Mornings With Dog -- Spanish Moss

Before I get into my travels with the dog, I have to say that I committed the sin this morning of thinking to myself that I hadn't seen a giant roach in about a week.  This thought spiraled out of control and soon I was sure that giant roaches had been eradicated from my home, possibly even from my entire town.  Oh happy day!

Then I opened the dishwasher.  Yes, a roach was inside the dishwasher (which was admittedly full of dirty dishes, since someone forgot to run it last night).  Oh horrified day.

By the way, Floridians, you can call it a "palmetto bug" all you want, but it's still a giant freaking cockroach.

All right, so today Chester and I decided to share something else that is ubiquitous in Florida:  Spanish moss.

This stuff is everywhere.  It especially loves to grow on oak trees.

It spreads when wind blows fragments into other trees, or when birds carry it.  Spanish moss doesn't have roots, but neither is it a parasite -- it collects water and nutrients through its own scales, not from the tree, plant, or power line that it is growing on.

Your science lesson of the day, brought to you by Wikipedia and the University of Florida.

Our jack o'lanterns did not fare well in this weather.  Back in Baltimore, the pumpkins could last all the way into December without rotting, although they did often attract ants.  But these guys didn't make it beyond a week before they started to age and collapse.  I found it strangely compelling to watch.  Dan did not.

The pumpkins are gone from the front patio, but their legacies (and gooey stains) live on!