Many Pictures Of, Uh, Nature

Tulip Tree Beauty Moth

Once again the man has headed to the coast for another weekend of fishing and hopefully, this time they'll actually get to spend some time out on the water. He's so funny. Although I do not mind in the least when he goes off for a few days to fish or hunt, he always sort of waits until the last moment to tell me of his plans as if I might get angry or be too sad or something. So the other night when he vaguely mentioned going fishing this weekend and I indicated that I did not know he was thinking about that he said, "Well, you know- snapper season! We have to go while we can! So, do you mind, I mean, is it okay if I go?"

I laughed. 
"You don't need to ask my permission. Just let me know."
I suppose he thought I knew when snapper season ends because knowledge like that is simply part of his reality, like knowing when it's time to pick the beans is my reality.  
We are a funny couple. And getting funnier by the day. I told him last night that I would gladly do his grocery shopping for him. Buy the stuff that he'll need to make sandwiches with and so forth. We made out a list and before I left to go shopping this morning and was sitting here doing a crossword on my MacBook he asked me when I thought I'd be back from town. 
"About an hour and a half after I leave," I told him. 
Trust me- I did the shopping and was back in plenty of time. 

That man just loves to fish. 

I did two things today that I have been meaning to do for a while now. All of this rain and all of these storms we've had in the last week or so have done a good job of pruning the trees around the yard. Branches  have been dropping like crazy, ranging in size from hardly-larger-than-twigs to ten feet long. That would be the Chinaberry tree which does indeed love to shed its limbs. So I emptied the rain water out of the garden cart and went to work, picking up the downed tree pieces and hauling them to the burn pile. After about ten minutes of that, I was sweating like a trouper as my grandmother used to say. And then it began to rain a little and so by the time I was finished, I was soaking wet. Just as I put the last branch on the pile, I heard the unmistakable sound of yet another branch letting go of life and falling. I turned around to see this.

Dang water oaks. 
"Really?" I asked the branch. "Really?" It gave me no response.

And then I hauled it to the burn pile too. 

This morning I had seen and heard something falling behind the chicken coop and so I went to see what that had been. 

Part of what I call a "woodpecker tree" had fallen, taking some vines with it, crashing through the extremely invasive coral ardesia which is swiftly taking over. Since that happened in one of the wooded, wild sections of the yard, I let it be. Soon enough the insects and fungi, water and sun will take it back to the earth. 

And then, because I was already sweating and filthy, I attended to the other thing I'd been meaning to do which was to pull some crab grass from the kitchen garden where the bananas grow. That crab grass has been been bugging me for weeks and I have to look at it at least ten times a day. 

I really should make that spot into something more esthetically pleasing. Perhaps take out everything but the roses and bananas and plant herbs in there. That would be the right thing to do. There is some mint over beside the pretty little tiled bird bath but it's hidden by the pinecone lilies and volunteer golden cherry tomato vines. There's also a gardenia, a giant tropical plant that I always forget the name of, a sago palm, some of the wild pink phlox, four-o'clocks, chenille plant, and Virginia creeper. Plus other stuff. 

Perhaps this winter I will attend to that. 

But at least the crab grass is gone from that particular bed. 

At that point, Mr. Moon had kissed me good-bye, told me he loved me, and with an almost inappropriate amount of joy, left to go pick up his friend Rob and drive to the coast. I took a shower which was delightful and folded some laundry and put it away and now the bed is made up with clean sheets, of course, and I took a few porch pictures when the sun had come out and was making merry with its light after being hidden behind the rain clouds. 

My dump-scored Monstera. Well, part of it. 

A Rex begonia that I do not remember where I got, a clivia lily that Lis gave me, a Swiss cheese plant that Lily gave me, and some Swedish ivy that Jessie gave me. The lily is on a typewriter that Mr. Moon brought me home from...the dump. It is sitting on the base of what used to be my grandfather's shop stool.

Now. Can you see what is happening here? 

The spider plant in the blue pot sent out a baby which has rooted in the pot belonging to the giant begonia. Those sneaky spider plants! 

One of my bird's nest ferns, basking in the sunlight. I do love a bird's nest fern. 

And now the sun has gone back behind the clouds and the weather widget looks like this. 

I am pretty sure that the weather in Florida is a big influence when it comes to Florida Man. And Florida Woman. There is absolutely no constant you can hang your hat on. Except for heat and humidity. It's enough to make anyone crazy. 

Ooh boy. I can hear thunder. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon