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Jack and Sam

October 31, 2015 - Today, at dusk, the ancient Celtic harvest celebration known as Samhain, a.k.a. Halloween, reaches its peak, as the divi...
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Still hardy after all these weeks

October 30, 2015 - A couple of weeks ago, the Hardy Cyclamens unexpectedly came out of dormancy and started to bloom. They were so late thi...
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Beaked

October 29, 2015 - The Beaked Hazelnut, so named for obvious reasons, is not all that common around here, but I see two of representatives...
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Somber afternoon

October 28, 2015 - Depending on which weather forecast you listen to, this is going to be either a modestly rainy day or a downright deluge...
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Mama Marbled

October 27, 2015 - My reward for managing not to pass out from the cortisone shot I needed to calm the Lyme-induced (we think) inflammation...
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Leaf-fall path

October 26, 2015 - There are still plenty of brightly colored leaves on the trees, and, in places, a considerable number of stubbornly gree...
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Unexpected bells

October 24, 2015 - When I think of the heyday of the bellflowers, I'm looking back to June and July when the edges of the woods and the roa...
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The star of a hay ride

October 24, 2015 - Today featured an interesting "walk" in which I mostly didn't walk at all. The excursion, an actual hayride, took place...
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Wintry berries

October 23, 2015 - Every time I mention the advent of winter, which typically occurs when I've discovered one of the natural signs of the i...
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A hidden crown of red

October 22, 2015 - We're still enjoying a stretch of Indian Summer warmth, and that's making for a fine display of fall foliage, with the m...
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Unusually floriferous

October 21, 2015 - With the leaves beginning to fall in droves, I'm now gaining the ability to see things I've missed. Nests, of course—bot...
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Silver aftermath

October 20, 2015 - After yesterday morning's definite killing frost, my objective during this morning's much warmer walk—no winter gear nec...
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A (major) touch of silver

October 19, 2015 - The countryperson's question at this time of year, in archetype asked by old gammers sitting around the woodstove at the...
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Fall classic

October 18, 2015 - We had the first hint of frost this morning, and not long after sunrise—truth in blogging, I'm no longer able, given thi...
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The butter-butts are back

October 17, 2015 - Bird names are occasionally changed to reflect new scientific knowledge, and in the case of what used to be called the E...
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Pending journey

October 16, 2015 - The local milkweeds have fed what few Monarch butterfly adults and multicolored caterpillars were around this summer, an...
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Odonate high tea

October 15, 2015 - The afternoons have been deliciously warm, and though I'm still not at my best, healthwise—both physical and emotional—I...
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Unexpected shooting star

October 13, 2015 - Years ago, when I piggybacked on a friend's membership in the American Rock Garden Society, I got to participate in the...
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Friendly phoebe

October 13, 2015 - Some "journeys of discovery," as I've often called my daily excursions on foot, require going the distance, or, at least...
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Real fall

October 12, 2015 - I'm something of a traditionalist, and, according to long-standing tradition, Columbus Day weekend is supposed to be the...
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A bit of healing

October 11, 2015 - My granddaughter Stasia spent the weekend with us and she was absolutely devastated by Max's passing, since, for all of...
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Almost migrants

October 09, 2015 - I spent a good part of the morning despondent about Max, but I didn't really have time for too much sadness, because my...
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Goodbye and fare thee well

October 09, 2015 - It turns out that we had very little time—precious little time—left, and a few minutes past midnight, Max, who had been...
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Lapping up the sunshine

October 08, 2015 - The verdict from our vet on the state of Max's health was grim but not surprising: we're in hospice mode now, he gently...
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Very wild apples

October 07, 2015 - Between trying to get several deadline writing projects done and taking care of our very sick cat Max, I haven't had a l...
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Where the White-faceds are

October 06, 2015 - The maple leaves are changing color and falling rapidly, but this isn't really a sign of early fall... it's more the res...
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A witch's favorite

October 05, 2015 - Some of my best discoveries are made en route to the compost heap—I mean that literally, not figuratively—and so it was...
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Back in business

October 04, 2015 - After a blessedly long spell of rain, the sun finally emerged from hiding. So did I, bad wrists and all, and, since I ha...
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New and different goldenrod

October 03, 2015 - Today was dump day—well, Transfer Station and Landfill day, since we no longer have a dump—and after I sent the outright...
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Mushroom mystery semi-solved

October 02, 2015 - It's been a slow late-summer and early-fall for mushrooms, and that, of course, is the fault of the persistent drought....
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Forest cuke

October 01, 2015 - I got into hard-core botany through a classic book with the wonderful title of Stalking the Wild Asparagus. The author,...
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