A Gorgeous Late Fall Day

The day dawned clear and cold with a blue sky that rivals the New England winter skies that I grew up with. It warmed up to the mid-40's F but the sun was so beautiful. I went for a nice long walk midday, after doing a bunch of errands. As I was leaving my condo complex I noticed that one of the rhododendrons at the entry way was blooming. Of course I was drawn to it like a magnet...and found this little critter tucked in to a flower like it had found a little down comforter to stay warm overnight. iNaturalist says this is a Western Yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica). There's nothing particularly special about this species, in fact, it's really quite a miserable creature, especially when one is trying to eat a meal outdoors. But, even I have to admit that in it's shivery state it's quite adorable ;-)

Another Saturday night football game at my neighbor John's house. He's smoking a pork loin, I've made a roasted beet and arugula salad and I'm sure that the others are bringing all sorts of lovely food. Fortunately, one of our other friends is Celiac too, so people are very gracious when they're preparing food for these neighborhood get togethers. I finally discovered yesterday that the oat milk creamer that I've been putting in my tea for eons was actually making me sick. It can happen with some celiacs. I'm just glad to figure it out. I sure felt a lot better today after drinking black tea!