This week I will share a few things that have provided a bit of joy, appreciation, awe, or curiosity during September. For the most part they are pretty simple things which have created a necessary and probably healthy bit of diversion.

I’ll start with a few autumn scenes from The Urban Porch and move on from there. Following an intense and sudden deluge, the gutters overflowed in a loud, dramatic, and rather exciting way.

The sunflowers have been a success this year, drawing comments of appreciation from the foot traffic going by, in addition to attracting the birds.

A praying mantis stopped for a few moments and then vanished into a tangle of weeds below. The first one I’ve seen this year, I’m guessing when the garden is put to bed a few of those foamy, empty egg cases might be discovered.

In my last post I mentioned the acquisition of a tennis racquet bug zapper to deter the onslaught of mosquitos and yellow jackets. Up until this point I have to say it’s been mostly a failure. My friend has an identical one that appears to have a bit more power to it. She’s excellent at wielding that thing too. I did manage to swat away a pesky hornet. It landed on her deck, only stunned, and probably would have gotten up again but for an interesting thing occurring.

An ant appeared and decided to haul the hornet away. A battle ensued! Disoriented from the zap, the hornet was at a disadvantage, but it resisted, twisting around in an attempt to sting the ant, while the ant doggedly avoided the stinger and tried to drag it off by its head. It was all very National Geographic. This went on for quite a while. We wondered if any other ants would come by to help out, but the struggle remained one-on-one. I’m assuming the ant won, as it finally disappeared with its prize down a space between the planks.

While walking Little Rudi up the street, we came upon this black cat lounging on the sidewalk. She is one of the Queens of the Neighborhood, patrolling her fiefdom with an air of ownership, often positioning herself under birdfeeders. She is in our yard almost every night. Large, about the same size as the dog, she is a formidable presence. As we got closer, it was clear she had absolutely no intention of moving. While she has never (yet) attempted to go after him, Rudi always gives her a very wide berth. We walked into the street in order to avoid any kind of confrontation. I enjoy her sassiness.

One of the last remaining floral scents of the season has been the Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora). It has a heavy, intoxicating, Jasmine-like scent to it.

While carefully sticking my face into the blossoms for a hit of perfume (avoiding the bees), I discovered a young Tree of Heaven had sprouted up within the Clematis, and upon the leaves was a Spotted Lanternfly. The lanternflies have finally made it to The Urban Porch. So far there have only been a few, but even a few are too many. They are quite beautiful. The patterns and colors on their open wings remind me a few articles of clothing I have! Lanternfly couture! It’s too bad they are both invasive and destructive.

Their food of preference is the Tree of Heaven (Hell), another invasive species from China, which grows quickly and spreads easily. I pull them out and cut them down whenever I see them, but some of the neighbors are not so diligent about it.

This one was observed busily chowing down on a small ailanthus that the next-door neighbor’s landlord had let grow. “Wait, let me go back to my house and grab my bug zapper tennis racquet!” So I did that, and I got the thing (you have to approach them from the front – their sensors appear to be on the back and they can quickly hop/fly/leap/boinnng away). It was oddly satisfying, but it was just the one, and it took a few attempts with the barely effective bug racquet. Maybe it needs fresh batteries. I flipped the defeated bug off the porch, where a group of house sparrows were hanging out. Hopefully one of them took it and will acquire a taste for more.

Onto the birds, yesterday in the driveway there was a flock of Mourning Doves in the spot where I park. Usually there is only a pair and they take off as soon as they see the car. This time there were five or six of them together, with no indication they were leaving.

So I sat in the car and watched them for a while. Perhaps some seeds had blown off a plant onto the blacktop were attracting them? Or maybe it was the impending rain storm that grounded all of them? On closer inspection, it appeared a few of the birds were molting.

Finally I needed to get out of the car, at which point the whole group rose up into the Japanese Maple tree with a noisy flutter of wings.

In other random areas, I opened up a bar of soap bought at a local craft fair last winter. Seeing that happy rainbow soap on the edge of the tub every morning has provided a small ping of enjoyment. It smells like lemon verbena and feels pretty nice too.

Okay, now we move on to the food portion (don’t I often gravitate there?) At a Tea House with a daughter ,we enjoyed a beautiful glass of iced Rose Milk Green Tea with foam, an iced caramel latte,

and a delicate slice of Purple Yam Mille Crepes Cake. Isn’t this gorgeous?

It was impossible to decide between that and the slice of Mixed Fruit Mille Crepes Cake, so…..both! They were so incredibly, light, fresh and not overly sweet.

In my own kitchen this month there has been a focus on figs, mostly because a large container of them was available at a reasonable price. My own lush-leafed fig tree continues to dominate The Urban Porch, but it has not produced even one fig this year. Not a one!!!! Last weekend the Sunday Dutch Baby was a combination of fig and peach, with a hint of vanilla.

On a more creative front, I messed around with ingredients I had on hand and ended up making a really good dinner the other night – Polenta con Fungi e Fiche. You have to say it in Italian because, well, the polenta. Polenta – a childhood comfort food – was baked and then smothered with a reduction of dried and fresh mushrooms (portobello, lions mane, porchini and some powdered morel). Added sliced figs, simmered all in Marsala wine, a little black pepper, a pinch of salt, and topped it off with a handful of pine nuts (pignoli). It was sooooo good. The photo does not do it justice, but just thinking about it now has awakened the taste buds. On the side was asparagus sautéed in olive oil with chopped Moroccan preserved lemons. I will say the asparagus was a little bit woody. But over all it was a killer meal, especially for a weeknight in front of the TV. French macrons for dessert…..

Having not done much with the sage plant that has been growing on the porch all summer, tonight I made Beer Battered Fried Sage Leaves as a little appetizer. They were crispy and interesting. I’m thinking basil leaves might also be good.

There were some big enjoyments this month too, surrounding seeing the kids and all of the grandkids. Just observing them going about their daily lives, watching the subtle nuances of their personalities and interactions actually brought secret tears to my eyes. Brothers on the couch next to each other, reading books. A hand draped over a dog curled up by a little girl’s side. Boys making dunk shots with their laundry. Feelings of appreciation, love, wonder, gratefulness, and some worry; more of a focus rather than a distraction or redirection. Probably a better subject for different post, but all so beautiful.

The Japanese Maple (aka “My Red Tree”) in the back yard is deepening into rose and amber hues, glowing beyond the back window. The days are darkening much earlier now – golden light of late afternoon washes across the room. Redirected gaze and focus to the small pleasures and beauty is a recommended sanity and soul saver.

~*~