As we sat on the porch, sipping our second cup of coffee and chatting, another monarch butterfly appeared. You’ve seen photos of the porch. Just over the railing from our adirondack chairs is the main patch of milkweed. We have the best seats in the house when a monarch appears!
This monarch was laying eggs on the underside of the leaves. Flitting from plant to plant.
It flew all around the property – Don encountered it when he came out of the kitchen. I saw another monarch later – at least I think it was another one, as it seemed smaller. Again, laying eggs and dining on the flowers.
I love them. What a treat to be able to sit there in our chairs and watch them do their work.
It’s going to be hot one today, an even hotter one tomorrow, as well as on Sunday. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. I hold off turning on the A/C as long as possible but I have a feeling it will have to go on soon.
What am I doing? Reading. And vacuuming. And that’s about it. I’ve been resting my back, which is much better today. Oh, and watering the plants, which I’m going to do as soon as I finish this post.
From the side garden bed. I love these day lilies. See the spider?
I’m reading Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, the very first book in her Jackson Brodie series. Excellent, as always. I ordered the newest John Connolly, A Book of Bones, via Book Depository because it hasn’t been published here yet, only in Great Britain. I couldn’t believe how heavy it was when I pulled it out of the mailbox. It clocks in at 694 pages! He’s never written a book this long. I’m saving it until I finish reading my library books, but what a treat it will be!
I remember reading Gone With the Wind when I was in 8th grade. I had never read a book that was so thick and had so many pages! It felt like a big deal, like I’d crossed the line into an adult-sized book. A rite of passage.
Aren’t books wonderful?
Happy Friday.
Summer reading is the best–long lazy days (ha!) and lovely long books!
Our west coast monarch population has plummeted, so I’m envious of your sightings. Lots of milkweed, no monarchs. I miss the days of seeing caterpillars or those glorious green and gold chrysalises everywhere we looked.
It’s alarming. I’m always heartened to see them around here. And I’m thrilled that milkweed grows wild right here on my property.
yes, books are wonderful!
so are butterflies and your photos of the monarchs. glad the milkweed helps bring them around for you and in such a perfect spot for you and don to see them. around here it seems people plant lots of sedum to attract monarchs.
hope your back keeps feeling better.
heading into northern minnesota this weekend and we return home on wednesday. should be much cooler up there, plus we will enjoy time on a boat on lake superior!!!!! time away from work will be good, too. :)
hope you all have a great weekend and can avoid the high heat and humidity.
kathy in iowa
There are lots of flowers that attract monarchs, but milkweed is the only host plant; where they lay their eggs, turn into caterpillars, then pupa, then a monarch. So, it’s extremely important. Monarchs like other flowers, but without milkweed, we wouldn’t have any monarchs.
Have a good time on your trip.
oh, good to know. thanks for sharing that!
and yes, that trip will be fun (and much needed by me)!!!!! thanks, claudia.
kathy in iowa
xo
Don’t think one can survive summer if it weren’t for books. Suppose to cool down later next week. Yay!!!!! Your garden makes your place look cool. Went to the library to pick up a hold and also checked out The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. Reading here I come.
Enjoy your new read, Trina!
How exciting to be “chosen” to host a new generation of Monarchs! They’re so beautiful and your photos capture them perfectly.
I’m glad you are enjoying case histories. I just started a new novel by Downton’s Julian Fellowes, “Past Imperfect.” He’s quite a fun writer!
Thank goodness for engrossing books, Jeanie!
Hi from sunny humid wet soggy summery N.J.! Gone With the Wind, the first story I never wanted to end. Gorgeous Monarchs! xoxo
Same here, my friend! Sunny, humid and just plain uncomfortable out there!
On your recommendation I stopped by the library yesterday and requested three Kate Atkinson books. Our usually well-supplied library didn’t have any in the mystery section…either they are checked out or not in our library. However, they are really nice about getting books on an intra-library loan. Can’t wait to read them!
Be sure to check the fiction section. My library had some in mysteries, and two others in fiction – same series. Don’t quite understand that one!
What would we do without libraries?? It is magic the joy that they bring us, and the “price” is pretty wonderful, too!!
So hot. But it is everywhere. Thank goodness for the AC. A wonderful day to read! Summer School classes were cancelled here and in Madison for today. No AC in the schools makes it really difficult to teach.
Have a good day, and happy reading!! (we had rain again in the night ~ 2 inches!! so no watering necessary today, except for any pots that look stressed. yay!! These overnight rains are kind of nice!)
We had rain as well. No watering today, but there will be a lot of watering tomorrow.
You have ring side seats for all the Monarch activity…how fun! As Chris said….we got rain here too, last night…over 3 inches over 2 nights….nice respite for all the flowers, and trees….and me. No watering necessary.
Thousands in downtown are without power due to a couple of explosions and fires at two power substations. Those poor people…on the hottest day of the year…and no power. We’ve been fortunate so far.
And…yes, indeed…books are wonderful! Library books are the best! Enjoy your books today! ;)
Oh no! I feel for them! How awful.
Hoping our power hangs in there!
By some spooky coincidence, I’ve catalogued the same book a couple of hours ago as some had kindly donated a copy for library stock. We have other copies but not one at each branch library. Yes, it’s huge and the medieval stained glass cover is striking.
Happy Friday
It is! I’m looking forward to reading it, Dee. Thank you!
I do recall, your same age, being so engrossed with Gone With The Wind; I recently recorded the film when it came on TCM (all 4 hrs of it, taking up my DVR space!). I’d read the book long before the movie ever was on TV, back in the day. Neither film nor book disappointed; love both of them. Parts of the book were a bit suggestive for our younger years!
You know, Claudia, maybe the heatwave is giving you the break you need to heal your back. Otherwise, you’d feel compelled to be back out there, working hard in the yard.
My problem in the garden right now is ANTS. Everywhere, ants. On plants, on pavement, in the cat dishes outside despite my efforts to create a water moat and drown them before they can infiltrate the bowls. I hate ants and I hate flies (and both equal ‘summer’). My dog also hates flies; if one gets in the house, she flees to the opposite side of where she hangs out indoors and waits for me to get out the fly swatter (Mommy to the rescue; Mommy The Fly Killer).
It’s the escalation of heat and humidity although in SoCalif where I am, we are NOTHING close to your hot temps right now, so I just can’t complain. We have a mudroom/porch and the ants got in that room (I never saw; my husband said thousands) where there’s no food or plant source, no water source, so we’ve fought back on that because I don’t want them coming thru the slider and into the house. Gross; yuck; hate ants!
Monarchs; so long now since I’ve spotted one. Sigh. You’re lucky!
I read the book first, as well.
We get ants every year. This year we got them early because it was unseasonably warm in February. We just have to deal with it. They come in the kitchen. They come in the bathroom. This is an old house so it isn’t ‘tight.’ As for flies, I rescue them as much as I can and put them outside. It isn’t al that hard to do. Don does as well. They only have a very short life – a few days – so I do my best to get them outside again so they can enjoy it while they can. Thanks, Vicki.
Wow. I save spiders, ladybugs/bugs, moths and other creatures and make sure they get back outside but I’ve never rescued flies. I do try to coax them out of the house first and am often successful. Don’t hate me!
xo
Where would we be without book? I don’t even want to consider it the answer. I got a new book, to me anyway this morning it is called The Bookshop of Yesterdays. I can hardly wait to start it!
I am not sure how, but my neighbor was able to release into the wild 15 Monarchs this summer. She can still count them, but seems to think that 7 are down here at my house. Lucky me. We both have Lots of flowers and milkweed growing.
Our heat index is supposed to be close to 107 by tomorrow. I am not leaving my house for anything! When I got up this morning all of my windows were steamed up. Humidity go away!
I have a couple of friends who raise monarchs and release them. So admirable!
Our heat index is to be 107 also. Dreading it! I walked outside to get the mail and my sunglasses immediately steamed up!
We’ve had so much rain this summer, I feel as though I’m living in a Henri Rousseau painting. Any minute now, a tiger will walk out of the very plush green woods.. My niece just finished her undergraduate degree and was sent on the “Grand Tour” for the summer. Awfully hard not to be just a bit envious as I’m on double-duty at work this summer (no days off in the foreseeable future, although it is for a very, very good cause). I am taking tomorrow morning to check out an estate sale of miniatures. Always fun to look for treasure! Have you seen the UK series “River” on Netflix with Stellan Skarsgard and Nicola Walker? I always enjoy watching a series/movie with a twist that you didn’t see coming.
We have, too. Although, rather suddenly, the previous two weeks were very dry. Now, a lot of rain again. It’s a strange summer.
Yes, we’ve seen River – watched a year or so ago. It’s simply wonderful. I’m a fan of both actors and you’re right, there is a neat twist!
You sure have beautiful butterflies in your neighborhood. Enjoy yoour book. I just read a book containing 652 pages “Wives and Daughters” by Elizabeth Gaskell. I read “Gone With the Wind” too.
Marilyn
I guess we should tackle a big, big book every now and then, Marilyn!
Excited about the new Connolley (can’t spell…giving up on it). That’s a lot of pages and I’m very eager to get deep into something. A woman at our Barnes and Noble (all the independent bookstores that used to be around here and in Hartford are alas history but this BN does a good job) told me about a short, uplifting read, newly out in paperback called The Storied Life of >>> (some name like J. Alfred Prufrock). A man on an island loses his wife and opens a bookstore. She said it’s not like all the bookstore books that have flooded the market lately. I like that description. I’ve grown tired of my murder mysteries (maybe influenced by the depressing world events) and true crime (ditto), and am seeking novels that aren’t too light and aren’t too heavy but are well written. It’s not an easy niche so far. LOL. I envy your milkweed and monarchs! Even tho we have lots of woods around here we seldom see the monarchs anymore. Or any butterflies for that matter. We don’t see our chunky chipmunks or agitated squirrels as much either or our birds. Part of it may be our new predators–coyotes and foxes and believe it or not a young bobcat. The other day tho I was enthralled by the stroll-by of three gorgeous 2-3 year old bucks with such lush antlers and graceful carriage. A doe had twins here a few years ago and I’m convinced the two with similar sized antlers are those buys. Where the bigger guy with the heavier ornamentation came from I don’t know. But what a magical trio! The coyote trots past now and then very large and in charge attitude and seems way too familiar with our forest. I love them, altho I know they are dangerous. Hearing them call in the night sends zings thru my blood, like hearing wolves but somehow the yips are like a gang and the wolves are like a chorus. Earlier this summer I kept hearing a “strange bird” calling outside our side door in the early evenings–the song was sort of short and trailed away and then moved away. I think now it might have been the fox looking for a Mrs. or vice versa. Not really familiar with their vocals. At any rate the day Lillies are glowing this year, all of them an indescribable orange, the Mt. Laurel came and went too quickly, the spring wood violets lasted the longest ever, the ferns are thick, and against one of the tree trunks along our driveway is impressive architecture of some saucer-like fungus–houses that would be at home in a condo development on Mars. Since we don’t garden except for a begonia or two in a pot on the stoop, what Mother Nature provides us is always a surprise. Thanks for reminding me of the the earth’s free treasures and pleasures. I continue to have terrible troubles with what’s going on in our country, deep, desolation and my depression meds failing me. I’ve even tried CBD oil which was a miracle for my moods for about 3-4 weeks, but now is not helping. Your posts remind me of butterflies and flowers and porch swings and coffee in a relatively cool place on scorching mornings and small patches of peace. Thank you so much Claudia and Don for sharing the beautiful souls you have. XOXO
I am mildly depressed much of the time now. All of it due to what is happening in this country. I understand, Nora.
By the way, you write beautifully! Thank you for sharing your beautiful words with us. xo
I do go on and on! You’re sweet about it and thank you for the kind words. I don’t think you’re usually a depressed person, so the fact of being mildly depressed much of the time must feel pretty bad. It is a struggle to keep our heads above the waters. But you make a good effort which encourages a lot of us. Thank you!! A friend and I went to a Victorian Parlor Magic Show last night at a lovely venue near us called Storyteller’s Cottage. You might enjoy checking out their FB. They host writing workshops, author talks, dinner soirées based on books, and have themed rooms for games. The magician was incredible, a teacher at the famous magic school in Las Vegas, living right here in our little area. It was like finding another treasure. The women all wore delightful Victorian gowns a la Downtown Abbey. A very cheerful and magical (terrible pun) time. His message while he did his magic was centered around difficult world events and finding the magic in life despite them. Very cool.
xoxo