Curious Dog

Apple Picking

Isn't this sweet? Great family time in the fall sunshine, with three generations picking apples from my generous neighbor's generous tree.

We wound up with enough apples to dry, enough to can applesauce, to make apple cake and apple crisp, enough for two batches of apple jelly.

I thought we were all working nicely together picking apples, when, suddenly, an armed native appreared in the tree.

Then my own father turned on me.

He muttered something about Tom Sawyer. Yes, picking the apples had been my idea, and yes, he and the others were doing the lion's share of the work.

But somebody had to take the pictures!

More House-Hugging Critters

Audrey tells me that this, a praying mantis, is the only insect that can swivel its head. I snapped his portrait from numerous angles; everywhere I went, he followed me with a robotic pivot.

Rachel asks if the ladybug was really there, or a figment of my Photoshop imagination. It was there. I cropped this photo and bumped the contrast; other than that it is unedited.

In the Dry

John and the farrier worked in the machine shed last week. They talked about horses and homeschooling over the whisper of grey drizzle falling on the tin roof.

Midnight

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

And what I say unto you I say unto all,

Watch.

Mark 13:35-37

Keeping the Creepies Out

The down trend in the outdoor thermometer means lots of creepy crawlies are trying to get into my house. This guy slept on the front door for half a day, taking life from whatever warmth radiated through the glass. The worst autumn offenders are the mice who find their way in. They are nasty and destructive. The war rages every year---I'm armed with traps; the mice with determination and a will to survive. But this fall I have added a new and powerful weapon to my arsenal.

We don't usually keep cats indoors, but Sage had a mishap that fractured her hip. The vet prescribed six weeks' of house confinement. Midway through, John saw Sage padding across the floor, a mouse tail dangling between her teeth. And I have seen no sign of rodents, even though October is generally prime real estate season for mice hunting new winter digs.

Sage has earned a cozy place indoors, even though her hip is long since healed.

And, with winter coming on, I might just get used to having this personal heater at the foot of my bed.

Poultry in Motion

We like a little variety in the laying flock.

This Golden Laced Wyandotte is stealing a sip from the dog's water bowl.

This one's a Rhode Island Red. She's thinking she'll head back to Rhode Island, but we know the car will never make it that far, so we took the keys away.

And this fella is a Black Australorp. He is as stately as his name.

Moon Shots

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

(black night moon photo by Erica. Thanks, E.)

what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

It happens every year: John Deere green overtakes the green of summer.

Cubs!

The Cubs are in the playoffs, which is like setting bulls loose in a china shop. It is almost always unruly, noisy ... and something is bound to come crashing down. Usually the Cubs.

Mike Lopresti, USA Today

If you love baseball, you've got to love October. I'm listening to every game I can, determined not to let the memory of unused tickets to World Series Game 5 detract from my enjoyment of this year's tournament. Yep, that's right, THE WORLD SERIES! I had a ticket to the biggest party in baseball; I loaded up the crew and buzzed out to Denver for the game, but never unpacked my suitcase. The STINKIN' RED SOX swept the Rox in four games, so there was no Game 5. I'm still a bit miffed. Couldn't they have let the STINKIN' ROCKIES win one measly game?

"We would really love to ... you know ... there's no sense even mentioning it," (Cubs Manager Lou) Piniella says. I know what he means. I would have loved to, too.

Espanol

Los estudiantes aprenden en casa y en colegio español. La maestra en casa también.