TimeOut

Lower 40 refers to the “lower 40 acres” on a piece of property out in the country, the place where the party happens, the flood plain, where you pull your truck up, unload the cooler and start a party, away from the street so the cops don’t see you.

We have had parties in our back garden, but it was many years ago when we were capable of walking up steep slopes with a glass of Cabernet and not complaining about the terrain. Anyway, I've gotten sidetracked. 

I checked the humidity this morning and it was wet wet wet. Not raining, but foggy and dripping. My wife was busy devouring her sweet cinnamon roll, so I set out on a walk alone. In the Lower 40.

 just as the marine layer is fighting to hold back the sun.



This fly got in the post by accident - I didn't see it when I took the photo.



Sun is struggling to break through. At this point I spotted a large chicken pecking its way around the corner of the yard. WHAT? a chicken?



OK, some corners do look like a ramshackle farmyard... the chicken must have escaped from a coop about 100 yards away... and she got away before I got a photo.



One of our hummingbirds scolded me for my slow reactions, but I did catch him, even if a bit blurry because this is iPhone, not the big camera today.



I looked up at a brief hint of blue and saw a couple giant spiders before the clouds closed again.



At this point some rays came from the east and briefly sunlit the pine tree; only 30 seconds briefly, then disappeared.



I did have confidence there was enough cloud layer that I wouldn't blind myself or my camera with a direct look at the sun, who was still losing the battle.



A strange black beetle hovering drew my attention. This is the best photo I could get. 

I think this is the blasted weevil that killed my Canary Island palm in the front yard. I saw two. I hope they starve down here as we have no more palms for them to inhabit and destroy.



This is a Euphorbia. I found one plant in the canyon, put it in our yard, and we now have dozens this size and hundreds of tiny ones. Oops. Found a native who likes what we have in soil and moisture.



Some larger, seed-eating critter has been here recently - my guess is opossum or skunk or raccoon. Can anyone here identify this deposit?



As new life is making its way out of an old stump I got thirsty, and headed up the house for a cuppa (English slang for a nice cup of tea).

  login to reply