for all the wonderful opportunities this year gave me. For doing meaningful work. For inspiring friends. For healthy kids. For curious minds. For a great neighborhood. For community.

The summer was dry and most of my little berry bushes didn't make it through. We were gone for a whole month and couldn't take care of them.

When we restarted the restoration I found this tiny little plant making it's way towards the sky.

It's somewhat on my main restoration path, so I try to protect it with sticks.

Very furry, grey-ish-green.
​Because of fur, probably not domestic dog.
Duwamish greenbelt

Fall day, Duwamish green belt
Size 1 inch and smaller semiplume
Very fluffy, downy, and small, so most likely body feather
Grey after feather and white barbs

At the South Seattle College Arboretum I saw this very different looking plant. I tried to figure out how to google this plant. Big leaves. Pineapple like stalk. Spiky. Zucchini leaves. Fluffy white pink flower. Exotic. I don't know how, but I found it.

Here is a more professional description:
Giant Rhubarb is a unique offering that produces whopping 6′ leaves that are distinctively patterned with deep veins and coarsely toothed edges. This exotic focal point is ideal for damp or boggy spots. ​The underside of the leaf and the whole stalk have spikes on them. In early summer it bears tiny red-green flowers in conical branched panicles, followed by small, spherical fruit. However, it is primarily cultivated for its massive leaves.

Wikipedia

Sponge mushroom

Removed a bunch of ivy along the north edge. Thanks for Zac and his Dad for coming out on this rainy day and for Shelly bringing us hot cocoa for break.

Made a trip to Camp Long for Green Seattle Day, helped with registration, Tim gave a short speech, 5 big volunteer groups (a brewery, P4tP, WSHS, a law firm) planted lots of new plants:

I spent a fabulous weekend with my Tracking friends in the Oregon Dunes and wanted to take a hand of sand with me to Seattle to put in my tracking sand pit in the backyard. When I was driving home on the I-5 I remembered, but it was already too late to turn around and go back for a hand full of sand.

Tonight after taking a hot shower I wanted to cozy up in my PJs and warm socks, but my socks felt like another pair of socks were left in there and it felt the opposite of cozy. I decided to do something about it and once I turned these socks inside out all the sand from the Dunes dumped onto my bedroom floor. It was about a hand full of sand and I got to move it in my backyard sand pit. 

A wish come true... 

and look what I found. A varroa mite in it's glory. Unfortunately I lost most of my testing sample and could not really count them. 

Also, the bees are doing okay, but not as great as I was hoping. I took pictures of each frame but haven't uploaded them yet. They got really angry with me after frame 4 and also didn't seem to like the powdered bees I put back in the hive. They kicked out at least 2 of them. I am not sure if they kicked them out because they didn't clean themselves up or if they didn't like the smell. I thought it would be fantastic for them to be covered in sugar and to find a punch of sugar in their home.