Here we are in the summer rain again

[sovay]

It was sunshowering most of the afternoon, so without doing anything as sensible as looking for rainbows, I went for a walk with my ancient digital camera which now turns itself off at regularly inopportune moments and still managed to capture some rain-dusted flowers.



The neighborhood hibiscus are reliably beautiful in all weathers.



The rain beaded on their veined petals like eyespots.



They even looked opulent when blown backward like umbrellas.



None of my pictures of the glistening scales of plane bark came out to my real satisfaction.



The telephone wires made it look like the tree itself was broadcasting.



I liked the soft beading of the rain on the down of the lamb's ear.



Not pictured: the begonias that looked like a crumpled hat. The marigolds seemed totally unfazed.



The sunset was spectacular and the ceiling lamp in my office added an in-camera flying saucer.

The latest fruit of college radio has been Mona's "Kiss Like a Woman" (2018) and the all-ages cute queerness of its video. Since I had just been talking to spatch about Charles Mee, I was extremely happy to see that the (re)making project is still online. The shell-shocking student production of The Trojan Woman: A Love Story (1994) which I saw at Brandeis in 2002 had been substantially, correctly rearranged from the original text. It triggered short fiction of mine directly and I still think about it.

Comments

[selkie]

The more legislatively painful it grows to be queer, the more I appreciate the babyqueers’ music.

Also, those marigolds look very staunch.

[gwynnega]

The hibiscus are so photogenic.

[minoanmiss]

*wallows in your lush photography*

[moon_custafer]

The telephone wires made it look like the tree itself was broadcasting.

Or like it’s a harp.

[garonne]

The telephone wires made it look like the tree itself was broadcasting.

I love that one!

[theseatheseatheopensea]

The telephone wires made it look like the tree itself was broadcasting.

The wood wide web! <3

[regshoe]

I would listen to broadcasts from a tree. I'm sure they would have many interesting things to say.

Lovely photos, as always!

[asakiyume]

Beautiful--the first two: what a great color and texture to lose yourself in.

[thomasyan]

I enjoy your pictures. You seem to really enjoy nature.

Have you noticed a change in what plants are around? For the longest time, if I saw a field of short, yellow flowers that I could not make out, I'd probably assume they were dandelions. Now, I'd think bird's-foot trefoil, which I find pretty up close.

And in the Great Meadows Concord years ago, I remember seeing signs explaining invasive plants. I'm guessing one was purple loosestrife. This summer, I feel like suddenly I see it everywhere (along highways and roads in the Greater Boston Area; ditto as I drove to Ithaca, NY, and definitely along roads and next to lawns in that area).

I find change this fast a bit unnerving.

Oh, and I love red meat. The NYT had an article that says the lone star tick and alpha-gal syndrome are so widespread in Martha's Vineyard that there's been a real impact on diet and what restaurants serve. One baker can't eat most of her own products, and one man thinks he fainted from an allergic reaction to BBQ smoke. Plus sugar and other foods processed with charcoal made from bones need to be avoided. Eek!