Beige Oak

Intro: My handle reflects my interests. Oaks are a keystone species, hosting more life forms than most other tree species. I'm encouraging others to do what I'm doing with my yard: plant and foster native trees, perennials, and annuals to provide habitat for birds, insects, etc.

Wild bee and honeybee. Love them all. #photography

My neighborhood inspires me to walk two or three times as long as I usually do, just so I can see what new #Halloween decorations have been installed since last time I went out.

. 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿 .

A couple of my favorite neighborhood skeleton displays for #Halloween. Deets in Alt-txt.

Bumblebee enjoying late season Coreopsis.

Be sure to check your child’s Halloween candy. Last year, we found a copy of Atlas Shrugged in a fun-size Milky Way.

Blossoms of Blue Goose Field Pea (beans, vigna) from @ranchogordo.bsky.social . I shipped a selection of 1# bags to my son, and before cooking these, we saved a few to plant in my garden. Such lovely flowers!

Glad to see a neighbor decorating for #Halloween with bird- and bat-safe spiderwebs, instead of that fine fibrous stuff. Love the giant spider and boarded up windows, too.

Apathy does vote. And when we choose not to participate, we give up our say in the decisions that shape our future. Don’t give up your voice. It matters, and so does your vote. Take your souls to the polls, Virginia! #SoulsToThePolls #EarlyVoting #VirginiaVotes

Here's one of Paul's I've always related to "Homeward Bound" RS youtu.be/aYchuc35wms?...

A new crop of these silvery beauties. Their colors are more on the tarnished side but still lovely and graceful. #fungi #mushrooms

A deposit was made into my account, from SSA, in the amount of $90. Trump's bribe to buy my vote! Hahahahaha! I already voted and my ballot is in the election office already. Not that it would have made Any Difference At All. Blue wave incoming!!!

This morning's gift, found in the wood chip path. Such subdued beauty. #mushrooms #fungi

Virginia elections works with Enhanced Voting to update voters on the status of their ballot. Over the weekend I mailed my completed ballot at the post office. Tonight I got an email confirming that the usps received my ballot and I will be updated on its movement through the system. #voting

My Chinese red long beans have decided to make their leaves yellow, so I had to agree to let its last set of beans mature on the vine so as to save the seeds for next year. What with fall here and all... seems like the right thing to do. #gardening #garden

Lastly, here's "Sisters Of Mercy" one of his best RS youtu.be/oPNo4KzbnlE?...

I got a few, well, ok, eight African violets for the front windows. I'm hoping they continue to bloom for awhile, that they get enough light and enough/not too much of everything else they need. Pretty, uplifting, bits of nature for inside during the winter (yay). Happy Autumn Equinox! #flowers

Ballot was mailed yesterday, received today... I just voted, sealed, signed, and it's ready to mail back on Monday. Feels good!

I'm so glad to get this! Been waiting for months on Libby, with more time before that (since I finished reading the first book in this series, We Solve Murders). Thankful for libraries and Libby and the author.

My baby grandson was at the library with a group of kids and they were all dancing to a @raffic.bsky.social song! (shake my sillies out) My son grew up with his music. Another generation continues. 😍

You should be tho ❤️

Do you love oaks like I love oaks? How can you not, when they look this way during a morning walk. Just need to look up. Wow.

macabre = “muh-KAHB” Worcestershire = “WOOSS-ter-sheer” omnipotent = “ahm-NI-puh-tunt” reticent = “RET-uh-sunt” epitome = “ih-PIT-uh-mee” myriad = "MEER-ee-ud" Never make fun of someone if they mispronounce a word. It means they learned it by reading.

Previously frozen tofu, thawed, squeezed, then drizzled with a mix of aminos, maple syrup, and a touch of basamic vinegar. Browned on both sides in a cast iron pan with olive oil.

Some Roxy Music for your day RS youtu.be/9TiEetPc0AY?...

Didn't wait for the true set of leaves to emerge, though they're about to. Plucked apart the babies and set them into new pots, four at a time, to grow more. When they're big enough to put in the garden I'll try to separate them but if they don't want to, that's fine. #garden #gardening

Join James Talarico and Mark Cuban for a conversation about healthcare policy and culture this Saturday in Fort Worth. Sign up here: www.mobilize.us/mobilize/eve...

So a few days from now, when the pavement on the race route starts to crumble and becomes full of potholes, he can blame The Vandals, right?!! #Freedom250

I don't know why but this looks like a really big plant, like a tree almost. Was only a foot high, growing out the side of a stone wall (with cool raised mortar).

Pretty neat 🤷‍♂️

And with a bit of processing the results don't look bad considering how they were made!

Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis, foot-and-a-half-long beans of the field pea family. Edible leaves and the beans can be eaten raw too. Red pods are easy to find among the greenery. My new favorite. #garden

The chicken stealing fancy bird feed while her rooster is the lookout, making sure the guard dog or human doesn't catch her, not realising I'm inside with the camera. I'm being Bonnie & Clyded by some mini dinosaurs.

Today's Uncrossy game is very fun, especially if you're a cat person but even if you're "just" a word person you'll enjoy it. Very clever "cat" content. #puzzles. #puzzle. #game uncrossy.com

Less than 3 weeks to go until the UK release of my debut book THE WORLD BENEATH OUR FEET! And only a month later, it'll hit bookshops all across the US and Canada 🥰 Reserve your copy today, and come join me on an awe-inspiring journey into the mysterious world of soil! 🪱🧪 #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet

Such beauty! Been *working toward this for five years. Worth it. (*buying tree, planting it, covering in winter, feeding, watering, trimming, protecting from deer, picking!)

Within a day of putting up the metal trellis for the yard-long bean vines, this little girl established it as her preferred perch. She also visits the flowers frequently to ensure my supply of produce. Nice. #birds. #birbs

Hummingbirds love the yard-long bean vines out the back door. I love watching them from the air conditioned comfort of the indoors. #birds. #gardening

If anyone needs me I’ll be waiting by the woods

footage of Patti Smith meeting Pope Leo is a nice palate cleanser this Friday morning

My back yard is a fawn daycare. Twins visiting today. Mama doe tells them to stay put unless there's a good reason to leave; if so, don't go far so I can find you again. It means I don't do my early morning garden putter until later. Small price to pay for the entertainment value of watching them.

I've had the teeniest tiniest ants in the kitchen this summer, and now I have a teeny tiny predator to eat them! That's what happens when you only use dilute vinegar to wipe the ants away. Not a great deterrent, but it also allowed this little guy to come along and thrive. #spiders

The pop singer Jimmie Rodgers recorded a single that I used to play a lot when I was a little kid in the 1960s. His birthday is Sept 18 and I wonder if @ronsexsmith.bsky.social might sing it to celebrate that day? That would be fun. It's a catchy tune. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJ_...