Sometimes

 
Sometimes...

I just stay outside to drink it all in. I know I am lucky to live here -- far removed from busy places. 

I am still pinching myself about meeting Rich on the Wagon Train and becoming his lifelong partner in a slice of paradise like this.

He found this place on a Walmart pin up board in the early mid 1990's. For Sale: House on 25 acres, dead end road. 2 bedrooms. The original price? $25k.

He took the whole sheet down and found the nearest pay phone to call the number. He met Glen, the owner and builder of our cottage and they had coffee. With a handshake, Glen sold this place to Rich.

I think of that story often and just wonder how the stars aligned to make things happen for him and then for the both of us. 

Mornings like this I just stand in our meadow and have...a feeling of awe. I'm witnessing something that is wonderous, vast, inspiring, amazing, and mind-blowing all at once.

Before the sun hits the meadow to the east of us, I can smell the sweet scent of millions of Queen Anne's Lace Flowers in the heavy damp air.

Oh yes. And admire the thousands Orb Weavers who stretch webs between the plants.

Everything is wet with fog and dew. 

And then the sun clears the trees to the east, the area lights up with golden fog and dew drops.

I make my way to my where my 'campground' is and look back towards home.

I often wondered if this place would suit me when I lost my best friend nearly a year ago. As I walk through the wet grasses towards the house I believe that it will. At least for now. 

It suits me just fine.

Damn it was Hot!

The dogs and I took a walk just after sunrise hoping to get some exercise before the dangerous heat moved in.

It was hazy and humid as you can probably see behind Charlie. [He seems to be doing fine even with his bad tooth situation right now. I don't know if he is just excellent at hiding his pain or he is stoic. My bet is on stoic.]

The heavy dew was amazing at showing spider webs that are springing up all over the place. In a few weeks the meadow behind Charlie will be full of webs for Orb Spiders. I was able to actually find one tiny spider between two webs. It took quite a few shots to get this little spider in focus, but I persisted.

The web below is likely built by a Funnel Weaver. I've yet to see one, but can appreciate their beautiful webs.

The bees are incredibly busy on these flowers. Horse Nettles. I've been fighting them in a section of pasture for a while. I tend to think of them as beneficial to bees so I am leaving most of them alone. When they are flowering, I can sit in the grass nearby and watch the bees swarm the flowers.

They are toxic to humans and animals so there is that. I'd like to get rid of them but not quite sure I should, I'd rather support the bee population. Perhaps I'll just make that spot smaller and keep them from taking over.

The morning quickly turned incredibly hot with the humidity. I picked a large bunch of Queen Anne's Lace along with a few of the Zinnia's that decided to blossom this year.

I thought I'd do a little photographic 'study' of them while indoors and beating the heat.

Your eyes are not betraying you. Some of the ones I picked have a pink hue to them. I left most of the flowers alone that I noted the pinkish color. I thought all Queen Anne's Lace was pure white.

By late in the afternoon the 'heat index' had risen to 115. I went out a few times with the dogs. I stayed out as long as I could and then brought everyone inside.

Hannah played ball and took all of her toys out of the basket and spread them around house. She was bored.

I read for a while and then decided to try and find something to watch.

I found a program that absolutely captivated Hannah.

It is a series of videos by a guy named Rocky Kanaka that goes into Dog Shelters and basically 'sits' with dogs that are non responsive or deemed not very adoptable. It is called Sitting with Dogs.

Hannah had a keen interest in what was happening.

The weather broke overnight. It is still muggy but the temps are in the 70's for today so I will celebrate by getting out and about.

Cool weather and early morning walk

No no no!

You guys stop!

 Kids! Gosh! Stop it!

The magical medicine to clean Hannah's seroma has kept her from bothering it. Perhaps it stopped the itching? 

I don't know, but between the PJ's she wore and the medical wipes I've used, she has made a huge turn around on her seroma. 

I took the 'kids' for an early morning walk and the two of them couldn't help themselves. The 40 degree temps wound them up.

I hadn't gone down our little dead end road in a long time mainly because of heat, smoke, and Hannah being on 'light duty'. 

For most of the walk the dogs were quiet and just walked along smelling all the great smells. 

We found some cool insects that seemed to be resting, waiting for the sun to warm them up.

I've seen these guys before and they are pretty cool looking. 

End Band Net-Winged Beetle

[Calopteron terminale]

The grasses held another insect waiting for the warmth of the sun to get him going.

Carolina Grasshopper
[Dissosteira carolina]

Then I found some wildflowers on the side of the gravel road.

Is this a Brown Eyed Susan or a Black Eyed Susan?
I think it is a wild Black Eyed Susan growing up through Fleabane.

The next wildflower isn't very popular but I think it has a cool name. I enjoyed trying to get a cool shot of it.

Bladder Campion
[Silene vulgaris]

These guys are all over the place and I like to refer to them as miniature daisies. 

Fleabane

[Erigeron annus]

It is time for the blue colored flower on the roadsides to shine. Since I was walking early in the morning, this flower was not open yet.

Chicory

aka known as Coffeeweed, blue sailors,
Italian dandelion

[Cichorium intybus]

And last?

One of my summertime favorites.

Queen Anne's Lace

also known as Wild Carrot
--yes, I have eaten them when they are young and tender--
But the roots are very hard to clean.

[Daucus carota]

Not a flower...but Spider Webs!

I finally got to see a Clear Winged Moth yesterday, so this afternoon I will grab my long lens and stake out the Bee Balm next to the outhouse. I'd like to 'catch' a shot of them again this year.

With the cooler weather, I'm heading out with the pups for a hike at the Reserve. We haven't been back there since the beginning of June.

Enjoy your day.

Sunday stuff

Sunday was a rest day, I had a ton of outdoor work to do, however, I decided that I was going to goof off and just do things that pleased me [aside from caring for hubby].

This just goes to show you that toy ... or Still Life photography can be done anywhere and any time. This is my bed that is in the living room. I got a piece of painted plywood that I've used for years as a top for my 'creative' table --which is now on the porch. The clean white surface is great for working with crafts or toys. 

In this case I needed a space that was solid enough to use to balance Legos.

There is my ex-cookie tray with my wood pieces. The challenge was to 'make' a scene that did not look like it was sitting on my bed.

This was the result.

I also took out my castle and had some fun with that. I did a little stop motion scene but that will have to wait until I have more goof off time to process that.

Below is my tiny entry way table that is my 'flower' stand. I filled my vases with an assortment of flowers and was surprised at how beautiful bouquets of Queen Anne's Lace are! This was Queen Anne's Lace and Hosta flowers that were leaning over the back stoop.

Of course my Dragons and dried mushrooms and flower petals keep my table interesting. To me it is just perfect.

And this is me just before bed. I thought I'd try a selfie hint I saw on the internet. I propped the camera on the coffee maker and put it on a timer. 

Olive gave me a haircut on the porch and I love it. It saved me time, worry, and expense of making an appointment in my 'allotted' me time.

The stuff behind me is our entryway. It is filled with oxygen containers and all of that crap you drop by the back door. 

I was sort of surprised by how I looked. It almost looks as if I am really sad and tired. I may be tired, but definitely not really sad. Maybe a bit worn out.

So there it is, a current photo of me that I won't faint at.

Here it is Monday and this is the day that I picked to do all of the things I hate the most. You know, balancing the checkbook, making phone calls and making lists of things I need to get done and things I don't want to do but must.

Oh, and the weekly grocery list. I really don't like shopping or preparing meals.

Flower garden tour...

Just a walk around the house with my camera... well except for the Queen Anne's Lace and the white clover those flowers were in the yard.

Enjoy

 

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.