Unruly Urchin.... makes me utterly upset!!! 
"In such a strait the wisest may well be perplexed, and the boldest staggered." ~ Edmund Burke, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents
I spoke too soon! This unruly urchin and his union of urban outlaws have gotten the upper hand again. The ultrasonic device I urged folks to use is utterly useless and unproductive in its appointed undertaking. OK. I really cannot think of many more "U" words and it makes my head ache.... my thesaurus is about to go up in smoke. I recommended an ultrasonic squirrel and animal repelling machine by a company called Bird-X. At first, it seemed to be unbelievably (I did it again) effective and thwarted the critters for over a week. But then, I re-filled the bird feeders and they simply came back. Occasionally, I see where they have knocked it over to a face down position and other times, they simply stand in front of it and laugh hysterically at me watching them from the window. But now it is WAR! I caught one on the deck munching on one of my small tomatoes.... I am afraid that my brother is right...these squirrels have to depart, scram, vamoose... one way or the other.
(end of post)
ABC Wednesday ~ "U"
Nature's Notes
Mr. Lincoln... hybrid tea rose. "O, my love is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my Love is like the melody,
That's sweetly played in tune."
~ Robert Burns (1759-1796)
We've had a spring -- a real spring -- with cool temperatures and moderate rain and then the yo-yo factor thrown in. As a reward punishment, we now have summer -- late summer, July and August summer -- with temperatures approaching triple digits, the air heavy with humidity, and no breeze to speak of. Plants are confused and befuddled, as are the butterflies. The black swallowtail have still not bombarded the fennel as last year and I have only six monarch caterpillars chomping away on the milkweed, safe in the sunroom. Each day, I expect the Japanese beetles to show up in the delicate roses (the black spot has already arrived); so I enjoy each small triumph of bloom on the rose as it happens. Mr. Lincoln was planted last year and gave one bloom, a glorious bloom to be sure, but only one. This year, two. Twice as many deep garnet soft petals, captured in digital image but now gone, whisked away by a fleeting gust of wind. Perhaps it will surprise me and produce more; yet, if not, I will be grateful for the rich ruby light it added to our day.
(end of post)
Ruby Tuesday
A dirty dozing dog and a smudged soiled shoe. "Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity." ~ Lindley Karstens
I have a pair of old sneakers that are worn through and soil stained with compost and dirt, stiff with repetitive soakings, and ragged with open cracks; yet they are sure and supportive where I need them most and they feel good on my feet. Usually, I pair them with white long pants, white shirt with long sleeves, a garden hat to cover my face and neck, white socks with the ends cut out to cover the hands and wrists before topping off with gloves, and long white tube socks to pull over the bottoms of the pants.
Of course this brings several questions to mind that you might have.... WHY? Why white? Why long sleeves in hot weather? Or WHY on earth would you go out where someone might see you in a giddy-up like that? Or even more likely, WHY haven't you posted a picture of yourself in this outfit? This last question is the easiest to answer... "Because I wouldn't let ANYONE get a picture of me in this outfit, as I know how strange and ridiculous it looks. Only Daisy, my dog would be allowed to take a picture... and since she hasn't a clue about how to work the camera, I am safe.
As to the other questions, I have to go out in this outfit because I MUST dig in the dirt and I MUST garden.. for sanity. Hey! I'm not looking for a knight in shining armor to show up anytime soon, my hair frizzes in the humidity and heat and I get smudges all over my face as well as all over the clothes... so basically, I don't care if I look like a golfer from the 40's. Or you could say, I care more about the flowers for butterflies and caterpillars and the plants for the birds and bees than I care that my neighbors see me as ridiculous. Besides... my garden and beds are way better than theirs are... so ... na-na-na-na-na-na... there! The long sleeves and pants and coverage from head to foot are a bother in hot weather.. but necessary. Since we are at the edge of a wetland forest preserve, we have a major tick population; everything you can do to cover up any entrance point they have is prudent... and this year they seem to be even worse than usual. We have them all.. those with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme's disease and even a new one that carries something they call Tidewater Fever. It isn't as severe a disease but the tick that carries the bug is centered at the Great Dismal Swamp... just five miles or less from us... so.. there you have it. Oh, yes... why WHITE? For a similar reason... since it is a given fact that anytime you work near the preserve, i.e. in the yard or behind the fence, you WILL be exposed to ticks... the white shirts and pants and socks and such are much easier to examine for ticks. The tick shows up against the white background better than dark blue jeans... easier to remove and squash. Of course, with this get-up on, I usually dose my clothes with a thick spray of Deep Woods Off in an effort to limit the number of ticks that take the plunge and hitch a ride on my white shirt. At the end of the day, a close examination gets rid of most of them... then the really, really dirty clothes go in the sink and another search before hitting the washer. Even with all these precautions, you still have to check all the nooks and creases for any strays that might have gotten through the defenses.... they are the most sneaky of bugs. If only there were a bird that consumed them by the millions. (sigh!)
Daisy tries to help garden, she sometimes even digs (until scolded); but she prefers a place to snooze in the shade on the patio or even better, in the air conditioned sunroom. Yes, she gets dirty...her ears hang low and drag in the mulch... and she does rarely get a tick but her Frontline takes care of them. It would be nice if they could formulate a Frontline product for us... once a month application to kill and sterilize those critters; then we could shed those strange togs for more fashionable sleeveless chiffon tops and light weight shorts while gardening... but we would still get "dirty".
(end of post)
Carmi's theme ~ "well-aged" ~ both shoe and dog.
Saturday Photo Hunt ~ "Dirty"
Camera Critters
It started with a simple ring, many years ago,
And now you have a treasure chest that’s begun to overflow.
For 25 years of married bliss, much silver did you store,
And then you reached your 40th, with ruby stones galore!
You travelled through life to 50 years of happy wedded bliss
Your treasure grew with golden gifts, to toast your happiness
And now you’ve reached that special day, that’s only seen by few
60 years together, now its diamonds for both of you.
But the treasure that you value most isn’t jewels, silver or gold
But the love you have for each other, that has never grown old!
~ Unknown
June 2, 1951... the beginning.
"The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds - they mature slowly." ~ Peter De Vries
Sixty years of marriage together... the Diamond Anniversary! Today my parents (Stephen's parents too, although I have been known to question this in the past.) have been married for sixty years. Ten years ago, we threw them a huge party and 225 of their friends attended to show their love and appreciation for their work and their lives through the years. This milestone is celebrated more quietly.
June 2, 2011... 60 years and going strong.
"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years." ~ Simone Signoret
I was going to put their picture in the paper but six weeks ago, Mom fell on her face... literally. She was bruised from her hairline down her whole left face, chin and neck. Stitches on her chin and lip and the dense hematoma were bad enough, but she also broke her right jaw. Fortunately, no wiring was involved and the bruising is much, much, much better. Still, their picture in the paper might suggest something different than a long-time loving marriage. So I took these to have for their memories. Others remembered as well. The mailman was busy the past few days and bombarded us with cards, especially today. Phone calls have come from around the country and a fruit basket from the General Church of the Nazarene. (Dad was a pastor for many, many years.)
Diamond Anniversary... OK, where's the diamond?
"One of the good things that come of a true marriage is, that there is one face on which changes come without your seeing them; or rather there is one face which you can still see the same, through all the shadows which years have gathered upon it." ~ George MacDonald
Usually they go out alone together for their anniversary dinner, but this year Dad didn't feel up to driving and I went along to chauffeur. Mom ate all the seafood she isn't supposed to as well as bread, potatoes and she-crab soup; but it is such a special and rare anniversary that few people get to celebrate these days. Why not.
Still up for a kiss...after all these years.
"Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made: Our times are in his hands Who sayeth 'a whole I planned, Youth shows but half; Trust God; see all nor be afraid." ~ Robert Browning
These two show that while the hearing goes and often time neither knows who is saying what to whom, love goes on and just being two together forever is more than enough.... a well-aged marriage.
(end of post)
Carmi's Theme ~ "well aged", as in a well-aged marriage
It's daylily time."On the face of it, the easiest of all activities should be seeing what we see. In reality, it's the hardest." ~ Charles Movalli
Have you every played "I Spy" or maybe "Where's Waldo?" I thought we would enjoy a little game today; but first I must digress to another story that has nothing to do with either "I Spy" or "Where's Waldo?" (or maybe it does).
Most of you know I have cats and some of you probably believe I have an excessive number of cats for a "normal" person. However, I have never claimed to be "normal" and my number of cats is dwindling from the unavoidable attrition that comes with increasing age. (I am now only living with four cats.) Once upon a time (every good story begins with this) I lived with another group of cats, all Siamese. Shamroc was the eldest and a seal point, Cassiopeia (Cassi for short), another seal point, and Rami, a blue point. They traveled with us everywhere for many years and it was on one of those excursions to Wichita Falls, that this story takes place.
My ex-mother-in-law (she wasn't and "ex" at that time; but you figured that out didn't you) had just re-done her bedroom with paint and curtains and a new king sized bed and bed linens. She longed for a picture of her new room to show her friends. Some of you, perhaps most of you, no longer remember the days of the Polaroid instant cameras (except for those tiny funky shot things my daughter had as a teenager that made weird instant picture stickers), but this was what I had. This was a time before I could afford a film 35mm camera, so you must be able to imagine what the style was back then... in the late '70's and early 80's. OK, please try not to gag too loud.
Anyway, as a dutiful daughter-in-law I obliged and stood in the dormer window facing the bed and snapped away. As the pictures lay on the bed and the foggy images slowly started to take shape, there was a curious blob centered at the botom of the picture. Milky and murky at first, it began to take shape; something dark and mysterious and at the same time stately and royal. Finally, the bedspread came into focus, as did the headboard and curtains and night stand and the rug... and the blob. IT WAS SHAMROC! I didn't see him through the viewfinder; but he positioned himself at the foot of the bed right in the dead center bottom of the picture, almost as if he were sitting on the edge of the white picture margin frame. AND he was turned just slightly sidways to show off the sloping curve of his back; his paws were placed together and his tail curled around and tucked in just in front of his paws. His head was trained directly on the camera with blue eyes front and center. HE POSED! Shamroc posed for the camera and gave a perfect shot, though no one knew he was there. Then, he WAS a special cat.
So, what does the previous story have to do with a lovely garden scene and gorgeous daylilies and a birdbath that is definitely leaking? Can you not guess? I took this picture from our living room window. It has been sooooo hot and humid that stepping outside into the wet sauna is more than I can take. So I take pictures from my little bench next to the window; pictures of the birds, hummers, and the occasional pastoral scene that invites the feeling of coolness at least. My brother gave me a long lens and I use it for this purpose. So I am at least fifteen to 20 feet away from these shots. As I worked with the pictures on my computer, something caught my eye... similar to the way that black blob showed up in my picture. Now, can you guess... is there anything showing up to you?
Scroll on down and get a closer shot.
I've patched cracks in this birdbath but it still leaks, just not as fast.
"The question is not what you look at, but what you see." ~ Thoreau
Do you see it now? After the first batch appeared and vanished at the end of April, just as they did last year, I have been looking and watching for more...to no avail. But here, it appears in my picture and I wasn't even looking.... have you figured it out yet? OK... a real cropped out close up is below.
A bit fuzzy but a monarch none the less.
"You can observe a lot by just watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Yes. A Monarch caterpillar of full size and it looks as if it has already entered into the wandering phase; as they rarely leave the milkweed until it is time. Of course I looked for him this morning, but alas, he has meandered away and hopefully has found a safe place to rest and form his chrysalis. I checked the milkweed again and still don't seen any eggs or small caterpillars. I guess it is time to break out the incubators and get them set up for the Monarchs and the Black Swallowtails.
So how did you do? Did you find him without my help? Did the story give some hints? Or did you have to scroll to the last picture.. come on.. tell the truth now!
(end of post)
Nature's Notes (a day late)
