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Daily short takes from an Appalachian hollow

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mullein

May 9, 2021 by Dave Bonta

The rain arrives just about at church time, hard, steady, drowning out all other sound. Only the big mullein leaves still look dry.

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Categories Plummer's Hollow Tags mullein, rain
April 14, 2021 by Dave Bonta

The rain eases off and the sun ventures out. I spot two mullein plants in the yard, leaves fattening into foundations for the coming stalks.

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Categories Plummer's Hollow Tags mullein, rain
December 20, 2012 by Dave Bonta

Frost has dusted just the two rosettes of mullein leaves beside the driveway: enormous white flowers. A cottontail rabbit bounds past.

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Categories Plummer's Hollow Tags cottontail, frost, mullein 1 Comment
July 21, 2012 by Dave Bonta

Spiderwebs in the meadow and the big rosettes of mullein leaves next to the road glisten with their haul of beads from last night’s rain.

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Categories Plummer's Hollow Tags mullein, rain, spiderwebs 2 Comments
July 24, 2009 by Dave Bonta

Soapwort, self-heal, mullein, Rudbeckia, butterfly weed: my garden exemplifies the messiness of any organization dominated by volunteers.

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Categories Plummer's Hollow Tags butterfly weed, garden, mullein, Rudbeckia, self-heal, soapwort
April 14, 2009 by Dave Bonta

Beside the rosette of mullein leaves like thumbless felt mittens beaded with rainwater, the feral cat pauses to yowl.

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Categories Plummer's Hollow Tags cats, mullein

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On This Day

  • December 3, 2024
    A stray snowflake wanders down from the pink clouds, itself still white. Doves flock to the birdseed on my mother’s back porch—the silvery whistles of…
  • December 3, 2023
    Steady rain. An hour past sunrise the sky brightens a little, and the trees in their green sleeves of lichen begin to glow.
  • December 3, 2022
    Cold rain. Four chickadees in a high-speed chase around the yard pause in the lilac for a vociferous exchange of views.
  • December 3, 2021
    Clouds with blue veins and sunrise bellies. Two nuthatches trade harangues. A crow summons other crows to—I’m guessing—a fresh gut pile.
  • December 3, 2020
    Bright sun; the snow on the porch has shrunk to the railings’ shadows. That special word for wind in pines, sough: putting the ow back…

See all...

Related book

Cover of Ice Mountain with a linocut of a big ridgetop tree.

What I do after I sit on the porch. One winter and spring's daily walks distilled into short poems with linocut illustrations by Beth Adams.

Header image: detail from Paper Garden by Clive Hicks-Jenkins (used by permission)

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