's brave! (... or possibly just naive. *laughs* He is just a kid, after all.)

I keep walking. Here's the fallen and dead Leaning Tree.

Autumn leaves are starting to catch my attention.

I'm back at the garden... and the Red Shoulder is still here! Except now she's begging like a baby! haha, I guess she's just a kid, too!

Oh, there's something wrong with your foot? I'm sorry! But you made it thru migration!

Painted Lady Butterfly! Flew away before I could get closer.

I watered the Zucs and the Favas... but I didn't harvest anything from the garden today. Unlike this guy!

Oh, hey! No Patches!

How goes it?

Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits.

...

*laughs* Oh well!

∞ Not Losing You: a two minute PSA micro-movie supporting trans youth during the election #vote

Aww! Wholesome!!

Or: How to make rift cry in less than two minutes!! *Laughs*

Trans rights are human rights!

I was walking towards two women who I regularly run into: the lady on the recumbent bike always says hi, and the lady who walks Tessa the Border Collie.

They were chatting together and I heard part of the conversation as I go by.

Dog Walker: So you have to ride home after dark?

Recumbent Biker: Yeah. I've got lights and everything. I've been riding on the road tho. Because... (pause)... You know.

Dog Walker: (sighs) Yeah.

That You know is referring to the rapes that have occurred on the paths here in August and September. They did catch the one guy, and he's a real piece of shit. Beat up two girlfriends who went to the police, which means there's probably a bunch more he hit, who did not go to the police. Pos.

So.

A woman chooses the bear instead of the man.

Or, in this case, she chooses to get squished by a car who doesn't see her riding in the dark, instead of riding on the bike path with the possibility of violence from a pos man.

The world we live in. *shakes head*

Good Morning My Dear!

Oh my Gosh, the Sky!!

And I'm still looking up when this Great Blue Heron flies over me... haha, she looks like a Skeksis from The Dark Crystal!

The first Hooded Mergansers of the season! Ha, the female is still waiting for head feathers!!

The Hooded Mergansers actually live here all year, but they disperse in the fall and that's when I get to see them at the creek!

I swing around thru the neighborhood, and the first Halloween decorations are up...

The mist has turned to sprinkles, and the quality of the photography has gone down... but I suppose this is a giant mouse?

They always include the ears on the animal skeletons, which is weird, but I guess it helps identify the creature. I'll have to come back to get a better pic!

Oh Nice! Someone has planted Chrysanthemums at the dog park!

So bright and cheerful! I assume the neighborhood association did this... they are awesome! I wish my neighborhood assoc was active with projects like this!

I stop off at the Garden, on my way back.

Nevermind the stupid Comfrey coming up around the Green Zuc... Since production has slowed down, I don't want to disturb my precious Zucchini plant by murdering the invasive Comfrey right now. I want as many Zucs as possible!

The Columbine is doing much better this year because it got incidentally watered by being under one of the Yellow Zucchini plants!

That's good! The flowers are nice, in the spring... but the leaves are very pretty too!

Oh shoot! This Anna Hummingbird was flying around in a neighboring plot... but there's no telling, from this angle, if this is my new Gentleman Friend or someone else.

Oh, hey! Here's a Fava bean that didn't get buried properly... and it's starting to germinate! Yay!

Grow, grow, grow!

And here's some of the seedlings from the first planting. Happy baby Favas!

It's a dark and dreary morning, but the heavy fog seems to be lifting as I head out.

The landscaping crew at the apartments has been clearing acorns from the sidewalks and parking lots...

Do the squirrels look at this pile and think WHAT are the humans doing with all that FOOD??? *laughs*

Snowberries!

Oh Wow! I get to the top of the trail... and the hill is still in the clouds!!!

*laughs*

The fog makes me notice how many of the Douglas Firs are dying here. Climate change.

I head back to the trail... and suddenly there's colour in the world again!

Red Flowering Currants...

I ate some!!

I've never tried them before, so this was a first experience!

Pulling off the flower end, made the insides squish out. The one that didn't squish had a tiny bitterness... not quite ripe. But they all need some sugar. Or something. The flavor is very, very mild.

And here's my soapbox! Never NEVER eat things in the wild, unless... You are 100% sure what it is. AND! You know what all the look-alikes are.

The sun shines again today and it makes me notice that the temperatures have been all over the place:

Oct1, Tues: 82/40
Oct2, Wed: 70/45
Oct3, Thur: 74/36
Oct4,  Fri: 62/42
Oct5, Sat: 67/47

And today we are back up to 78°. I guess that just means it's Fall! But normal for this time of year is 70/44.

Aww, cute! Are we still feeding the kids?

Yum, sunflower seeds! Nom, nom, nom!

A surprising harvest! The Wax Beans are gearing up again!

The Sungolds don't taste very good, but I'm freezing them. They'll be good, cooked with something else later!

The Squash seedlings emerging from the compost are still growing.

The first planting of Favas are looking good.

But nothing yet in the second area. Let's see, I planted them a week ago Friday, on the 27th. That's 9 days. Maybe the cooler nights are slowing them down. (The first planting was making a good showing after just a week!)

The Sunchoke in the front is looking lovely!

Sunshine and blue sky.

Huh. That bird in the distance? They are white!!

Oh my gosh! That silhouette is exactly what a White Tail Kite looks like!

Look at the map! Why does the purple spot fit perfectly in the left side of Oregon? weird.

I hear Crreeeak, a Towhee's contact call. I don't even know how I found her, buried in this tree!

The Leaning Tree.

After the Leaning Tree came down in the January ice storm, I kept wondering about the last time I would see it. They did cut down and remove it's two other trunks, but they left this one to see if it would live.

But it's dead, and I'm wondering again when I will see it for the last time.

Okay. I'm at the garden. I'm just going to water and gather today. The last Straightneck, I suppose...

I had to dump several of those Sungolds, I hadn't noticed that they were cracked!

Haha, it's deja vu from yesterday!

Her tongue!! ha!

Back at home, I've been freezing the Sungolds. And today I also halved and cored the very small, regular tomatoes. I've got 2 Brandywines and 1 Old German in the right bag.

For the Sungolds, I just remove the stem, load a couple handfuls in a ziplock and toss them in the freezer. Easy Peasy!

How they will turn out, in a soup or whatever in the future? That I don't know! It's the first time I've frozen tomatoes!

Oh, Mr Unnamed! Ouch! That's a bad scratch!

Be careful out there!

The sun shines and it's already overly warm this morning, to be 79° (26°C) today.

And I happened to catch another bird flying by as I take the photo of the hills...

I hardly have to zoom in, she's unmistakable: a Scrub Jay carrying a peanut in the shell, to be buried somewhere! *laughs*

I go up around the dead Leaning Tree again... and dang, I just can't get enough of these trees!

The fence they put in certainly makes things picturesque!

Hello? (Nope. She flies away! Ha.)

I stop at the garden on the way back. Just going to water a bit and see what I can harvest. But ...

Oh my gosh! I meet this guy!

Ha! I think my young Gentleman Friend got kicked out of the Garden today by this male Anna, who definitely has all his mature plumage!

When he turns away, the feathers look black.

He flies to a new perch... haha, he looks like a cartoon!

So Cute! Do you think you'll stay, or are you just passing thru?

*laughs* I do feel bad for the youngster who was trying to make this his territory! He doesn't stand a chance with this older fellow. We'll see how it goes!

Okay. I'm at my plot!

This is the Sunchoke in the front... most of those flowers are around 6feet, and then the two main stalks go up to maybe 8feet!

I'm glad the Sunchokes grew this year... This one came in late, but it's so pretty. And the one in the back is a volunteer, I'll have to dig it all up this winter since it's right on the border and I don't want to be messing with the new neighbors next year!

Ha, this is funny... Right above the Sunchoke bloom in the center of this pic, that leaning branch...

Just a curvy Green Zuc today.

Here's the volunteer Squashes growing from the compost.

And the poor Seascape Strawberry plant, still trying to come back alive after randomly dying.

The first planting of Fava, the winter cover crop...

There's still little sign of the second planting. I am waiting impatiently!! So I focus on how happy these baby plants are!

I'm out! Heading home.

Are those nuts? acorns? foo. I can't tell. But that takes talent to carry them both!!

And here's Knotty! It's good to see her again!

The house was stuffy when I was going to bed last night, so I opened up the kitchen window. And this morning it was still so nice in the house, not cold. I can handle more of this kind of weather! It's nice to keep the house open!

On the way out to the garden, I heard a bird and thought... I should know who sings that.

The song was three notes, descending. The bird kept singing, and I kept walking tho I slowed down to listen and let my brain work.

Other birds chimed in. I heard Que! the contact call of a Flicker. Closer, a Chickadee sang, and then Dee-ed once.

Still those three notes that I felt I should know. And then I remembered!

Nooo. Gold. Here.

Ahh! Golden Crown Sparrow!

They are winter visitors here. They spend the summer in northern Canada and thru Alaska. They must be just arriving. And they are one of my favorite sparrows!! I can't wait to see them!

I'm at the Garden and I've got some work in mind, but first I notice that the second planting of Fava is coming up! Yay!

Let's see. Planted this on Sep27, they have taken 12 days to come up. The cooler weather slowed them down... the first planting came up in a week!

Okay! I'm going to murder some Horseradish today!

I know: UGH! I've been so lazy thru the summer, and now I have to deal with this mess. Stupid Horseradish.

Most of this is actually in the Pissant Pot People's plot. And, as usual I am slightly annoyed that I have to take care of other people's invasives. But whatever.

After...

The White Crown Sparrows are also winter visitors, like the Golden Crowns... but the White Crowns have been here for a while. I saw the first one at the end of August.

Dang they are cute!

The hot peppers in the back neighbor's plot catch my eye!

Nine Goldfinches? oop! Ten!

I'm heading out of the garden, but looking back in I catch a glimpse of this guy.

I've been seeing him around, and know where he lives. Outdoor cats are a bummer at the garden... I prefer the birds.

But this one was scaring the little birds away as well!

This Red Shoulder Hawk... I am def going to have to give her a name!

She even lets me get a little bit closer!!

Stretch!

*laughs* and then she's off.

And so am I. But before I get home... A Steller Jay!

Ha! She's looking for bugs in the bark, tossing litter out of the way.

Partner's Dad lives down in Florida, and landfall for the second hurricane, Milton, happened at 9pm last night. Dad lost power at 10pm. He's got rain and some gusts of wind but might go in to town for some starbuck's internet! Haha!

For Hurricane Helene, he lost power for a couple days, from Sept26 Thursday night to Sept28 Saturday lunch time. [Milton isn't so bad... Power came back on in about 24 hours, this time.]

On my side of the country, we had a cold night, it was 40° (4°C) when I got up this morning. BRR! It's warmed up a little but I'm wearing the rain jacket for warmth on my walk today!

There's a little park across the street with ½ a disc golf course, and I decide to walk over there today. I admire the trees.

Oh awesome... they have planted more trees!!

There's some Oak tree saplings, and I'm not sure what this is. I'm happy to see a variety of tree species!

Oh, nice! They've replaced the kiosk, too! It had gotten vandalized last year.

I stop off at the Garden on my way back. Oh! Bluebirds!!

She is so cute!

oop! And then the Red Shoulder Hawk flies over the Garden, and scares all the little birds away. I haven't named her yet and it's starting to bug me! *laughs*

And this one too? Hey! Walking thru my baby Favas! You better not step on any, You! *laughs*

I am studying the veggies a little bit closer today, because of the cold night...

But I think everything is still okay. Well. You know. Everything that didn't die after the cold snap in August. But the big tomato plants did die... and this is the LAST Old German, which has ripened on the dead plant. SIGHS.

But the Zucs continue to live, and the Sungold is still mostly happy.

And the Wax Bean plants are okay and the Tomatillos are hanging on too!

At some point I'll need to pick the Soybeans... they need to dry out some more, tho. They should all turn from the yellowish ones to the darker brown.

The volunteer squash plants growing out of the compost... might be a Crookneck or a Straightneck. It seems to be vining rather than making a zucchini nest.

The one Seascape Strawberry is setting up some tiny new leaves. And I love the random Wood Sorrel that happened to come with it too!

And the bigger clump of Seascapes.

More and more of the second planting of Favas are coming up!

On the way out, I stop and admire a neighbor's Zinnias.

Wearing my rain jacket, but it's not as chilly today and it's not long before I am sweating and uncomfortable! I have to stop and take off my jacket and stuff it in my backpack.

I've walked the neighborhood zig zag today.

And then I come to the mess that is my garden plot! *laughs*

The front Sunchoke is all lovely, but starting to lean a bit.

And the back Sunchoke has fallen over into the neighbor's plot. Arg. They haven't been around since that disaster over the summer, but I don't want to be encroaching on their plot!

I'm going to pick one of the Aubergines today... but check this one out.

haha, an entrance and an exit? I find one without any holes. I have no idea how to cook Aubergines, so I will have to do research about that.

This is how it's going to go today!

*laughs* But here's the first photo of the season, crappy as it is, of a Golden Crown Sparrow! I heard the first one singing the other day... they are migrating down from Alaska and northern Canada and they'll stay here for the winter!

Yeah, fly away little bird!

Her friend stayed, but she's standing in the shadows of some sticks. Stick shadows! Sheesh!

Well. At least I can take decent pictures of the leaves!

And then this one. I was so excited to see a Nuthatch!

But this is what I get! Bahahaha!

Perfectly situated behind a perfect ball of moss!

I can just imagine Sir David Attenborough's voice: And this is the rare Moss Headed Nuthatch performing her extraordinary courtship display...

*Laughs*

Okay. I'm at the garden, and ready to put my failures as a photographer behind me!

The neighbor's pretty Hollyhocks.

I've gathered some food, including a second Aubergine that doesn't have any holes.

And the Happy Favas at the front of the plot.

Okay. Let's try, try again with the little birds!

The day started with heavy fog, fun to look at. But it's completely burned off by the time I get out the door.

I am mostly walking today, but I stop by the garden to give the baby Favas a quick watering. The first planting...

And the Second planting...

And Yay! A couple Tomatillos came off the bush with a little tug!

It'll be nice to start getting Tomatillos on a regular basis!

Aw, a Ladybug resting on a Sunchoke bloom...

A precious lil Seven Spot Ladybug!

Nom, nom. Stuffing our face!

Heading home... oh, nice! There's a little group of Lesser Goldfinches flitting around.

The Lessers will stay bright yellow thru the winter and are easy to distinguish from the American Goldfinches, who are much duller!

American Goldfinches love the Sunflower seeds, but Lessers prefer smaller seeds, and Dandelion seeds are their favorite!

Thank You!

Looks like this might be the last warm day of sunshine. The forecast says the rain starts tonight or tomorrow.

Canada Geese? or Cackling Geese?!

Yay! More Tomatillos!

Tomatillos are crisp and taste like a lime! I don't really like them on their own, but if you add them to anything with tomato in it... oh yeah! That punches up the flavor profile, big time! Yum!

The Fava cover crop is continuing to do well!

Walking home.

Last couple days, there's been a homeless person's tent, right on the corner where I live. We do have camper trailers and RVs parked on our street, regularly, but it's pretty unusual to have a tent set up here. The hell strip is narrow and the tent sprawls over part of the sidewalk.

As I was coming home today, there were two cop cars parked in front of the tent.

One of the homeless guys was moving around. They were being kicked out, so he was gathering stuff together.

The other homeless guy is just sitting. And as I got closer. oh no.

He's sitting and staring at a dead dog. A small black mutt.

My heart breaks.

When I woke up and came downstairs this morning, the rice cooker is sitting on the floor next to the recycling bin. I ask about it and partner says It's done.

He says it loses power, randomly, and last night he had to finish the rice on the stove.

oh foo. I love that thing, it's so cute. what a bummer.

Cloudy and nice this morning, it didn't get cold last night and it's 61° when I set out for my walk. 30% rain today, so I've got my rain jacket even tho it's a bit too warm to wear it.

Just past the garden, I find this one stalking some prey!

Ha.

Yeah, I don't think so, Kitty. I took this photo and then I stepped between them...

The squirrel goes across the path and up a tree and I gave pets to the kitty.

Oh my gosh!

A Wood Duck! In eclipse plumage! Look how red his eyes are!

See ya around? No? Probably not?

Oh wow, all the crows!

And more crows over here!

Heading back.

I stop at the garden. Wondering if this thing will have time to ripen.

And here's standing at the back of the plot, looking over the Squash Square, at the Wax Bean trellis.

Oh nice! It looks like I'll get a couple more Straightnecks!

The poor Seascape Strawberries.

Here's my friend, hunting at the garden again!

Yeah, it's beyond time to give her a name!

I think it should be something to indicate she's a Red Shoulder Hawk, but Scarlet and Garnett don't really work. I go looking for other red names.

ooh, how about Rudra?!

In Hindu mythology, Rudra is a deity associated with storms and wildness.

Some sprinkles over night and this morning is so dark and dreary. It's 55° when I leave the house, zero wind and 90% rain and this is my kind of day!

Oh, ouch! Your poor ear. You've been fighting?

I arrive at the garden and there's a Flicker saying Que their contact call. It's too dreary for bird photos today, tho... she's a bit blurry!

No other humans at the Community Garden. That's nice. I have a walk about!

I'm at my plot and I stop to admire the front Sunchoke.

Oops, I was letting that one Zuc squash get a little bit bigger. But it's gotten huge! haha!

Okay! Today, before the rain starts up again, I'm picking the Soybeans.

The plants are very stunted... around a foot tall, some of them not even that! So Pathetic! Last years plants -- growing on the other side of the plot -- were 3 and 4 feet tall, and each plant had several tall branches.

There's just 14 little plants, when I planted probably over 100, in three separate plantings. Gah. I think there's about 100 soybean pods here.

*shakes head* Last year, I got 60 to 70 pods off a single plant!

It would be nice to find out what's wrong with the dirt here, so I could fix it. But I'm too lazy for that!

Well. On the other side of the garden plot...

Nothing stops the Sungolds! *laughs*

The volunteer squashes, growing out of the compost are still alive. As is the volunteer clover that I found under the Snap Peas.

And a Mystery Squash! This must be a cross between a Zucchini and a Straightneck? Ha! Not sure how that happened, but I'm going to harvest it today.

A pretty good haul today!!

Oh!! My little gentleman friend is back!!

Yay! I wondered if that older male who came thru here the other day had chased this one off permanently. So glad to see him again!

Okay, heading out. But first, I'm looking at the flowers in other people's plots!

Oh, hey! It's Mr Unnamed!

Glad to see him, even when he doesn't stick around for the photography!

Good Morning Mama!

The sun shines today, but there's a frost advisory for tonight. The forecast says it'll get down to 38°, well above freezing, but there will be some frost in the hills perhaps.

I arrive at the Community Garden, but I can't seem to make the photography work!

Yeesh.

Srsly.

My Gentleman Friend won't even help me out!

Oh well. I guess I'm to stick to flowers. The Sunchoke in the back is waning.

The Zucchinis are still going strong... tho I guess we'll see what happens with a colder night.

I thought I was going to have to stick with flowers...

But Yay!

Lesser Goldfinches!

They are eating the Cosmos seeds!

How cool is that!

I'm heading home. These fluffy clouds are building up quickly...

And before long it's overcast and sprinkling!

Here's the Soybeans I picked yesterday...

I've spread them out, and put a fan on them to dry!

When they are good and dry, I'll shell them and add them to the Soybeans I got last year... Yeah, I never got around to making tofu like I wanted! ha.

Yep, it's chilly this morning, but it didn't freeze. It got down to 37° but it's already warmed up to 46°... but I turned on the heat in the house, briefly and I'm switching my cutoff shorts for long jeans today!

Neighborhood zig zag.

These Amaranths in someone's hell strip are just amazing!

No one at the Community Garden! So I wander around looking at the other plots!

Canna Lilies and some Red Kuri in the background.

The Bird Bath art installation still has good colour!

Okay! Here I am at my plot. I'm checking on the Zucs, and fortunately they lived thru the cold night! All three Zucchini plants have several squashes growing on them... But they are going to slow down if the nights continue to be chilly. So I decide to leave them today and let them all get bigger!

Aw, the leaves on the big Tomatillo plant are turning yellow.

But it's perfect weather for the winter cover crop! This is the second planting of Favas... the first planting is about 6inches tall!

I'm really impressed with the effort the Straightneck is making, so late in the season!

Oh! My little Gentleman Friend is here!!

I wonder when his adult plumage will come in... He currently looks like a female: That tiny section of black on his chin is supposed to cover his whole head! Will I even recognize him after he molts?

Oh my gosh! I move around and he lets me get closer!

Yay! I'm so glad he's trusting me today!!

oh my gosh, he is just so stinkin' CUTE!

I have extra time after I leave the Community Garden, and I make an extra loop on my walk home.

In the news, this afternoon...

∞ Lighting on some Eugene walking and biking paths damaged by wire theft

Oh man, major bummer. I don't ever walk after dark, but the cost of repairing this is a drain on our resources. Very unfortunate!

But here's something to cheer me up!

∞ Strange 'Star Trek' sounds are echoing through Madagascar's remote rainforests. Scientists just found what's causing them

Oh my gosh! Newly discovered tree frogs are named after seven legendary captains: Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike!!!

... huh. I wonder who Burnham is. *laughs* Silly me, not keeping up with the Star Trek shows!

A special visitor in the parking lot this morning! A Black Tail Doe!

And I'm heading out thru the neighborhoods. I like the T-Rex!

And the shadows amuse me!

Oh my gosh! Two woodpeckers! ha!

Sapsuckers live here year round, but I rarely get to see them. Downy Woodpeckers are more common.

I get to the top of the hiking path, and I'm just on the edge of the Acorn Woodpeckers territory. I'm looking up at the sky, looking for woodpeckers flying by...

What in the world??!

They're not geese! They are flying in formation, but they aren't honking.

I'm taking photos, trying to figure out what I'm looking at.

And eventually, I just have to zoom into one of my pics.

Oh My GOSH!

Pelicans!! White Pelicans!!

How cool is that!!

They are flying approximately south...

But they wheel around. Maybe they're looking for a place to rest for the day.

They soon drop below the tree line, and I can't see them any more.

I look it up when I get home. We are in an area, a little bit outside the Pelican's normal migrating route! So it's super lucky that I got to see them!!

Meantime, I've been walking back and forth thru the Acorn Woodpeckers territory...

I can hear them tapping on their trees. They say Wikka Wikka. I see them flying here and there, between their trees.

But Photography. arg. Not so much.

*laughs*

Here's someone willing to cooperate! A male Spotted Towhee.

Back down the hill. It really is a lovely day!

And back to enjoying the Halloween decorations!

Oh, wow! My favorite!

I was able to keep my bedroom window open last night after yesterday's nice warm day. And today looks like another sunshiny and bright day!

Too busy to show her face!

I'm at my garden plot, and I'm looking at the Sunchokes. As their tall stalks have tipped over, it's kind of levering their roots out of the ground and exposing them.

Is that normal? I don't know!

A pretty good harvest today! I've been eating the Wax Beans, but freezing the Sungolds... without their sweetness, they don't taste good. But they'll be great in a future soup or something!

Was raining when I went to bed last night, and it rained most of the night!! I listened to it thru my open window and it was SOOO nice!

The sun came out this morning, but the clouds are moving around a lot and it's sprinkling again when I leave the house.

It's a little bit too warm to be wearing the rain jacket, but there's nothing for it. Have to keep the camera mostly protected from the wet.

With the rain, I don't feel the need to visit the garden... altho I do have the backpack, and I walked in that direction! *laughs* Just habit!

And I'm walking in the downtown neighborhoods.

Oh, this is an interesting variety of Sunchoke!! The stalks are as droopy as mine is, but look at the long rows of flowers on each stalk!!

*laughs*

ha, what in the world??!

And back at home and Mr Unnamed is hanging out! Always nice to see him.

The other day I heard him yelling, yelling. I looked out the window and saw him in the branches of the tree, and a grey cat was lounging at the base of the tree. The cat was paying him zero attention, but Mr Unnamed kept yelling.

And yelling and yelling!

The cat left. And yep, Mr Unnamed kept yelling!

It was probably a good ten or fifteen minutes before he got over his anger and moved on to the next project!

*laughs*

Heavy fog this morning. It's mostly burned off down here in the valley, but there are low clouds still engulfing the hills.

foo. A very blurry female Hooded Merganser... There were three of them here, but they were feeling shy and they quickly paddled behind some bushes!

The Sweet Peas are still blooming in the wild. And I don't know what this fruit? or nut? tree is.

Okay. Here I am at the jungle that is my garden plot.

I'm assessing. I could clear out more of the front garden square, and there's a spot I missed when I was planting Fava seeds that I could re-seed. I'd like to seed the Tofu Patch with Fava as well, but the Giant Marigolds are still alive and blooming. I want to enjoy them for as long as they'll give me!

Also gathering food!

Hi Squirrely! Glad to see you've gotten a little pudgy!

Oh, hey! It's my little Gentleman Friend, the juvenile Anna Hummingbird!

Last time he let me move around for a better shot... Yep! No problem!

He is the Cutest!!

Aaannnd, he's noticed someone invading and now he needs to go chase them away! Guarding his territory is hard work!

There's a squirrel in the neighboring plot... haha! The branch didn't support him and he flipped! This is his embarrassed look!

*struggles to right himself* I meant to do that! *laughs*

I'm heading out, but I notice these birds, who have been singing at the Garden today...

First time I've seen Red Wing Blackbirds at the Garden. I hope they are just passing thru, Red Wings tend to take over when they arrive.

I walked straight to the garden today, for some work, and discovered I had the place to myself!

This vine is in a front garden plot, and I think it's Purple Hyacinth Beans.

It's def a pretty plant, big and lots of blooms! Looks like you can cook and eat the young pods. But the mature beans are poisonous, probably in the same manner that kidney beans are, where you have to cook them all to heck to remove the toxins.

This is an abandoned plot on my row, a couple plots down. At the beginning of summer, they had to cut down tall grass and then they covered it with this landscaping cloth.

Is this some kind of mint plant?? Lemon Balm? Pretty impressive to grow through the tarp! ha! Not something I want anywhere near my garden plot!!

Okay! Here I am at my plot, and this is the back of the front Garden Square. I had cleared the Lemon Cucumbers from here and planted Fava as a winter cover crop. And then I cleared some more and did a second planting.

Today, I'm going to clear a bit more for a third planting! It's such a small area, I'm not going to mix the Fava beans. I'm just going to plant these older, store bought beans.

I'm looking at the Sunchokes again... Just crazy, I don't know what to think about the exposed roots! I mean, that's the part you eat, right. So is it still good to eat like that?

I'm gathering a few Tomatillos to take home... oh bummer! I've never seen a Tomatillo crack!

Too much water, probably. I'm not watering the plant specifically, but it's close to the Zucchinis which I am still watering occasionally.

I kept hearing Creeak Towhee's contact call, and of course she went silent every time I tried looking for her! Ha. But finally, she flew across the garden path and let me take a few pics!

Heading home... and the bike path is getting some lighting! Or... some poles, at least! *laughs*

One crew of workers was removing the hole covers and dropping the pole into it. And then a second crew is getting the pole straightened out and situated with gravel and concrete and whatever.

I don't ever walk at night, but it's probably really dark here, with the trees blocking the light from the road on the side. So it's great that we are getting some lights!

It's just 37° when I leave the house, but the weather page said decreasing clouds and zero wind. I was all That sounds Lovely and head out.

Well. It would have been lovely. Except the clouds were definitely _increasing_ and the breeze was pretty brisk for zero miles per hour! *laughs*

I was freezing! Not only did I wish for a thicker layer of clothing, I also wanted gloves and a scarf!

I was going to go to the garden, but it's just too cold to do work. But also I had somehow managed to load up the backpack wrong, and it was lumpy and uncomfortable. When I finally stopped to fix it, I realized I had taken out the bag of Fava seeds when I was refilling the water bottle... and then had not put the seeds back in.

So. Oh well. Def not going to the garden, now! I WALK! Five miles! It's good!

The light poles they put in yesterday have all been straightened and tamped down in this section... but Dang it! They are kind of ruining my view of the autumn trees. Bummer!

Hmm. Looks like it's going to be a bad bird pic day! Ha. Here's a blurry Downy Woodpecker.

That's okay. I can take pictures of the trees instead!

*laughs* these colours don't even look real! It's not translating to digital very well.

There was a bird running around as I walked by, and I went over to see if I could find her in the bush she was hiding under. Oh cool! A Wilson Snipe!

She's migrating. Did you get separated from your people?

I had walked by this house the other day...

But I didn't notice the dead body! Ha!

Pretty creepy! I think I prefer skeletons and ghosts.

∞ A Thousand Miles Center for Reproductive Rights

Sighs. Abortion is Healthcare!

It was 33° when I got up this morning, gah! The sun is warming things up tho. And the wind isn't as bad as it was yesterday.

heh, the new light poles along the bike path are interfering with my view! I wonder how long before they put the actual lights on the poles!

Unfortunately, it's one of THOSE days... Blurry birds. Or they just fly away before the camera can get organized.

Oh well. How about some flowers instead!

The sun is shining and it's very warm this morning!

But there's a 50% chance of rain after 11am... and that makes me very nervous about the camera. I'm imagining the clouds rolling in quickly and the rain pouring down on my way home.

But it's seriously too warm to be wearing the rain jacket. So I stuff it in my backpack to take with me just in case! Ordinarily I wouldn't take the backpack, hiking up the hill, but it'll add to the good exercise! (Or maybe it will kill me and my back, but whatever!) *laughs*

I love the colours and shapes this Persimmon Tree makes!

Oh, nice! I like these Halloween decorations!!

But also... What the heck! HA!

The trees are so pretty on this street.

I'm at the top of the hill, and Oh Yeah, I'm glad for the rain jacket stuffed into the backpack... These clouds are building pretty quickly. They haven't reached me yet, but I def would have been tempting fate if I didn't have the jacket!

It's nice and warm but the wind is so blustery up here... I keep thinking I see birds here and there. I took dozens of photos of this completely birdless tree, only to zoom in and realize it was just some moss waving in the stupid wind! Bahaha!!

Okay. Here we have an actual bird... One of the Acorn Woodpeckers that I come up here to see!

And some more trees dying. Climate change.

hm. Who's this? All I could see was a pale coloured bird at the top. I was positive this wasn't just moss again! *laughs*

She flies to another snag, and I can't identify her flying silhouette either. When she lands, I zoom in. Oh my gosh!

Kestrel!!

And, oops. He's a boy! ha... Females don't have any blue on their wings.

He's just a little bit too far away for decent photography.

And he's not giving me any time to try anything different.

Plus, he's not going to bother looking this way, anyway!

Ha. Oh well! It was nice to meet you!

Heading back down the hill.

I'm walking across the street today, to get the mail at my PO Box... kinda sad to see the Shari's Restaurant boarded up and a homeless tent in the back of the parking lot.

∞ Shari's Restaurants closes down all its locations in Oregon

Well, foo! A Steller Jay who isn't cooperating with the photography!

Oh wow!

Hello My Dear.

*laughs* That's mud on her beak. She's been digging the cracks on the path, looking for ants!

I'm at the Community Garden...

And I'm here at my plot to assess the situation. We had below freezing nights Thurs and Friday and I haven't been by yet to see if anything lived thru it.

The Giant Marigolds in the front are dead, and the leaves of the front Sunchoke are becoming all autumny. That's kinda cool.

All three Zucchini plants are dead.

The volunteer Tomatillos are dead.

Oh, Hello! You rascal. You're the one scaring the birds away today.

Oh, that's all you have to say for yourself?

*laughs*

The Sungolds are dead. But the one in the front Garden Square is surrounded by all the happy baby Favas, the winter cover crop!

The Borage is surprisingly still alive as well.

Well. That's fine... There are still some bees around, and the blooms will help them. I will work around them when I start pulling out the dead veggies.

But first, I'm gathering what I can carry...

Heading home. But oh my gosh. The Sky!

There are some cumulus clouds building over here.

But my goodness, the cirrus clouds are so beautiful!

This one, a Scrub Jay, had landed in the field and dropped the Peanut in the shell she had carried here.

And she was looking around like there are absolutely no landmarks around here... how am I going to remember where I buried this? Gonna need pretty precise GPS coordinates for this one, huh?

*laughs*

I decide to swing over to Westmoreland Park. It's a cute little park. Lots of people walking their dogs, so I rarely even see a squirrel. But it's nice to look at different things.

One of the cute lil baby trees they planted this year!

For a second, the cream colour of the bird in the middle looked more yellow... and I honestly wondered if that was a parrot. Someone's lost pet!

But no, def not a parrot! She's an Acorn Woodpecker! The difference between the cream colour on her face and the light grey is just more pronounced for someone standing on the ground (instead of up in the sky, where I usually see Acorn Woodpeckers!)

Well, we know what she's here for...

But I'm wondering! Where is her territory? How far did she fly for this acorn?

It's suddenly funny that I never come to Westmoreland because of the lack of wildlife! haha! I guess the abundance of acorns has changed that!

On the way back, I stop at the garden. I've still got veggies to gather from the dead plants. But I stop to admire my happy Favas first!

Lots of Borage in there as well... It's a summer plant, and it's surprising that it lived thru a couple of below freezing nights. I wonder how long it will live?!

These Straightnecks aren't going to last long... I grab them and I ate them as soon as I got home!

I get one of the Butternuts, too. And lots of Tomatillos again!

After I packed the veggies into my backpack, I realized I still had some room. So I picked some more Wax Beans. Most were small, but I got about 20. A very hefty serving to add to my dinner!

This lot is still hanging out at the Community Garden.

Red Wing Blackbirds. Their contact call is Check! I've been listening to them as I gathered the veggies. There's a couple Conk-la-rees as well.

I'm heading for the gate, but this one stops me...

Oh no, what happened to your poor face? And your ear?

Well. At least they've mostly healed up!

There's a little flock of Lesser Goldfinches going after the seeds in this Alder Tree...

But they don't let me get any good photos.

Ha. Oh well.

The sun shines... and this house is always in the way of the pretty trees!

I've walked out to the neighborhood, and decide to check out the Solidarity Garden.

The neighborhood association reclaimed this little section of land next to the dog park. And they've done such good things here!

There's lots of flowers still blooming. Black Eyed Susans.

Small fig trees!

They've also planted a couple other fruit trees this year. I have no idea what they are, they're just saplings with leaves and no fruit. But I'm going to guess Plums.

I've never seen this Aster variety before... the blooms are huge, prob about 3 inches in diameter!

The Raspberries are well established!

And a cute little Spotted Cucumber Beetle!

It's a good garden!

And here I am at my own garden... which is much more dead and much less impressive than the Solidarity Garden.

But I do have my own flowers...

And I'm still collecting food.

The Butternuts are small, but they still make my backpack bulge and difficult to close!

I found this Tomatillo husk has skeletonized!

Red sky morning, Sailor take warning.

I didn't have the camera when I was taking the mail out to the mail box, first thing this morning. But it was a beautiful sunrise!

The clouds rolled in by the time I was ready for my walk. There's 100% chance of rain today, it's 47° as I'm getting out the door and there's a good breeze, 10mph... so I'm wearing a heavy shirt under the rain jacket for the first time today.

I arrive at the garden and one of the beautiful plots in the front... What the HELL?

Someone has bent the metal posts, holding up these re-purposed wood pallets, which are now broken all to heck. WHY? Who did this? This is where the cute little succulents were living, that I've taken so many photos of.

jerks. Why do humans have to be so horrible.

And, GAH. Just the wastefulness alone, pisses me off... Those metal posts can't be reused ever again, bent like that, they are just trash. ... assholes!

Sighs. Well. I go to the shed and get a heavy fork. I've got work to do today.

I'm going to pull out the front Sungold...

I had to use the fork to get it out... it was well attached to the ground! I'm always surprised at how substantial the roots of the Sungolds are!

Next up, pulling out the dead Zucchinis and murdering me some Comfrey!

Arg! It starts sprinkling! I hate working in the rain! But I'm bound and determined to dig up some Comfrey roots.

The dirt is nice and soft and I'm able to get some longer roots out!

It's been a year since I've started trying to kill the Comfrey. I wonder how much longer it will take!

Here's the After picture... I do need to weed that grass out as well. But not today.

That green thing near the middle of the pic is the happy Columbine.

The last ripe butternut, another small one. There are two more, but they are pale, not the right colour... Can I eat them if they aren't ripe?

Yes. The internets say cooking up an unripe Butternut will taste more like zucchini. No sweetness, but it's fine.

While I've been working, there's a city crew out on the bike path...

They are repairing a couple lights... wires stolen for the cooper. And then they are placing these 900 pound blocks on top of the access panels, to prevent further theft.

My little Gentleman Friend, the male Anna Hummingbird is still defending his territory... He's been singing nearby. But when I get the camera he flies off!

And Rudra has been hanging out as well! First here...

And then in a tree on the other side of the bike path.

I'm leaving the garden to see if I can get close enough for more pics... Here's what our new 900 pound blocks look like!

And, no. Rudra doesn't let me get close enough for photos this time.

She's got places to go!

It's sprinkling off and on this morning, and there's a breezy wind blowing as well.

The weather page says the wind is 12mph today. The climate change wind began in earnest in January... and I am still trying to figure out how to estimate the annoying wind...

Oh, nice. Here's a decent page...

∞ Estimating Wind Speed

I'll have to study the chart a bit.

I'm walking the neighborhood zig zag today before hitting the garden. The trees at the edge of Gudu-Kut Park catch my attention.

The Butternut Tree, so beautiful!

At the garden...

With the wind, I'm not coming across any birds... but it's hard to take pictures of the flowers, too! Argh! This thing is waving all over the stupid place and I get frustrated quickly!

Stupid wind, anyway.

Okay! here I am at my garden plot. Today I'm just going to put some more Fava beans down to fill this empty spot where the front Sungold was...

I pulled it up yesterday. I took the plant to the compost heap, but I left all the fruits on the ground to add nutrients back to the dirt.

Now that I'm listening, I'm noticing the birds around me...

Rudra, the Red Shoulder Hawk flew away as I was coming into the Community Garden. A Song Sparrow bounced around in the dead Sunflower stalks nearby. I never saw the Towhee, but could hear Creeak the contact call.

And a little group of Juncos. But photography? Not so much!

ha.

I've gotten the rest of the Tomatillos... almost all of them are much smaller than the husk. Not ripe, will probably be more intense lime flavor. That sounds good!

This is the back of the big trellis where the Wax Beans are. That's one of the two not-quite ripe Butternuts. And you can see the jungle of the Pot People's plot on the left, is still flowering happily.

Their plot is pretty, but they still annoy the heck out of me! ... But at least they aren't evil like the neighbors there in the past.

On the way out, I glance back and am pleased at the growing Elephant Garlics.

Hollyhocks are still blooming.

Oh my gosh... this is Death Wish Squirrel! That day he stood in the middle of the street as a car went by?!

ha. I'm surprised, but Glad he's still alive! (He's recognizable because he has a shorter than normal tail.)

And back at home... The first Butternut I picked had a small bug hole in it. So I knew I'd have to cook it up soon, before it went bad.

Turns out it wasn't ripe, either, even tho it looked like a normal Butternut on the outside. The seeds were extremely hard to dig out, they were surrounded by hard flesh rather than that stringy stuff.

And it wasn't sweet at all. It was fine to eat... but I really wanted the sweetness, so that was kind of disappointing.

∞ Make Diseases Great Again: Trump team says they're coming for vaccines
if the former president is given a second term in office, his administration will work to pull vaccines off the market.

Seeing this anti-vax bullshit completely mainlined... really disturbs me and pisses me off.

∞ Portland police say ballot box arsonist has 'wealth of experience' with welding, metal fabrication

I hope they catch this evil guy. If you don't like democracy, get out of America!

Felon #45 can get out of America, as well, since he wants to be a dictator on Day One.