Fall is here. Equinox was yesterday. The nights are cool now.

aristeros and I were heading out shopping last week when we saw two deer, a mother and fawn, run away from somebody's front lawn. This morning while walking the dog, I saw a [presumably wild] pig in the grassy area beyond the houses. The dog didn't seem to notice. Maybe I should bring a ( Read more... )

I've been a bit groggy since last weekend, when we stayed up til midnight Saturday night.

On Monday night we saw a bat coming to the hummingbird feeder. Or rather, I saw a flying thing, about finch-sized, that repeatedly approached from below. It was too fast for me to get a good look, but aristeros identified it as a bat. At first he thought it was ( Read more... )

When I exited the house this morning to begin walking the dog, I was excited to find a sphinx moth or hawk moth taking breakfast from the lobelias or whatever those red flowers are in our back yard border ( Read more... )

I filled and hung up the hummingbird feeder two days ago, as I had contemplated, and lo, they come! We've observed several hummingbird visitors today. Actually, the first hummingbird that I saw approach the feeder this morning was chased away by a second bird, with angry squeaking, but the second hummingbird did not partake at that time. I think ( Read more... )

We've noticed a lot more insect life here than at the last place we lived. Beetles, ants, moths, flies - an annoying number of the latter two enter the house, but I don't want to spray poison around in case I end up breathing it or swallowing it ( Read more... )

A bonus that came with our house is the border garden in front and back. Actually, there's not much left in back, just a few sparse bedding plants, but the front looks a bit better. Most houses on our street do not have this. That means someone who lived here before took the time, effort and money to plant the garden. Also, there's a great big ( Read more... )

(cross-posted to urban_nature)
Last week, on returning from dinner out, we found a big hunting spider in the garage, next to the door to the house.

( spider #1 )

The dog is snoring in his Port-A-Crate. Snoring animals amuse me greatly. :)

It's been four weeks since I potted up my seedlings. I regret to report that they are dead, except for one zinnia which will probably expire by the time we clear out of this house. I put them by the front door. Temperatures have maxed in the 90°s F most days; during ( Read more... )

AP: Calif. aquarium blames flooding on curious octopus
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Staff at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium in California say the trickster who flooded their offices with sea water was armed. Eight-armed, to be exact ( Read more... )

This is not really news, being a month old, but it is amusing:
Otto the octopus wreaks havoc
A octopus has caused havoc in his aquarium by performing juggling tricks using his fellow occupants, smashing rocks against the glass and turning off the power by shortcircuiting a lamp.

Staff believe that the octopus called Otto had been annoyed by the ( Read more... )