Compare with same scene and subject in spring. (Page down in post.)
And all those flowers are now little crabapples.
Lone apple in fall
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Eupatorium purpureum ‘Joe White’
Bee on Colchicum autumnale ‘Alboplenum’
Click images for larger view.
Actually, I wasn’t actually sure what this flower was. But I googled for awhile and found a post about Colchicum autumnale ‘Alboplenum’ over at Kathy’s Cold Climate Gardening. Turns out that according to my records (that tattered file folder with random packing slips shoved into it), I bought half a dozen colchicums in 2003. But this is the only one that’s still around.  (If you think it’s something else, let me know.)
Couldn’t decide which one I liked best during picture editing, so here’s more.
Sharpening did weird things to this one. As a photo, I don’t like it. As a special effect, kind of interesting.
Unearthed tools
Kim over at A Study in Contrasts had a great post a few days ago, Urban Excavating, where she describes the unusual things she’s found digging around her house. It spawned a great thread.
Who hasn’t dug up something weird? When I lived in town, what looked like a 4-inch patch of slate turned out to be a 10′ x 15′ rough flagstone patio buried under sod that grew up between the cracks.
Here in the country, the theme is tools. Above are three that I had stashed behind the shed after unearthing them in the vegetable garden: A scythe blade, a stovetop flatiron, and a C-clamp. I also found some sheep shears, but they’re buried somewhere in the shed.
In one of the old dumps out in the woods, I found a great enamel chamber pot. Makes a great planter.
Ithaca culture: Apple Fest, Burns Sisters
One of the great things about living outside a college town is the vibrant culture. This weekend was the Ithaca Apple Festival. The Commons (a product of ’70s revitalization efforts) had food, fun and live music all weekend. A favorite stop every year is a booth organized by our Department of Horticulture grad students raising money by selling apples, cider and pawpaws and raffling off a giant pumpkin. (Note to Chad: Don’t forget pawpaw trees next year.)
I love the scrap iron pony. Similar sculptures (recycling at its best) are scattered around the Commons and downtown.
Friday night, Air America Radio host (and frequent commentator on to Keith Olbermann’s Countdown and other new programs) Rachel Maddow brought her radio show to Ithaca’s State Theater. Rachel frequently features politically active artists and musicians on her program. So it was no surprise that local favorites The Burns Sisters performed this song at the show. (This version from the 2006 Philly Folk Festiva.)
Apple Festival. Scrap iron ponies. Burns Sisters. There’s hope for this world.