Fall coming in! – Dear Liza

Real Rain

Dear Liza,

After the Belmont Street Fair ended with rain, we had a weird Summer redux week of sunshine and warm weather. My garden’s lettuces kicked back into gear, more tomatoes got ripe, and the last dahlias bloomed.

Then Wednesday, it all broke loose again. A sprinkle caught Grandpa Nelson as he walked to Zach’s for lunch, and by the time Auntie Bridgett and I wanted to get out of the house, it was a deluge!

Still, we bundled up, layered on the hats and water-repellant coats, and headed out.

I do love the world when it is wet and drippy… fresh, shiny, and always moving. The wind and rain takes dust from the air and trees and just washes it away.

In our neighborhood, this means lovely rippled rivers as gutters flow into bioswales. The bioswales hold the rainwater and let it filter slowly into the aquifer, keeping our Willamette River clean.

I was appreciating all this engineering as my coat was soaking through and my completely-inadequate sneakers filled with water. “I’m turning around at the next corner,” Bridgett said. I agreed.

Because an adventure is only an adventure if you live to tell about it.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Lovely, Drizzly Zoo

Dear Liza,

This week, Grandpa Nelson and I went to the zoo. It was the day of the first rain of Fall, and it was particularly lovely.

I took this picture at the train stop downtown, showing the reflection of a new building in a cobblestoned puddle. I was celebrating everything that was wet!

The zoo is different every time we go, of course. Different animals are active, new habitats are opened and old ones are under construction. This time was got to see a sleepy snowy owl and a grumbling brown bear who looked like we had interrupted his nap.

But it was the big cats that we enjoyed the most. The cheetah looked adorable, taking a nap in her nest by the window. I wanted to give her a snuggle!

And there was a lot of gnawing and interaction in the lion’s enclosure. The lionesses were all chewing on some large (I’m guessing beef) knuckles by the pond.

After a while, the largest got up and walked over by a rock, just as the male came by. They sniffed and snuffled a bit and the lioness walked off into the shelter.

The lion stood for quite a while, then seemed to yawn (it looked like a roar, but was silent).

Then he walked into the shelter. I wish I spoke Lion, I would have loved to understand what was going on!

We learned quite a bit about polar bears this visit. One of the docents explained that polar bears are not an isolated species, but closely related, and sometimes interbreeding, with Kodiak bears. When they are in captivity, they are more omnivorous that you would expect, eating the clover and grasses that are in their enclosure. We got to see Nora Grey rolling a log around to get at the grubs under its bark! That was cool.

We enjoyed the peace of the nearly empty walkways, the cool air, and the lovely plants. And when we had seen it all, we hiked back up to the entrance, said goodbye to the bronze goat, and headed home.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Fall is Whispering

Dear Liza,

And just as summer is kicking into high gear, fall is getting in line. The change in seasons is told in all the gardens in the neighborhood.

Lantern flowers glowing in the afternoon sun

The oranges and reds of autumn are some of my favorite colors, especially when they are backlit by afternoon sun. They make me happy for the summer’s glory, and for the coming of the cozy holiday season.

The larger than life leaves of my pumpkin plant seem to be fading. They are getting age spots and some even are getting yellow.

Linus the pumpkin is getting all grown up!

And Linus, my own Great Pumpkin, is getting more orange and hefty by the day. His stem still shows no signs of giving way and he seems quite content to ripen right where he is.
Love,

Grandma Judy