I'm a Spider Taxi

It's looking awfully autumnal out there. I moved our coleus plant (a rescue from a trash bin at the cemetery) to the front porch, the better to show off its colorful leaves. It replaces the Chinese lantern, which is not looking so great. Apparently my killing streak with those plants is continuing.

More of the same yesterday. I read in the morning and took the dog for a long walk in the afternoon, as usual. Before we set out, I pulled an old hoodie of Dave's from the back of the bedroom door -- where it's been hanging for years -- and put it on, thinking I'd try to wear it more. It's one he got from the Shanghai American School, way back when we went to China, and I think he wore it about twice since then.

Anyway, I noticed that it really needed to be laundered first, so I took it off, put on another sweatshirt and headed out into the street. I got a few blocks from home when I began feeling like people were looking at me strangely. I glanced down and realized I had a HUGE spider on my shoulder! It must have been living in the Shanghai shirt, and somehow stayed on me when I switched to the cleaner garment. I brushed it off onto the lid of a rubbish bin by the side of Finchley Road, where it was no doubt confused by its change of circumstances. (Can spiders feel confusion?) I feel a little guilty about displacing it from its comfortable home, but it couldn't ride on me. Then again, I guess being left on a rubbish bin is better than drowning in a washing machine.

You'd think someone would have said, "Excuse me, but do you realize you have a HUGE spider on your shoulder?" But no -- not in the city, where the urban rule is one of non-engagement.

At one point, on Hendon Road, Bailey and I walked beneath a gigantic fig tree, dropping its ripe fruit to splatter on the pavement. I reached up and picked one -- not easy, as I couldn't reach most of them -- and brought it home. It was ruby red and quite tasty. I wish I owned that tree -- I'd be out there harvesting every day. (Our own fig tree had figs for the first time this year, but none of them reached ripeness, thanks to the dry summer and/or the squirrels.)

I also found a couple of hard rubber dog toys, being discarded along with a dog crate by the side of the road. I brought the toys home, ran them through the dishwasher to kill any contagion and gave them to Bailey.

She's gnawing on that big blue one as we speak.

Dave is gone most of today for a jazz festival at school. More dog-walking for me!