What I know...

 ...from Mary Oliver's Poem

What Is There Beyond Knowing

What I know
I could put into a pack

as if it were bread and cheese, and carry it
on one shoulder,

important and honorable, but so small!
While everything else continues, unexplained

and unexplainable. How wonderful it is 
to follow a thought quietly

to its logical end.
I have done this a few times.

But mostly I just stand in the dark field,
in the middle of the world, breathing

in and out. Life so far doesn't have any other name

but breath and light, wind and rain.

If there's a temple, I haven't found it yet.

I simply go on drifting, in the heaven of grass

     and weeds.

Fence Checking & Weird Stuff

Usually just after sunrise I head out to do a daily fence check. I can walk the meadow admire the changes each season brings. The grasses have seed heads and are waiting to drop them. 

The Queen Anne's Lace is beginning to bloom and the milkweed is just about done blossoming.

If there is a good morning dew or fog, I get to stop and admire my favorite spiders who start to appear in abundance at the end of July through August. Orb spiders.

Orb Spider shadow!!!

If I stand quietly just after dawn along our fence line, I can watch the deer emerge from the woods and cross the meadow to the east of us.

In another few weeks and up until gun season, I'll probably sneak out a few times a week to sit in a tree with my camera and watch for some does and bucks in velvet. It is fun to catch them on the trail cam but even more exciting to watch them in real time.

I collected some Queen Anne's Lace to dry while out walking.

I just love their beautiful patterns.

Down in the valley I found an area that had a curious slime mold growing all over the place. It seemed to grow at the base of little plants and small saplings. Odd, but not so odd because of all the rain and humidity we've had. It makes for perfect growing conditions for slime molds.

One of my favorite slime molds to find is fresh Dog Vomit Slime Mold. AKA: Scrambled Egg Slime Mold or Fuligo septica. It is hard to miss as it is such a bright yellow. The patch was very tiny. It probably only is visible for about 24 hours.

I was SO excited to find this tiny patch!
[I know, I am odd.]

We are coming up on the great months for finding all sorts of cool Fungi and odd things growing in the forest. I can't wait!

Anyway, this was my morning walk. Checking on my mules and checking on the fencing.

Have a great week.

Happy Morning...

First...

there was

the morning trip to the mailbox heavy fog that lit up the forest.
It looked bejeweled...

I came around with my packages and mail to the back door and got to see 

the first of the many sunflowers 

bursting forth with happiness and hope.

And then on my news feed an interview with Kamala Harris and some kids came up from 4 years ago.

I watched it and played it for hubby. 

Maybe it is my hope for our children, grandchildren, and our great grandchildren that struck me soooo much.

Kamala said this:

If you are interested in the interview here is the link:

I did want to be a teacher when I grew up because I believed in children. I still do. I believe in children and a good education.

This video set my tone for the day and I spent the rest of it happy and content.

I want kindness and hope for our nation not hate speech and negativity.

I feel hope...

We won't go back...

Fun Stuff

Have you seen the size of the Skeeters in the woods lately?
Wow! 

Just kidding. It is a Tetradactyl Lego Dino, I tossed some Dinosaurs in my camera back on my early morning walk on Sunday. I was hoping to get around in the woods before the bugs woke up too much and while it was still cool outside.

I'd been working on my Lego Challenge for this month. I did some fun shots for the challenge. I really enjoyed working on doing it.
Seeing the work of other photographers really was interesting. Some shots were meh and some were just SO WOW that it took my breath away.

I have a hard time creating a backdrop out of Legos for my 'scenes'. However, I am working on it. I like to just dump some bricks in a bin and start building in no particular manner. Ideas come as I continue to build and often, I will redo one build several times before I am satisfied.

These were my latest space efforts.

This is George, he is a space Explorer who is hunting Power Crystals. In the Lego land of adventures, many of the space sets come with little 'power' crystals that are blue. I thought I'd pick up all the loose little clear red pieces and see if I could 'create' something in red.

This is what it looked like on the kitchen table. 

I wanted a more 'spacey' type scene so I suspended a girl astronaut with a blue crystal in her hand.  I wanted her to be floating.

It was another fun try at making a scene. It is okay and not spectacular. I don't consider it a flop nor a winner. But worth the time and effort to learn how to 'float' a minifig. I used floral wire to hold her up and simply erased it out of the shot.

Finally! It looks like Francine the Astronaut found the motherlode of blue power crystals!

Again, this was a practice build and not really worth submitting. Personally I had fun building the scene and making it so colorful.

I will keep trying to make something awesome even though the contest is over. I know I am much better at finding places in nature to take shots of Lego figures and it is so much easier.

I can combine it with my daily walks [while warding off monster bugs!].

I think these shots turned out much better than the above ones, but then...I am a person who loves putting the minifigures out in the woods!

The walk in the woods and the dry run where I took a shot of the Dinos:

I guess I like to struggle with making 'things' up because it is such a fun distraction of play. I have walked the same woods and trails for 28 years now and enjoy finding something new each time I am out there.

If that includes silly things like toys, then so be it.

I'm not the only one either that does this! There are a so many hobby photographers that carry a toy, a teddy bears, or rubber duckies around just to place them in interesting places! There are groups of photographers on Flickr that just photograph and collect teddy bears! Or dolls...or anything you can imagine.

I do it because it brings me joy and keeps me thinking in creative ways.

So off I go today to do my chores, check my fences, grocery shop, clean house, garden, and see if I can find some time to think of something to imagine.

I really should set aside my Legos and perhaps take a Teddy Bear for a walk.

Why not? Anything is possible with a good imagination.

It's been a while since Bear and I have been out together.

That Little Dog

Charlie has a job to do. Well, he thinks he has a job to do.

He is watching the trees for squirrels. The squirrels like to come and clean up any seed on the ground near the bird feeder that has seed in it. 

I put out a cup of seed each day in the feeder so hubby can enjoy his morning coffee and tell me which birds show up.

Charlie watches the yard for any squirrels. And ... he is diligent.

This is his new mission in life. It's so fun to see him so intent. The one tree is a hickory tree so squirrels climb it often and then dig in the yard and bury the nuts. Charlie is also on top of that. After all, it is good that he has a job.

I'm pretty sure he sees the squirrels this way:

On very hot days though, I have to be careful with him. His short snout makes it hard for him to cool off quickly. I went for a walk on our gravel road with him just to get out and move around. On our way back home Charlie sat down in the shade and stopped.

He was puffing and hot. Bad me! 

I picked him up and carried him most of the way back home. When he got inside, he laid on the cool floor and just stared at me with those big round eyes of his.

Eventually he got up on the couch and relaxed.

This Little Dog has a great life and we know our lives are enriched by having him with us.

Nice Fellow!

I got a reply! I got a visit! 

While I was out doing chores, I got a call from one of the other 'Tree & Brush Svcs' folks. He is the son of one of the neighbors down the way and was recommended to me by the owner of the lawn mower/chainsaw shop in town.

When he stepped out of the truck, I walked up to him and asked if he was Dominic. He smiled when I stuck out my hand and he shook it and said, he was. 

[Hmmm, don't tell anyone. But I thought he was also very handsome!]

First off. He was very polite and asked a lot of questions about how I'd like this work done. I also asked him if he knew of anyone that could brush hog my pastures. He handed me his card with the list of services he and his crew provide. 

Bingo! I hit the jackpot, if the prices were reasonable!

I pointed out the trees that were problems. A photo below taken with the cell phone wide angle which distorts things a bit. These are the trees near the house that need to go before they fall down on the house.

This is a closeup of the trunk of the trees on the west side of the house. I will hate to lose the shade, but would hate to have to repair the house if it came over on it. The woodpeckers and the Pileated Woodpecker know this tree is dying as they dig for the insects living inside of it.

These are Honey Locust trees and in the Spring they produce the most wonderful smelling flowers in the world.
I love to just sit out and listen to the bees above working on the flowers and breathing in the incredible scents.

But they are dying. The trees are were planted well over 70 years ago, so they have lived long past their prime.

I do dearly love these trees, but they have served their purpose.

I will lose their afternoon shade, but then again, the payoff will also be gaining a sunny spot to expand my flower garden if I wish to!

Then I took Dominic to the trouble spot.

The Widow Maker Oak Tree:

The shed and the tree 👇

At the base

He took a long time to look at this spot. 

Then he asked me a surprising question. 

I can get it to fall into the woods. Would you be upset if it hits another tree and damages it? Do you care how it falls? Do you want it cut up?

I get it. He has dealt with some of those folks who have moved into our area who are suburbanites turned wanna be tree hugging homesteaders. [No offense to anyone please!]

My woods are thick with trees that have fallen and tree tops and branches. There is nothing tidy about the woods. The woods are simply the natural forest. Trees fall in inaccessible places and as they rot down the provide nutrients for the forest. No big deal.

I answered him. "Better it fall into the woods and be a mess there than crush that little shed. My mules can walk around it and so can I."

The trees in the yard will be chopped up and deposited into a brush pile in the pasture. I will give some neighbors a choice to come and get firewood. If they don't, I'll burn the brush piles this winter. It is an activity that I actually enjoy.

I showed Dominic another little project I'd like to get done this fall. I also asked him to give me a price on mowing the weedy place we call a pasture. I said that I'd like to get it mowed -- brush hogged twice a year if possible.

Dominic also asked if I had a particular fondness for the stump that is in the yard. He said that one of the dead pines may fall on it and damage it. Right now I have a planter on the stump in the yard. I laughed and said I had no fondness for the stump, it was just a place that was convenient to set that plant that needed more sunlight.

"We can move the plant to a safe place," was his reply. 

I said I'd deal with it.

So I'll be getting an estimate for just the tree work via email next and an approximate date in August for the work to begin.

He'll notify me a week before he comes and I can take down the old fencing and get everything out of the way. This works out with my plan of replacing the hot wire in this particular area.

I'm so glad that I also have alternate pastures for the girls so they won't be in the way. Now? Fingers crossed that it works out.

----

I just got the estimate and it was very reasonable and much better than ones I've had in the past! Well now, that makes me a happy camper as I can cross off one more BIG Job off my list of to dos.

Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch...

The last shot is something that used to be impossible without modern cameras.

Getting several shots in quick succession while keeping things in focus used to be nearly impossible in the film days.

Now there are cameras that 'track and focus' on whatever you choose to follow. It is quite amazing. I love 'shooting' butterflies and hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

I miss a lot of shots even with the fantastic modes in my camera. It may take me a few days worth of trying to get anything decent, but it is always worth the extra effort.

The Swallowtail shot consists of 3 shots blended together later in a program I use called ON1. It is so much simpler [and cheaper] than Photoshop.

Anyway. 

Enjoy my Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch.

 PS~ I did get a visit from one of the Tree & Brush Folks! Yeeehawww!

Luck, Flowers, Trees

 Did you know that spotting a Hummingbird Moth is supposed to bring you good luck and prosperity?

Did you also know that they like Bee Balm, Verbena, and Phlox as their favorite flowers and food?

I didn't. However, by sheer luck I have all three types of flowers around my house. 

The Bee Balm below is next to my outhouse.

The Phlox is on the west side of the house, but next year I will be moving another group of them to the east side also.

I have verbena in pots on the porch in a couple of colors. I had no idea they were attractive to Hummingbird Moths until a year or so ago when I planted a bunch of them and saw my first Hummingbird moth! 

4 O'clocks are also a Hummingbird favorite along with Zinnias. The seeds I gathered last year for the Zinnias haven't done well this year. 

5 years ago I got two little patches of Creeping Thyme from one of the neighbors. She had a garden from the previous owner that she was just going to cover with plastic and river rock. I 'rescued' some plants and now I have large swaths of creeping thyme. Right now they are in bloom.

There is almost no maintenance to these delightful plants. They grow low. They spread, they smell wonderful and the flowers attract so many tiny bees and larger bees!

Okay. Enough about that. Remember that Dunnum fellow I talked to? He said he'd be out over the weekend. No show, no contact. 

I contacted him again and gave him some more time. After 7 days of waiting for an estimate, I have contacted two other companies. 

Now I'll wait and see who may come out and do the work.

I understand being busy, but if you have a potential customer wouldn't you at least message that customer to set up a definite date and time ... AND deal with it or message that customer with a reason for the no show? I assume that this person doesn't want my money. Cha-ching.

I'm determined to get this project done this summer. Last year was the driveway. This year, the trees that are dead and dying that will impact my sheds and house need to go.

However!!!!

Here is a guy that I can always depend on to show up for work daily. 

Little Richard:

And...I leave you with one last flower photo...

My wagon wheel of Morning Glories with Bee Balm and Milkweeds...

Wish me luck! 

The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth is supposed to bring me some!!!!

Uffdah

I was hoping to keep it simple this week... Hmmm.

Monday was hubby's annual wellness checkup and nothing has really changed from last year. His legs are swelling up so she had some hints for him to help him with that. Time was of the essence for the appointment as the highway department was getting ready to close a bridge because the Kickapoo River was rising rapidly.

Monday afternoon we got a visit from the Oxygen folks.

We received a portable oxygen concentrator which should give Rich more mobility. It is easier to carry a satchel type item than to drag around a tank. The VA Home Oxygen lady was a great educator. Much better than the person they had previously.

This afternoon, I'm getting a visit from a fellow named Dunnum. He runs a company that does tree trimming, brush hogging, landscaping, cleaning up old junk piles,...delivering hay...

well.... 
you name it, and his folks will do it apparently.

I'm looking to have some trees taken down and two pastures brush hogged along with some other clean up if the prices are right. IF I like his work, I'm gong to have him come twice a summer to brush hog down the weeds in my main pastures. It would save me so much time, frustration, and sweat!

The weather hasn't been conducive for activities outside for even healthy folks. I can get chores done easily, but I am wringing wet by the time I get inside. If I have to do anything for a length of time, I have to wear a gnat net over my hat.

By Wednesday the heat and humidity will come down enough for hubby to enjoy getting on his zero turn and do some mowing.

In other news, our gym now offers a class called Legends. It is for those over 50. The workouts are more personalized and less intense. I love the folks I am working out with. We have a range of ages and abilities. Plus, it is great to meet new people. [most of the folks are wayyy over the 50+ mark!]

One of the ladies just finished up her chemo and radiation, and is gently easing back into fitness and mobility. I have to hand it to her. She makes me feel as if anything is possible. 
We do the same workouts as the regular classes, but with more adjustments. I switched to this class because the scheduling works out much better for me.

I can monitor Rich's morning routine and go to class while he naps.

I still do a regular class once a week so I get 3 days in. It is a win win for me right now. Come winter, I may just stick with the smaller class for us older folks. I think none of us would come when we are sick? Fingers crossed.

Below:
Hummingbird Moth 

on Bee Balm.

Below:

Little Richard

doing yard work on

the hillside.

 If this Dunnum fella is easy to work with. I'll take some shots of what needs to get done so I can have some before and after shots for comparison. 

So many things have been let go since my husband's cancer and stroke that I feel I need to make an effort to get things back on track.

Wish me luck!

going sideways

The news lately has not been very promising. Suddenly I feel as though I've been jettisoned back into the COVID era and the horror of those 4 years.

I decided to stop looking at the news for now and just go do my own thing.

I donned a long sleeved shirt sprayed with Buggins, long lightweight pants, gloves with the fingers cut out, and a head net.

I was ready to get out to my happy place even if it meant dealing with T-Rex Skeeters and swarms of gnats.

I also needed to check in on the mules to see how the girls were doing since they were staying out in the woods.

They've been spending a lot of time in the Buckthorn Woods. Yes, they are invasive trees and are horrible to have. I'm going to leave them to the next person who wants to live here. For now, they provide a great shady area for the girls to hang out. It even feels cooler under the canopy.

The air was quite still, but still cool enough since it was only about 7AM. I made my way down the trails to the creek. I wanted to see how the new rains had affected the creek. 

Water! Slow moving beautiful sounding water. Once again the water flows gently through our rather messy creek bottom.

Over the past few years, so many trees have tumbled over crisscrossing the steep banks. Negotiating the bottom takes quite a bit of balance and determination. Sometimes it includes a bit of creative climbing and careful steps when the rocks are wet and mossy.

I brought Glenda, a Lego minifigure along and a couple of Lego creatures. I just knew that between the dappled light and the water, I'd find something that would tease my imagination.

My other favorite thing to do in the creek is look for iron concretions. While climbing around in the dry runs [which are wet] I spotted quite a few and felt like I'd hit the jackpot. These rocks always add textured interest to my succulent garden.

I stuck those in a sack I brought with and sat down on one of the wet rocks just to watch the sun shine through the trees onto the water. It felt so peaceful and comforting. Yes, the bugs were there and they buzzed my head net, but I was able to mostly ignore them.

I took a few shots of Glenda doing Glenda Things. She seems to be an expert at finding and rescuing creatures. Yes, you can actually see well enough through a No-Seeum Head net to take photos!

I'm sure she was as surprised as I was that she found an Iguana in Wisconsin. But since this is a Lego Imaginative play time. It could be anywhere, right?

She heard of a Dove that was lost and so she went searching and calling for it.

Imagine her joy at finding it!

The colors and light that come through the canopy of mixed hardwoods here is so beautiful. It takes an effort to get to and move around. But the journey is well worth it. It isn't grand or spectacular, but in its small way, it is stunning.

Here is a shot with Glenda in the middle of the stream. Yes, I had to build a place for her to stand on a flat rock in the water. Three or four times she tipped over and threatened to gently float away....

But that is the real fun of it all. A difficult hike with all sorts of challenges to get to a spot that feels like my private space in nature.

When things cool off, I'm going to have to bring a little saw to this spot and cut a path through the newly downed trees. With all the rain we've had the soil is saturated and trees on the banks are just letting go. Eventually the trees rot and break up and then are washed downstream in a large flash flood, but that hasn't happened in years.

I had fun and even though I got hot, I enjoyed myself. However, next time I need to spray some Buggins on my legs ... and rear end. Dang Skeeters bit me right on the Bum through my lightweight pants!

Oh well. It was a great place to get sidetracked and enjoy the beautiful outdoors despite the monster Insects...

Today is all about, hurry up and wait. The Home 02 People are going to come 'sometime after noon'. So maybe I'll go do something silly inside to entertain myself.

How about some space adventures???

👋