Snakes and spiders

Lately, since it's been hot and I've been busy, I've been using my headlamp to go on late-night runs. My headlamp illuminates the eyes of all the spiders on the trail. I don't know whether they come out at night, or whether I simply don't see them during the day.

On Monday, I was coming down the Woodbriar Trail when I saw an enormous spider. It wasn't a tarantula, but it was almost as big as one.

As I approached it, I could have jumped over it. But instead I opted to walk around it in the grass/flowers. I'm not sure why it freaked me out; it was just a spider. Then as I was kept going down, I saw another enormous spider.

And then, on the edge of the trail, was a snake! I slowly and carefully got to the other edge of the trail, going through the plants on the other side. As I walked past, I noticed a rattle! Oof. That's the first time I've seen a rattlesnake on that trail, and it's also the first time I've seen a rattlesnake at night. I thought they went to bed by then! Why are you up past curfew!? It didn't rattle at me, but it left me rattled. It wasn't coiled up, and it was smaller than most rattlers I see. It was the first time I'd seen a rattlesnake this year. But I didn't hang around to take a picture. It made me feel bad that I had gone into the brush to get around the spider—what if there had been a snake there?

Then yesterday, I was running up North Canyon, and suddenly I heard a rattle. There was another rattlesnake just on the edge of the trail, so I backed up. But this one was polite; after it gave its warning rattle, it kindly got off the trail and went into the brush. A lot of them just hang out on the trail. I felt safe enough that I could have taken a picture, but since it was in the brush and I was at a safe distance, I knew it wouldn't have been very visible in the picture. I don't understand why/how people listen to headphones on trails. I need my ears open to hear cyclists and snakes.

But it's not all bad on the trail! Even though May and June are peak wildflower season, there still are some good options in August. 

Richardson's geraniums

Fireweed. These aren't fully bloomed yet.

wild hollyhock

showy goldeneye

fleabane—a pretty flower with an ugly name

I also encountered a few trees that were covered in caterpillar silks. I've seen similar things in June, but I've never seen it this extensive, and this was a different kind of caterpillar. I learn so many things about the natural world on my runs.

Also this week, I used a lot of our plums to make plum cobbler. When I make crisps and cobblers, I usually omit the recommended sugar from the fruit portion. That works well with cherries and apples, but the plums were a little too tart. Oh well. I wanted to be sure to use some of the plums before they got overripe. And since our tree doesn't consistently produce year to year, I have less experience cooking with them.

And today I made (savory) tomato zucchini cobbler from our own homegrown produce. It's one of my favorite summertime meals.

My parents bought a used car this week (because the car my niece drives is falling apart, so they wanted to sell her their old car.) They bought it from a place that specializes in selling cars that have been damaged by hail. My dad decided to name it Dimples.

For the last few years, I have been subscribing to Apple TV+, because they have new Peanuts content (specials, The Snoopy Show, and Snoopy in Space). I've been really pleased with the content; it keeps the classic feel but updated for modern tastes, and it's actually good quality, not just a cash grab. This week they debuted a new special, One-of-a-Kind Marcie. This was the fifth recent special, and it was my favorite. As a problem-solving introvert, I feel an affinity for Marcie, so it spoke to me, and I'm glad the introverts get honored sometimes.

Last night I attended a reunion for the YSA bishopric I had between August 2014 (when I moved home after college) and February 2016 (when they were released). I honestly felt a little bad about all the people I've unfriended on Facebook over the years. I very methodically unfriend people periodically. The biggest reasons are if (1) I don't know them very well, either because I never knew them well or because they've changed, and (2) it's unlikely I'll ever see them again. But there are other reasons, such as:

• They share too much stuff (including but not limited to political things, recipes, or pointless old lady things like "Have a blessed Tuesday")
• They have opinions that I find abhorrent—not just that I disagree, but I think the opinions are borderline evil
• I have reason to believe they don't like me or my family; or I think they will not be supportive of me as a queer individual (or as a religious individual)
• They're trying to sell something as part of a pyramid scheme
• They never like or comment on any of my posts

While fall is my favorite season, and I love pumpkin-flavored everything, I'm honestly a little annoyed that so many places are already putting pumpkin things on their menu. If you put it out this early, it won't be special when it actually is pumpkin season! Can't we just savor the good things about summer before rushing into something prematurely?