Tallow Tree

Back in the 1970s when most of the houses in my neighborhood were built there were a lot of Chinese Tallow Trees planted here. They turned out to be a nasty invasive species, and unfortunately there are three of these trees in my yard. Their roots grow on top of the soil which is problematic when trying to use a lawn mower near them and they leave a mess year round. They seem to drop pods, seeds and twigs constantly.  I will say the seed pods do look striking against a blue sky, and now the trees that are dying attract woodpeckers. Here's a Red-bellied woodpecker on my neighbor's dead tree.

dark & rainy day

This morning I awoke to the sound of a cold steady rain and I knew summer was over. I've been focusing on outdoor projects and so I didn't know what I was going to do with myself all day, except to get myself psyched up for winter and pick up where I left off last spring.

Luckily the library had a nice dark October book waiting for me: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I last read this book when I was about thirteen. The book was only a few years old then and I remember the spooky cover and how I snatched it off the library shelf. Nothing I read by Bradbury after that lived up to "Wicked", except maybe his short stories.

On breaks between reading I've been nailing up vintage license plates in the workshop area of my garage. It's messy in there. I had it cleaned up, but it didn't last long. The only light in there when we moved in was a single bare light bulb on the ceiling.  I installed a shop light over my tool bench but the space needs several more lights so I can see properly on dark days. The rest of the time I open the big door to get plenty of extra light.