these oyster, clam, snail, and coral fossils were found yesterday in a field that was once mediterranean sea floor, and that is now covered with vines about 25 miles from the current coast. i just found out that the mediterranean basin was a dry lowland for eons, separated from the atlantic by a mountain range between Spain and Northern Africa at the current site of the straits of gibralter. at some point the mountain range subsided, and the atlantic rushed in, rising 10 feet a day and moving 100 km per hour. it was the biggest deluge in history, and there are still visible scars on the sea floor commemorating it.

fossilized clams, oysters,snails, and corals from the mediterranean basin

autignac, france

i swear it is only coincidence that i am posting this death’s head moth just after the u.s. election. jean-luc just happenend to walk up our stairs with it last night. he had been doing some work on a house in the village, and came across this mummified moth in the corner. and his first thought was STILL blog. how extraordinary is that?

greater death’s-head hawkmoth (acherontia atropos)

autignac, france

ok i’ll admit i spent a slightly shiny-eyed morning processing what my country had elected to do with itself. disregarding all politics, the fact that a manifestly overqualified woman could lose to a manifestly underqualified man knocked this tomboy off her stride for a bit, after what had seemed like so much progress. but that feeling will get exactly one day of my time. now it’s back to work. there is gathering to do. another photo to take. dinner to make. a book on my bedside. a husband and son and daughter to love and be loved by.

winter stems in southern france

autignac, france

can’t decide which i want more: to keep all of these magical seed pods for my collection, or to take them back so they can make more magical eucalyptus trees. really i’m just making up things to think about so i don’t have to think about the fact that it’s election day.

eucalyptus seed pods

cessenon-sur-orb, forêt d’eucalyptus, languedoc, france

often when I am making and taking a STILL blog photo i hold my breath. it is usually so that i don’t accidentally blow my subjects out from under my lens. but today i noticed i was holding my breath more than usual. as if my life depended on it. and then i realized it did. life as i know it anyway. i’ll be able to breath easier, i hope, after tomorrow’s election is over. it doesn’t matter who wins. i just want it to be over. hah. gotcha. it totally matters who wins.

some fall colors of the Languedoc: three eucalyptus leaves and one (yellow) unidentified leaf

eucalyptus forest near cessenon-sur-orb, languedoc, france