Figs and Such

Homer's backyard fig tree is yielding a bumper crop this year.  Each morning I harvest a few to have during the day.  Fortunately for me, Homer doesn't like them, so I've been told to help myself.

Figs are something relatively new to my diet.  They, along with things like fresh garlic, European cars and Maude, were simply too dangerous for our household while I was growing up.  Tastebud terrorism.  Boy, am I glad I grew up and got out of rural Arkansas.

The relief from summer's intense heat, brought about by the welcome monsoon cloud-cover of late, has let me turn off the swamp cooler for a few hours.  The absence of its perpetual roar means I can actually hear things outside, like the many birds that sing all day around casita.  It's nice to hear them again, especially the cactus-wren couple that scuttle around together all day, flitting here and there, chattering with and scolding each other.  Occasionally, one feeds the other.  It's kind of like Mark and me.  Guess we really are no different from our animal companions.

As I compose this post, I can see my lizard pal doing his daily push-ups just outside my front window.  He's looking inside as he does this.  I wonder if he can see me.  Maybe he's flirting with me.  Despite being enamored with his bright blue belly, I'm not submitting to lizard love.  Maybe I need to beef up the moisturizing regimen, before every legged reptile in Tucson starts baring his tender belly at me.

Sunflowers have been on sale at Safeway.  I get a trio every other week to brighten up the interior of the casita.  Vince painted the walls very dark colors, and with all the curtains shut to keep out the heat, sometimes I feel like I need to start wearing an animal-skin loincloth and carrying a club.  I have noticed that I'm grunting more and shaving less often. 

Besides bringing some happier hues into the casita and celebrating my status as a native Kansan, the sunflowers also make for some fun camera play.  You know, I'll never get the hang of it, but it's amusing to practice.

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Finally, the bug du jour, for Doug.* 

*I'm sure it's not exciting for him, but I get to practice.

Comments

[LB]

Please post pics of you in the animal skin loincloth! Woof!

[DougT]

I agree with LB. I'm tempted to say no more bug ID until we see a pic of you in the loincloth.

You keep giving me difficult ones. It's a robber fly (Family Asilidae), but robber flies are so difficult that it's tough to get them even to genus, let alone species.

Keep an eye out for fig-eater beetles (Cotinus nitidus) on Homer's figs. They're big green scarab beetles, and he brought me a couple of examples when I was in Tucson last summer.

[Urspo]

You musn't egg on DougT with pictures of bugs. it gets him too wound up and we have to hose him down at that point.