Mastodon

Here's a very autumnally-colored flower -- a big dahlia! I was lying when I said recently that the only things blooming in the garden are the sunflowers. We still have several blooming dahlias, as well as the Plectranthus, the Peruvian lilies and some other stuff. The plants are looking a bit tattered and their stalks are sagging, and when the first frost comes they'll all be over for the season.

It doesn't look like frost is imminent anytime soon, though. We're going to be in the mid-70s through the weekend and nighttime lows don't go any lower than 50º F through the 20th (which is as far as my forecast projects). It's practically balmy.

I was shocked to read in The New York Times last night that a guy I knew when I lived in New York had died. James was the boyfriend (now ex-) of a friend of mine there, and I'd been to several social events with him. In fact, when I lost my job at the Times in 2009, I went to dinner with James and Carl to get some advice about becoming a paralegal, which is what James did to make money to fuel his opera obsessions. I never followed through on that, obviously, and I hadn't been in touch with him since, but I was still sorry to read this shocking news. He was 12 years older than I am, but still, it felt like the reaper whispered in my ear!

Here's my October "Florida Memory" postcard -- a 1930 image of men recovering mastodon bones from Wakulla Springs near Tallahassee. "Included are G.M. Ponton; Mr. Christie, owner of the spring; Herman Gunter, geologist; and J. Clarence Simpson, member of diving team." Not to mention those bones and what looks like a large, curved tusk.

This postcard actually came about two weeks ago. For some reason my mystery mailer was overly prompt. Oh, and thanks a lot, Post Office, for the lovely postmark on the front!