Autumn Joy

I went outside, thinking to take a picture of the Autumn Joy sedum which has just begun to blush pink. It was my plan to take pictures of it and other signs of the coming Fall.







But then I took a closer look and was entranced by all the buggy busy-ness going on atop those blushing blooms.

A bumblebee . . .

Two attractive creatures I have no names for . . .






But I think this velvet-winged whatever-it's-called is a real beauty.

A honeybee -- a welcome sight as so many have died . . .

An ant of some kind . . .

As I said, a whole lot of buggy busy-ness
going on . . .

Autumn Joy, indeed! No wonder the sedum's blushing!

Weekend Miscellany

Friday was devoted to proof-reading THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS, lips moving and carefully reading aloud in my mind. It's the very best way to make sure I have the dialect right, that I am making sense, that I'm not repeating the same word in a sentence (a common failing of mine), and that the words flow easily when read aloud.

I got as far as page 147 (out of 401) and have been charmed to find that I keep wanting to see what's next.

Since I spent most of the past year working on the novel in a very different configuration, the story I am reading now is almost new to me, as those major changes were made quickly and there was no time for me to read and reread again and again till the story was fixed in my mind.

Now, with a bit more distance between me and the previous version, I can really appreciate how right Herself was in having me pare away that other subplot.

The pictures? Just odds and ends. The yellow sedum at the top is called Hundred (or is it Thousand?) Acre sedum because one small plant, given time and rain, will spread over vast areas.

The second is a picture of the pond with raindrops dancing on its surface. And the third is a tiny box turtle that Justin found while weed eating and brought in to show us.

And last? Bobotie, made from a recipe Eleanor posted over at Thatchwick Cottage. An Indonesian dish finds its way to North Carolina via South Africa and we agree, it was lekker (tasty)!

Thanks, Eleanor!