Thursday, October 21, 2010


The garden on October 21 2010.

Sunday, October 17, 2010


I often see this kind of spider. I have seen that they spin their webs at dusk, eat the web at dawn, and hide during the day. This one is getting ready to spin the web, I believe.

Friday, October 15, 2010




Darcy and Olivia in October 2010.

This is Teak in October 2010.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010


I believe this is a spider of the genus Argiope. There have been three or four living on my yard since this summer. This one is eating a grasshopper and let me get very close to take this picture. I guess either they have terrible eyesight or don't mind having their picture taken (or both). Perhaps you don't need good eyesight to catch food with a web, as these do. I've noticed that jumping spiders (who do not use webs) behave as if they have very good eyesight. If you get close, they will sometimes watch you. If you move, their gaze follows.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

I have known about lucid dreaming for a long time now, but on Friday October 8th I experienced my first lucid dream. The dream was so realistic from the beginning, and pleasant. I dreamt that I was traveling in Europe, and I awoke the next morning so refreshed because the dream was so real. It was like I really was on vacation all night. I guess that's all that matters for my psychological health: I was not in fact vacationing in Europe, but I believed I was.

In any case, at one point the dream did take a turn for the worst. I had out of frustration started a fight with the booking clerk in a train station. (Don't worry- he deserved it.) The police had been called and I thought that instead of just missing the train and delaying my return to Rome now I'm going to get arrested! Not a good turn for a realistic dream (or reality itself). But then I had this thought: This is just a dream. I can turn around, act like nothing has happened, and everything will reset. And it did. I still remember the feeling so well; it was like I had just discovered that I had some super-power. In any case, the dream continued, and it was realistic and pleasant.

Okay, so I had a lucid dream. So what? Well, with a job with a waning level of fulfillment that is taking more and more time and a salary that will probably never increase, I have been looking for a way to get away. It's so good to escape occasionally and come back refreshed. This is nothing unique to me. Some people drink or take medication, and that can work okay. Some people take time off from work, but I can't afford that. But I do have to sleep, and I saw the other night how refreshing that can be. I say that because it sleep has been for a long time dreamless (as far as I know), or with faint dreams, or just a dreamlike continuation of the day's problems. But now I see I can wake up refreshed. Lucid dreaming may be it, or it may just be part of it. I see there are ways to induce lucid dreaming. Perhaps the lucid part of the dream was incidental. In any case, I want to have that good night of sleep again.





I have a Hyacinth Bean vine in my yard. It has had a good year and looks great. But it's starting to cool off now in my area and perhaps that has weakened its defenses. The reason I say that is a swarm of aphids have arrived on that plant only. I'm not quick to act on such problems and I almost always let nature run its course in my yard, even with the fire ants most of the time. That's just my ethic for the yard. In any case, a nice side effect of me letting the aphids attack the vine is that they attracted a great number of lady bugs, which I have heard like to eat aphids. Here are some pictures.

Monday, October 11, 2010


The fall garden was planted on September 19th this year, and I have never had such uniform and dense germination before. From right to left you see rows of Cherry Belle radish, Florida Broad Leaf mustard greens, Red Ursa kale, Black Seeded Simpson leaf lettuce, more mustard greens, and more lettuce. (In addition there is a basil plant left over from the summer, and transplanted collards and broccoli in the far left of the garden.)

The seed was sowed quickly and without care. I cleared the mulch out of the way to expose soil for rows, and then scattered the seed along the rows. The secret to success this year must be due to the new water hose and head. I've never had such easy access to water before, and it apparently makes a difference. The seedbed was kept moist by a light shower each morning. The young seedlings continue to get frequent light watering. Hard to believe I used to try to do all this with a watering can, which is not practical for the frequency and quantity of water needed. The bottom line is now I have the best garden I have ever grown from seed. The photo was taken on October 9th, 2010 .
I took this picture in the early spring of 2009. I saw these tiny pink specs on the soil surface of my garden, and I wondered what sort of debris they were. Then I noticed they were moving. The picture was taken with the macro setting on my camera, and the bug is tiny. (Note the thumb on the left.) I have been told it is a rare type of Springtail in the family Poduridae.