Monday, October 08, 2007

Fallen

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Who doesn't love fall?

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The roses in the spring were lovely but the rosehips are fabulous.

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True, the garden is lying in the gutter with it's stockings torn and it's skirt over it's head,

but it's easier to get at it's goodies. (ahem)

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The monarchs are fueling up for their migration down to Mexico,

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And the box elder beetles are cannibalizing their weak and their dead

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to gather strength and numbers

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for their annual assault on my house.

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Marching over my floors and my walls.

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Mad-kitty initially tried to hunt them down but now ignores them as they apparently neither taste good nor provide good sport. Unlike the moths, who satisfy both urges. Frequently she can be found cleaning moth scales off of her pus. Yesterday, for a change, she decided to try slug, but found the texture wanting and had to take multiple breaks to clean the slug snot off her paws. She didn't want to give up, though, so tried bringing the slug into the house for further keeping, perhaps thinking that time would tenderize it, but Charles and I quickly vetoed this little plan and flung the slug from the balcony onto the ground below where some bird will reap the windfall.

Should you come to visit, please accept this advice: Don't kiss the kitty. She's a disgusting little thing.

Molly would like you to know that she'd never eat a slug and is safe to play frisbee with. As long as you don't look too hard at the frisbee.

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23 Comments:

Blogger the rotten correspondent said...

Molly is a beauty! I promise I won't give her frisbee the eye.

I love fall. It's my very favorite time of year. If only it didn't immediately precede winter.

12:03 PM  
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

I've never seen box elder beetles but I'm sure my kitties would give them a try if they were desperate enough for prey to hunt!

Yes, the season is winding down to a less colourful stage, although many of our flowers are pretty nice yet, especially this one pot of pansies which I can't figure out! They are amazing! I'll post a pic soon of our front.

Do you make rosehip tea?

Molly looks so robust and healthy! Where's that cute little black feline beetle-catcher?!!

3:16 PM  
Blogger Coffee-Drinking Woman said...

Those box elder beetles are creepy the way they congregate! creeepy!

4:31 PM  
Blogger Mojavi said...

i hate those bugs too!! I hate spiders more but I hate them too!

Your dog is so majestic looking. My sister had a German shep. and his hips were soooo bad!

4:44 PM  
Blogger listie said...

Fall??? Where is this fall of which you speak? Yes, the leaves are turning and the garden is gone, but it's 80+ degrees out today. 80! In October.

I'll kiss Mad-kitty. What's a little slug slime to a crazy cat lady?

5:49 PM  
Blogger Diana said...

Julie- She is a pretty pup and too smart for our own good. If only winter didn't last quite so long. Maybe through February with the first crocuses poking up by the first of March? Not too much to ask.

Ruth- I don't make rosehip tea. I know it's very good for you but I've never cottoned to the taste. It wasn't until after the slug and moth episodes that I thought to grap my camera.

Teri- Aren't they? We now have to pretty much avoid using our front door for another month.

Mojavi- I used to hate spiders but decided that they were a good ally on the war on bugs, so I now let them be, as long as it is outside. Hopefully Molly, being slim, will avoid the really horible hips. Sadly, we've not yet had a GSD live to a ripe, old, bad-hip age. They've been taken by other illnesses. (sniiiiiiiif.)

Listie- Yeah. Was in the upper 80s last weekend and drippy-humid. Finally getting cooler, now. Slug slime AND moth scales? You are cat crazy.

9:07 AM  
Blogger Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

I cannot believe how big Molly has gotten. wow!

I agree with you about spiders - they are our friends.

10:26 AM  
Blogger karmic said...

I love Molly! But alas Fall does not quite feel like fall with temperatures more akin to an August. Not to mention the lack of rain which will not make for great colors here.
Hope things are better in your neck of the woods?

9:44 PM  
Blogger Jocelyn said...

No worries that I would ever kiss the kitty, even without your caution.

I love the personification of the blowsy, shaggy garden--such a whore she is! I have some of dat here at my house, too. She's irrepressible.

12:46 AM  
Blogger Babs said...

I am, at this very moment, going to pretend I didn't see those damned beetles.

Bleurgh!!

5:11 AM  
Blogger Babs said...

The dog is adorable, though!!

5:11 AM  
Blogger Diana said...

Cagey- See, this is what happens when you feed them (pets and kids).

Sanjay- Fall on Sunday was 90 and humid. Fall today is 50 and breezy. It must eventually reach you, yes? Our colors are slow this year but getting lovely.

Jocelyn- You have good judgement on the kitty kissing.

Babs- I think the box elder beetle motto is "At least we're a bit less horrifying than the cicadas." Molly thinks you're adorable, too.

8:27 AM  
Blogger Dumdad said...

Princess Perfect would love Molly.

11:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We have some box elder beetles at our house, too, but our cats do love to eat them. Maybe Mad-kitty has a more discriminating palate than ours? Who knows.

11:53 AM  
Blogger CarpeDM said...

I will kiss both Mad and Molly. I am crazy like that.

As for the box elder bugs, they are trying to make their way into my office as we speak. Last year they did and one ended up on my desk. Co-worker Rykken killed it for me. With his bare, brawny hands. I believe he had his beard then so it made it exciting. I have a thing for beards.

12:39 PM  
Blogger Stepping Over the Junk said...

gorgeous! (except for the bugs). What a handsome pup!

6:21 PM  
Blogger Rozanne said...

"True, the garden is lying in the gutter with it's stockings torn and it's skirt over it's head,"

This made me laugh out loud. A very apt description!

You certainly have more than your fair share of dastardly insects, don't you?

I guess that's somewhat balanced by the fact that you've got monarch butterflies visiting. How great that you're a way station for them on their migration. They need all the help they can get.

1:57 AM  
Blogger Voyager said...

Your description of your passed out floozy garden was wonderful. And also true of mine, unfortunately.
I don't recognise those bugs. But here the spiders are marching indoors in platoons.
V.

2:20 AM  
Blogger Jen said...

Marvelous to come back to wonderful pictures. I, too, love the description of you "boozy floozy" garden. Our cats tried eating love bugs a few weeks ago when they were everywhere. I'm thankful they haven't brought in any slugs. The spiders are bad enough. And a beautiful puppy, btw!

7:12 AM  
Blogger Beth said...

Your garden and mine must have been out on a binge together, because mine looks much the same without the squash. We have no evil beetles (YECH) but we do have many spiders. I am very tired of killing them. They were very helpful this summer but they've outlived their usefulness now. And the cats won't eat them. They won't even play with them. The just watch them. Molly is beautiful. By the way, I just love baked butternut squash. Did I say how much I love it? My floozy garden didn't even bother to fling any veggies around (though the rabbits were some help there). Those are some fine squash. But very icky bugs.

5:49 PM  
Blogger Wanderlust Scarlett said...

Those are box-elder beetles? I had no idea!
I get some of them in random spurts on one of my decks and once in a blue moon, when I've had the screen doors open, I will find one inside (which prompts immediate cardiac arrest). I never knew what they were!
Thanks!

The animals are great!
I love frisbee.

Scarlett & Viaggiatore

4:26 PM  
Blogger moegirl said...

Nice pictures...Our kitty, though he is indoors only eats any bug that comes in the house. Its very nice because we never need to use any sort of bug spray. I don't think he would try slug though.

3:44 PM  
Blogger Wanderlust Scarlett said...

PS - I have a little something for you over at my page!


Scarlett & Viaggiatore

5:28 PM  

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