November 6

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Remember, a week or so ago, we looked at wet maple leaves, and found that water beads up on the bottom surface of the leaves, but not on the tops?

I think this is amelanchier (service berry) -- with beads on top.

And on the bottom.

Another amelanchier leaf, with a maple........

Do you see what my daughter spotted?

I didn't, until she pointed it out.

It was right were it might get stepped on.  I found a stick, expecting it would move when (very gently) poked.  Nope, too cold for that.  Poor little thing -- it put its hand up to try to push the stick away, but didn't move unless shoved.  I managed to get the stick under it, and slide it over to the edge of the pavement (near some decorative rocks).

This is the first adult-size amphibian I'd seen in years -- in a very built-up area.  All houses and sidewalks and streets.  I didn't know where we could put it that would actually be safe.  On our way back to the car, I thought we could move it to the park (West Park is about half a mile from here).  Had we seen it again, I'd have picked it up and we'd have driven it to the park.  But it was gone.  I hope it is safe, and will be part of producing a new generation next spring.

I used to see toads in the back yard of my first house (on the same block where we found it) all the time.  There was a cistern under the back yard at that house, and I used to wonder if that's where the toads were reproducing.............  What a pretty thing, with its green legs almost as green as the lichens on the twig.  I wish it well!



Farmers' market.  Kale, and really (really) big kohlrabi.

We went to the Deli for a treat and a beverage.  I had mandelbrot, which is one of my favorites, and I took several pictures, which were all blurry, alas.  I must have forgotten to change to the macro focus.  The day was rainy, and there was rain on the window near the place we sat to eat.  I took several pictures of the patio umbrellas, stored for the winter in lengths of pvc pipe screwed to a fence, and they were all boring (nothing interesting happened with the rain on the screen, contrary to my hopes).


Gotta take the pics; sometimes they are interesting, and sometimes they're not!

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