I live on a country lane with four other houses and one street lamp. The street lamp is right in front of my house, and I have often been told how 'lucky' I am to have it there. I am not sure why this is lucky. I am well aware where my front door is, and when I go out before dawn to retrieve my morning paper, it is casting a nauseous orange glow over my front garden, and I am therefore never able to enjoy my garden by moonlight. I enjoy the darkness of night and the sparkle of the night sky. Moonlight is almost magical, but maybe in these modern times when folks are focused on their iPods and televisions, the romantic lure of a moonlit night has lost its charm.
This morning there was a thin sickle moon and the stars were magnificent in the velvety black sky. I noticed years ago when I lived in a very dry climate that the stars had a sparkle in the evening sky, but in the time before dawn they had a steady glow. I have looked this up, and the sparkle is, apparently, from air turbulence, so there must be less of that in the cool of the morning.
We have recently returned from a trip to the Sierras. A very short trip, but we were able to get to a favorite lake to enjoy the autumn colors, the aspens seeming to radiate back the sunshine they had absorbed all summer long. Of course, I forgot my camera, but here is a picture from a previous trip, although not in autumn.
This summer I had a new patio built. My property is very windy, and not very warm, so I had the patio put in a rather awkward area that was never used for anything, and backed by a fence to block the wind. It has been a great success, and I have taken to eating most of my meals outdoors now. The whole family approves.
Work continues shipping bulbs, although it will start to taper off now. This is welcome (and necessary) since many bulbs are starting to sprout in their storage trays and need to be replanted. We have replanted all the Oxalis, and a few are even blooming now. Here is the lovely Oxalis hirta v. longituba.
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