Halloween Re-Visit

I'm a spider fan and was surprised by a favorite today. The Phidippus audax or Daring Jumping Spider is a harmless, fuzzy, black & white cutie. Prompted by the season and my little friend, I decided to re-post Halloween 2008.

Happy Halloweeeeeeen!!!

Halloween! All Hallow's Eve! Dia De Los Muertos! The day of candy corn, jack-o-lanterns, costumes, ghouls, goblins, fun, and generally SCARY STUFF!

How about spiders? They are very active in the Fall. Big garden spiders spin and spin, creating huge symmetrical webs to trap their prey. Daylight finds them in hiding; evening begins the hunt. And watch out for Black Widows too! They seek dark places, spinning rather desultory webs as their signature death trap.

And how scary is a pumpkin? The inside can be pretty darn to a little one, namely mine. When my son and niece were young we carved some pumpkins for Halloween. Each child was to clean-out his/her own pumpkin before the artistic process would begin. My niece dug in happily; my son protested. Thinking he just wanted to skip to the fun part I encouraged him to persist. Not until I heard him say "Mom, I see little white flies in my pumpkin" and "I'm dizzy" did I realize what was happening. My rough and tumble boy was seeing stars! Blood and guts never phased him, but the mushy innards of a pumpkin were definitely his kryptonite!

Be afraid! Be very afraid!

Lavender's Blue Dilly, Dilly...

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,

When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen.

Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so....

(Burl Ives/Disney version)

Lend Me Your Ear!

Had Van Gogh suffered a change of heart, and wanted to reattach his ear, he probably would have needed a few leeches. Medicinal leeches, that is! Besides removing excess blood from the wound, leech saliva contains both an anticoagulant and an anesthetic. The anticoagulant prevents clotting so the ear receives blood flow and survives; the anesthetic numbs the pain so you'll never know what bit you!

In 2004 the FDA approved the use of leeches as a medical device. Today a tribe of the creatures passed through our hospital's pharmacy on their way to save, not an ear this time, but a life.

Of course we were all thankful for our camera phones... ;)

Pitch the Tents!

Winter was long in the High Sierra this year. Well into late spring, high country lakes are frozen and trails are snowbound. The passes (Sonora, Ebbetts, Monitor) were finally cleared of snow just before Memorial Day. The first week in June, Tioga Pass was still closed.

Life above 9,000 feet is on hold for now, but life below the snow line is thriving. Lupines and snow plants are in bloom; lizards adorn warm rocks; rattlesnakes slither sneakily; and tent caterpillars live communally on bitter bush. Little silk tents are everywhere. Branches of kite spools house worms feasting on tasty spring growth....
moths to come:)

Dinnertime at the Stenbergs

Just look at those hummingbirds! Ralph and Dayle's sugar solution must be really high octane to attract so many hummers to one feeder. Ralph is one of my dad's favorite golfing buddies and a fellow hummingbird fan so when he shared this photo of Dinnertime, I asked permission to post it. The Stenbergs are originally from Frazee, MN. Located in a beautiful area near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Frazee is famous for turkeys rather than hummingbirds. The town celebrates Turkey Days every year in July and is home to the world's largest turkey too!

Rufous Red Baron

The sun was shining bright today, so hummingbirds came out to play:) Rufous hummingbirds have invaded my space, swooping, diving, making lots of noise, and using the nearby birch tree as a resting place. There were even numerous 'dogfights' resulting in contact (and flying feathers too). Think I'll name these guys Snoopy and Rufous Red Baron!

I Love Orange(s)

While Southern California's orange groves are fast disappearing, orange trees live on in suburban yards. Our navel orange tree loves its sunny, south-facing location and is busy all year. Fruit ripens between October and January becoming sweeter with time spent on branch, so if you like your orange juice sweet, have patience! By February, pretty white blossoms begin to appear producing a fragrance like no other (talk about aroma therapy!). The orange tree's cycle overlaps so blooms can exist with mature fruit from the previous year. Orange trees are natural hummingbird havens too. Hummers hide and nest in the dense foliage; bathe in leaf-cupped rainwater; and feed on the many spiders and bugs living there.

This year January 1st was Mimosa Day. Fresh (from the tree;) orange juice and champagne in equal parts made for a tasty start to 2010, post Rose Parade of course!

Cheers and Happy New Year!