[Magdalen] Good things that happened this weekend

[Susan Hagen]

The season changed abruptly from summer to fall.  (Yes, I did catch a cold)

I finished moving ground covers from the formerly shady front yard
under the big trees that are no more to shadier beds around the house.
The front bed now has clumping and running foamflower and the end bed
under the blueberries has goldenseal, Solomon's Seal and False
Solomon's Seal, Virginia Snakeroot and wild ginger.  This summer I
raised two generations of pipevine swallowtail butterflies on the
snakeroot.  I watched lady butterflies lay their eggs, saw huge
(dreadful to this worm phobic) larva methodically defoliate the
snakeroot, then beautiful butterflies on the wing.

Gathered the last of the pawpaws.  I planted these small trees for
zebra swallowtails.  They do not seem to have been found (no adults
sighted, no leaf damage suggesting egg laying and larva).  The fruit
is weird - big green blobs in clusters.  Inside they are like custard
and have a very fragrant tropical smell - passionfruit maybe?  I'm not
crazy about them because they are very sweet.  I can eat them with a
bit of lime juice.  I have a couple of neighbors who love them so the
fruit does get wasted.  The squirrels love them too.  The red tailed
hawk loves the squirrels.

I got to visit with Grace.  We met at an 1830's log church which has
been moved and restored onto the grounds of a Methodist church in
Singers Glen, sang Harmonia Sacra (shape note) hymns, then had a good
dinner.

This evening I saw a beautiful double rainbow!

Susan

-- 
Before enlightenment pay bills, do laundry.  After enlightenment pay
bills, do laundry.