No Subject

I will admit that is has been a tough week with a few changes here and there. Mostly changes in my not so routine routines.

I fell asleep one night sitting up with hubby watching a Britbox program we both enjoyed called Death in Paradise.

As soon as I did go to bed, I was wide awake for most of the night. I tried reading, I tried writing in my paper journal [do people do that any more?]. Then I sat up on the bed and looked out the window.

The Fireflies were out but not in great number. I decided to go out and see if I could take a few shots of them.

 The Fireflies put on a show for me right away in the above shot I took in the driveway. Then they stopped. Maybe they were shy or maybe I scared them. Not really, but in order to see more, I would have had to walk up to the ridge or out to a pasture.

I didn't. Instead I sat down on the driveway and just watched what I could see of the stars and the Fireflies in the distance. I noticed the sky lit up from a distant thunderstorm. Eventually the sharp gravel irritated my bum so I got up and went back inside. By 2am, I actually fell asleep and the other half awakened me at 4am.

There are constantly things of beauty around me to keep me amazed. The peonies this year were exceptional. I had one huge bush that just produced and produced the most beautiful flowers. I simply couldn't get enough of them.

I picked buds and set them in glass bowls in the house to open up. The amazing thing is that they lasted nearly a week indoors.

There is a photographer on Flickr that shoots abstract shots of peonies, so I grabbed my Lensbaby and tried a few shots myself.

Not stellar, but it was a fun little experiment. I'm still trying to learn how to really do an amazing job of flower photos with the Lensbaby. I'm studying those photographers who do this professionally. I like a challenge and this lens is a challenge.

I'm sort of digging the abstract-iv-ness from the lens in a way.

Play.

I'd left some Legos out on the table last Friday when our friend Steve stopped by with his daughter, her hubby and their daughter. The daughter had a great time playing with the Legos on the table.

I miss my 'play' time and creative time where I can wander off with a backpack and some ideas. Or sort out my Princess Sara stuff and continue with her story...it is just itching to happen.

I started to create a little scene on the table last night after we had cereal for supper. [I was exhausted physically and mentally and wasn't hungry at all.]

Rich watched as I moved the minifigs around. He asked who was who...I do have a tenancy to give them names and create minifigs as people I know.

I pulled up a photo that I did last week and gave him my minfig rundown...

These are our helpers. To the left with the red headband is Shay, our Respite Gal. She looks different than the minifig, but her spirit IS very swashbuckling, so it fits that she is a female pirate.

Next is a visiting nurse. How surprising it is that out of 5 of the nurses we've seen, 4 have been male.

The wheelchair minifig is Rich. But I've changed his 'clothes' since I took that shot.

The guy with the fish is Steve. Why not? He really looks like Steve!

Next is the Chaplain and the Social worker we see. 

I posted this on IG and labeled it as our support team.

Rich watched me arrange and arrange the Legos on the table and finally said. 

You need more that time. [remember he has aphasia]

What?

You need more time to ... his hands flutter... You know... to do that and not be so busy.

He may have a lot of health issues, but he still is pretty perceptive. 

I grabbed my camera and Rich looked at what I'd created. 

I kept messing around with the figures until I had a small scene. I guess what I was doing was fidgeting. Fidgeting relieves stress and calms the mind.

Figuring out how to photograph something on the table just for fun was relaxing.

I came to a conclusion which was very hard for me. I love going to the gym and my gym friends. But I hate the scheduling as I can't seem to fill the times properly and I don't seem to get real 'respite' out of it.

I'm pausing the gym stuff for now.

So this morning when Shay gets here, I'll take Charlie and go for a morning walk before it is too hot. I'll adventure, I'll look for fungi, I'll take some minifigs with me. I'll breath the warm humid air and find myself and perhaps get smacked with some creative juices.

Then I'll go to town and get groceries and pick up meds. Boring but a necessity.

Wednesday is another Steve-Fishing-something-adventure day. So I have to organize Oxygen tanks, snacks, and whatnot.

I do feel a bit of guilt making me time. But I am realizing that if I don't ... well, they be picking me up for the Loonie Bin.

Fungi and Slime Molds...Yipee!

So much fungi, so little time!

 

For my fun with the Princess Sara Quest and journey, I have to figure out who the 'bad' guys are. I swapped a mummy head to this Witch's body from the D&D collection. I thought it would be fun to have her making a potion out of some rather wilted looking fungi.

This dude is a mix up of head, hair, and body. I just put it all together because it made this minifig look rather crazy. He is holding a fungi that grows on old oak logs called 'Deadman's Fingers'. 

I feel it is appropriate for Zombie type Minifigs.

I'd stuffed these guys in my pocket when I went out to check the fence the other morning. I couldn't help but stop and set up these little shots.

My fence inspection found a tree that fell on the fence in the valley so I have to get back and fix that sometime very soon. At the moment I have access to the valley shut off. The mules like to go there on hot days as it is a cooler area.

However, I hit the bonus of all cool things in the forest on my way back home.

Fungi and Slime Molds!

I'm not going to try and ID all of them for you. Just enjoy the shots. Of the ones I know, I will give the names. Otherwise researching these would take up more time away from the pressing chores that are waiting me outside today.

Unknown Fungi. 8 shot focus stack hand held done in camera. Olympus has computational photography which will do an auto focus stack in the proper settings. It will also combine those shots into a jpg. In the past I've used Helicon Focus for this. However, since I like to get the shot and not spend too much time working in a program, I trust my OM-5 to help me out. 

[Not all the shots are focus stacked. Some were just quick shots. I have to keep moving even though I wanted nothing better to do than just explore more.]

This was about an inch and a half tall. I had a little light that I used to light it up from the side.

Happy little fungi on a moss strewn log...
the witch was using some of the wilted ones in her potion....

Here is another favorite of mine. Coral Fungi. It has a scientific name. I've ID'd it before, but I love thinking of it as Land Coral.

This is a few days old so it is turning brown. But this log ought to provide for more beautiful formations this summer.

Mark that log!

Some of my ALL time favorite Slime Molds!
Chocolate Tube Slime. I laid the lighter on the log for perspective.

Isn't this little forming one cute?

and then there are its big brothers...

the first shot was taken in the morning. The second shot was taken in the early afternoon so they could have been drying out. This stuff is usually gone in about 24 to 48 hours. 

What a lucky find for me! I haven't seen slime mold for a while since we've had such dry years.

The log I found it on. They look like they are marching across the log.

Another favorite. Deadman's Fingers. They get creepier as they get a little larger. But pretty neat in my book.

And last but hopefully not the last I find this weekend. A pretty little gilled mushroom on a moss covered log.

I mean, who doesn't like cute fungi and slime molds???

Any...way....

Many mornings, Charlie and I try to get out for an early walk. Sometimes, we actually make it. 

This shot of Charlie was taken a week or so ago. 

Getting out for a stroll is not always easy. I try to at night but it seems there is always something else to do. Thankfully most of the programming that we watch is rather uninteresting and I've decided not to pay for any more channels.

So evenings are spent reading, or gardening instead of staring at the TV. I often fall asleep if I do find something to watch now. The other half is getting up generally several times a night. He also is getting up between 4 and 5am. 

That used to be my quiet time, as I was the morning person and could enjoy sunrise walks along with quiet time with my coffee.

Charlie looks pretty serious here in this shot. He was just being Charlie, walking along looking for interesting smells.

Froggy Froggy...! I found this guy when I stopped to admire the fading spring phlox.

And on Wednesday morning this was the start to our walk. Whoops! This ancient oak fell over in the night. It's base was hollow and filled with carpenter ants. 

I texted this to our neighbor who lives at the top of the driveway and she sent it to her husband at work. I also sent it to Rich's pal who had planned on coming over to take Rich [and I] for a drive on Wednesday with the message that the driveway was blocked.

And then this happened.

The neighbor came home from work and made sure we could get in and out of our driveway. Steve [in the red shirt] showed up with his chainsaws and we had the drive cleaned up in no time flat.

My neighbor said he would clean up the big pieces for firewood and I said I'd clean up the little stuff and put it in a pile. 

Wednesday was another 'old' guy out day. 

I sat in back and enjoyed the ride and listened to the conversations.

Since we weren't fishing as it was so hot and humid, Steve wanted to find some wildlife for me to 'shoot' and enjoy. He had a grand time looking for turtles. Me looking for turtles amused him as he lives near a river and has turtles and snakes in his yard all of the time.

But. We did find turtles! But only in one park.

The sun did come out and the heat was on as well as the humidity and the smokey air. We drove through a park called Goose Island just outside of LaCrosse. Generally you can see deer wandering about along with a variety of birds, chipmunks, and amphibians.

We did get to see some Killdeer but they were far off as were the eagles.

I grabbed a few shots of the landscape.

It wasn't anything stellar, but I thought the shapes and contrasts were slightly interesting. 

I preferred this in black and white. In the second shot, you can see the extent of the smokey air that hovered above the Mississippi Valley.

By this time Rich was getting hungry so we elected to go back to The Bright Spot for burgers and fries. The effort of getting hubby in and out of the restaurant was the hardest part of the day, but we got it done.

I haven't had much time lately to visit the internet or even get out to play. I'm trying to figure out how to use my time more wisely when I do get Respite Care.

This week I did use most of my time to do a major grocery/supplies shopping for us. Hubby's feet are swollen enough from edema now that I had to find him wider shoes to wear.

I still have to figure out how to get 'time' to take my car into the dealer's to get the work done on it. The issue that needs to be fixed is covered under warranty. The trip to the dealer is an hour one way. So I have to find a solution to extend my 4 hour coverage.

I'll be addressing that very soon.

In the meantime, my pallet garden is producing beautiful Sweet William and an abundance of Daisies along with other flowers.

It is a pretty maintenance free little garden that produces a LOT of color and fun.

We are looking at a few days of rain so it seems I may have some time on my hands since I won't be able to mow yard and work outside.

Perhaps Charlie and I can sneak in some time hunting for fungi and fun.

For myself

I gave myself the gift of a hike on Friday when Shay came for her 4 hours of Respite. I could have chosen to go work out, get groceries, shop, run errands, and do all of those proper things.

But I decided to use my time doing my favorite sport. 

Hiking.

I chose this loop trail at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve because I've done it a few times and I know I can finish it and get back home in the time I've been allotted.

It was also a great way to try out the 'hydration' vest I'd gotten on sale last year. These are normally very very pricey but I nailed one at REI for only about $25. The vest fits like a vest and carries water bottles and essentials in several pockets.

Last year on my last distance hike, I wore a back pack with my supplies and towards the end of the 11+ miles, my shoulders and lower back ached like crazy. My son suggested one of these and I am so pleased to have it.

Anyway, here is a selfie of me wearing the pack while on the trail.

 [I used a little bendy tripod that wrapped around a sapling to take this shot.]

Everything I needed fit in the vest. Soft water bottles, snacks, wallet, phone, first aid kit, bug spray, emergency rain poncho, and my mini Joby tripod. Clipped to the vest was my emergency Bivvey Bag and my PLB [Personal Locator Beacon].

I didn't look exactly fashionable, but who cares? 

I was hiking on the Reserve enjoying the morning air and the sounds of birds.

I went up and down hills and walked above the river and then into the valley and along the river. My feet got wet from the rain and dew but I was never uncomfortable ... and the insects were not bad except in one area.

Most of the walk was done with periods of light rain. Perhaps that is why I had the place to myself. I don't mind the rain.

This old oak pictured below has always attracted my attention while hiking through. I think I finally got a decent portrait of this tree. I call it my Megan tree. My daughter in law likes neat trees and I think of her each time I pass by this one.

In my imagination, the tree is reaching out and letting me know that it approves of my activity. Hike and leave no trace.

The sun actually peeked out of the clouds as I was nearing the end of the hike.

I found fungi but not as much as I thought I might. Still, the bright colors caught my eye.

And this Jelly Fungi caught someone else's eye!

I was relaxed and chilled out by the time I got home. I had a good dose of 'forest bathing'. Well, a good dose of Me Time. I wasn't even tired or worn out.

I was happy. The vest worked out so well, by back and shoulders never even got angry with me. My feet trucked along as I enjoyed the surround sound of birds.

I used my Merlin Bird app to figure out what I was hearing deep in the forest. Ever hear of an Ovenbird???

Apparently there was a Veery an Eastern Wood - Peewee, and an Eastern Towhee within earshot. I heard them and saw only a flicker of movement. I had just been enjoying all of the birdsong and forest noises.

I had a very relaxing morning.

Me Time had worked out exceptionally well.

 

Gone Fishin'

 Wednesday was fishing day. 

Steve showed up a bit early but that was good because we had to load up his car with a wheelchair, lunch, Oxygen tanks, and all the stuff that would accompany us for a trip to the river and a search for some fishing.

Steve brought a patio umbrella he'd picked up somewhere along with plenty of zip ties to attach the umbrella to different wheel chair access points to provide shade for Rich. This was the first place we stopped at.

It is called Veterans Park in DeSoto, WI. We are in a backwater pond that is stocked once in a while with fish from the Fish Hatchery up the road [I think]. The guys caught a lot of little sunfish and really had a lot of laughs over that.

We moved to another place along the river and tried fishing there. This was at Gordon's Bay.

That didn't work out very well, so we ended up at Blackhawk County Park further up the road. Eventually the guys decided that the fish -- at least the bigger ones just were not in the mood to bite.

[this was shot in infrared black and white which causes green leaves
to show up as white!]

There were no bugs, but a lot of cottonwood seeds were falling all over the place. I'd prepared the snacks of Garlic Ring Baloney with fresh cheese curds and Ritz Crackers. 

I had water and soda along with wipes to clean up the wormy fingers. Of course neither of the ol' boys worried about dirty fingers, they just wiped their hands on their jeans and laughed.

Good ol' boys will be good ol' boys. The two of them reminisced about their days of training and hunting with coon hounds. They talked about the farms they used to go to and all the nights my husband took Steve's son out hunting while Steve worked night shifts at the Foundry.

They relived their younger days with so much laughter and fondness. 

Steve is thinking of taking us on tour next week to visit his son "Little" Steve who is now in his 40's. Little Steve has his own body shop/repair service. Steve's daughter is the person who gave the horse we called Fifteen a new home. 

Her new name is Honey and she gets attention every single day.

Old connections made new.
Old Friends connect.

Ol' Boys.
Gone Fishin'.

Days spent making life worthwhile and a life well lived.