last night’s dinner

when we live in southern france, a lot of our meals become STILL subjects. but here in the US, our foods arrive in the super market too far from their original state to qualify as STILL worthy. so, i was happy to have this little brown trout to photograph today–it reminded me of france. our daughter and her boyfriend are here from california visiting for a week. her boyfriend of five years, Omar, is a trout fisherman. this afternoon they headed east from the twin cities an hour and a half to the kinnickinnic river to try their hand on the tight, tree-lined, trout streams of the upper-midwest. Omar came home with this little beauty. we cooked her up immediately, and served her as a delicate, sweet, appetizer. and we drank our french friends wine, that had coincidently just arrived in minnesota the day before.  almost french, in minnesota.

(wild caught in minnesota) brown trout (Salmo trutta)

P.s. The brown trout is native to Europe, and has been naturalized here in the US.  In April 1884, the U.S. Fish Commission released 4900 brown trout fry into the Pere Marquette River in Michigan. This was the first release of brown trout into U.S. waters. Between 1884 and 1890, brown trout were introduced into suitable habitats throughout the U.S. By 1900, 38 states and two territories had received stocks of brown trout. Their adaptability resulted in most of these introductions establishing wild, self-sustaining populations.

can you see me now?

gray tree frogs can be green. we have lots of them. they have the admirable ability to camouflage themselves from gray to green or brown, depending on the surface they are sitting on. in june, when they are calling for mates, we enjoy a nightly chorus that i look forward to every year. recently, that chorus has been replaced by a nightly serenade of crickets. every summer, we try to guess the week in july when the frog calls die down, and the cricket calls take over–we call it cross-over week.  now, in august, the frogs are mostly silent but they are still around, they congregate around our windows and porch lights to eat insects that are attracted to the light. this cutie was sitting on a potted plant on my front stoop, waiting for dusk, when i turn on the porch light. happy feasting dryophytes versicolor!

gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor)

anticipation

look at all that potential energy about to explode. while so many plants are starting to contract in preparation for autumn, the sunflowers are just peaking. the continuous unfolding of nature delights me more and more.  how many things can we say that about? love is a deep paying attention. the more i learn, the more i pay attention, the more time i spend noticing…the more i love. STILL taught me how to pay attention. and is reminding me how to love.

roadside sunflowers (wild bush sunflowers)

magic carpet

i went to a gladiolus farm and brought home the dead heads. still pretty in all their imperfection.

gladioli

one! singular sensation

Remember the finale from A Chorus Line? do yourself a favor and go listen to it again on YouTube. so much fun. One singular sensation Every little step she takes. One thrilling combination Every move that she makes. … She’s un- Commonly rare, very unique, Peripatetic, poetic and chic. … She walks into a room And you know from her Maddening pose, effortless whirl, She’s the special girl. … Shuffle along, join the parade. She’s the quintessence of making the grade. gladiolus