Spiders of the Fall

The higanbana, aka spider lilies, are here so it feels like autumn has started. What's even better, the weather has cooled. A little.

So yesterday I decided to try my hand at making some persimmon muffins, persimmons being in season and a traditional autumn treat in Japan.

They came out pretty well. I used almond milk because my guts just can't seem to handle cow milk these days. It's inconvenient because, as I was surprised to discover, a kind of milk mania has arisen in Japan in recent decades. I suspect it has something to do with a dairy industry lobby. But now a population that's more inclined to lactose intolerance than many others is subject to and perpetuates messaging about how drinking milk is manly and essential to health. I often think of Ash from Alien.

There have also been a lot of butterflies lately. Here's a beautiful caterpillar I saw yesterday:

The right side is the head and the left side is the butt. The little wand on his butt waggled as he walked.

X Sonnet #1742

Intoning tunes, the parrots brought the song.
Astounding deals were reached in secret lots.
Acquired cars were gently used for wrong.
Perceptive right was lost amid the bots.
A flying goal was just its name in truth.
Machines mishandled mar the turtle chest.
Misfortune finally pulled the pulpy tooth.
Consumption chose the morsel eaten best.
A symptom table choked on ginger ales.
Remember blank, the name without a line.
Afforded bars allow the prison bails.
But then again, the ghost can pay a fine.
Arriving spiders summon red and thin.
Concealing blades of grass were green and slim.