rejectomorph (flying_blind) wrote,
rejectomorph
flying_blind

Autumnal

A yellowjacket decided to attempt suicide in my orange juice this afternoon. The sun was so cheery a change from yesterday's equally enjoyable gloom and wet that I went outdoors to read the paper, and I took a glass of orange juice with me. The first creature attracted by it was a hummingbird who inspected the glass but wisely decided not to attempt to consume its contents. A moment later I picked up the glass and was about to take a swig when I saw the yellowjacket treading fruit juice. I dumped both hymenopteron and liquid onto the grass. I suppose I might have just scooped the bug out and kept the few ounces of juice remaining, but I was afraid the wasp might have panicked and taken a dump when it realized it had gotten itself trapped. Fortunately there was still some juice left in the carton. I didn't go back to check on the state of the yellowjacket. If it's lying dead on the lawn,well, the species can only benefit from the removal of so doltish a specimen from its gene pool.

As I said, there was bright sunlight this afternoon, well timed to illuminate the seasonal color which will soon be gone. The recent cold nights have caused the walnut tree to drop most of its leaves which now, yellow and still shiny with damp, almost completely conceal the back lawn. Across the street I see the dogwoods more than half bare, the ground around them red with fallen leaves. When the pavement was still dark and wet the scene reminded me of a pond blurrily reflecting the trees above it. The road verge is gold, strewn with fallen pine needles blown from the street by passing cars. The remaining leaves of the oaks are now mostly brown, though as the sun sets they turn a reddish copper color. The mulberry, as usual, is the laggard, its canopy still fairly thick and retaining much green. Still, the front lawn is thickly strewn with its fallen leaves.

The clearing sky indicates a colder night tonight. The new neighbors have just returned home, so I expect the air to fill with the smell of woodsmoke once again. The fresh air was nice while it lasted. Time to close my windows.
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