butterfly — Page 13

The Defiant Ones

October 10, 2015 at 9:43 am by Claudia

Throughout the garden there are signs of the inevitable decline that comes at this time of year. Flowers have stopped blooming; in many cases, there are dried up stems where once there were beautiful, green plants. I’ve been looking at all of it through the camera’s lens for the past couple of days.

There are, hidden among the fallen leaves and debris, a few defiant ones – flowers that still bloom despite the disarray around them.

All of the purple coneflowers look like this:

10-10 dried up coneflowers

But, almost hidden away in the side garden, I saw this:

10-10 coneflower

The last man standing. So beautiful.

10-10 brown-eyed susans

A few defiant brown-eyed susans.

10-10 rose

The last of the roses.

10-10 butterfly bush

A bloom hidden deep within the butterfly bush.

10-10 catmint

There are some catmint flowers here and there.

10-10 spirea

The spirea is giving us one last burst of flowers.

10-10 phlox

And the phlox isn’t giving up without a fight.

My goodness, there is such a beauty in this decline, these flashes of color amid the fading greens and browns of the Autumn garden. It’s easy to focus on what was, instead of what is. And what is, is completely gorgeous in its own right.

Oh, I saw a Monarch Butterfly the other day! I didn’t have my camera and it was flying quickly around the property. It was gorgeous. Sadly, I don’t see them much anymore, so when I do, I stop and watch it until it fades out of sight.

Today is another beautiful, sunny fall day. I’m lapping all of this up. Tomorrow, I head into the city again to watch a run-through of the show.

I stopped by the library the other day.

10-10 library haul

I’m pretty sure the Sue Grafton books I’ve missed reading are S through V. Fortunately, my little local library had them on the shelf. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Ace Atkins but have yet to read any of his books. This one was on display, so I grabbed it. I had been in the queue for All the Light We Cannot See and it finally came in.

Just as it did when I was a little girl going to the bookmobile every week, a stack of library books makes me very, very happy.

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

The Garden, A Butterfly & Some Top Secret Work

August 7, 2015 at 8:18 am by Claudia

I’m fast approaching that time in the late summer garden when I stop caring quite so much. As the month turns to August and the light changes ever subtly and parts of the garden are starting to look a wee bit tired, I pull back from the whole thing. Self-protection? Just plain tired of pulling weeds? Probably a little of both. I did yank some weeds the other day for all of two minutes, but that was it.

I still check for daily changes. I await more morning glories. I snap photos. I water the pots and the chicken wire fence garden. But I don’t do a whole lot of cleaning up. Too much energy that I simply cannot summon up. I liken it to pulling away in a relationship; you know it’s going to go south, and your instincts kick in as you create some distance between you and the object of your adoration.

I let many of the plants go to seed, and nothing is cut back or pruned. The birds need those plants, for seeds and shelter. I’ll cut them back next spring.

8-7 hens and chicks

I did summon up the energy to repot the hens and chicks that are on the Funky Patio. They were overgrowing their original container. They needed more space.

This one will come indoors with me for the winter.

8-7 swallowtail

This black swallowtail was enamored of the geraniums, but his wings were fluttering so quickly that it was hard to get a picture. This is the best of the bunch. I love these beauties. At one point yesterday, there was an Eastern Swallowtail and a Black Swallowtail circling each other, swooping, soaring, and (I suspect) competing for the tastiest blossoms.

Don: Don’t Read Any Further!

I grabbed some time yesterday to paint and install two more windows in the Top Secret Project.

8-7 project window 2

These windows also open and can swing in or out.

8-7 project red

This will give you a hint as to the color I’m going to use on the outside walls. Yes, it’s reminiscent of our real-life shed. It was Don’s idea to paint the shed red, so his studio is going to be in the same color range.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

I’d Rather Read than Pin

September 2, 2014 at 8:30 am by Claudia

As I was walking through the kitchen yesterday, I spied a butterfly in the Chicken Wire Fence Garden.

Me: Oh, there’s a big butterfly in the garden!

Don: (silence)

Me: Do I dare try to get a photo? It will probably be gone by the time I get out there.

Don: I wouldn’t bother.

Me: (ignoring him, because I wasn’t really asking his advice) I’m going anyway.

These kinds of conversations go on all the time here.

It was hot and humid and sunny. And the butterfly stayed long enough for me to get a few pics.

And now for the gist of this post:

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d rather read than pin.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been on Pinterest. It simply hasn’t been on my radar. Oh, I know that Pinterest can bring a lot of visitors to a site and that means more ad income. A lot of bloggers strategically pin images (and also pin for pleasure, of course) that will hopefully go a bit viral. I get a fair amount of visitors from Pinterest and I’m grateful. I’m also flattered and grateful when others pin images from this blog. Perhaps I could get more income by strategically pinning. It’s one of those “I know I should, but I just can’t bring myself to do it” situations.

When I’m working on the dollhouse, I’ll usually end up pinning some images and tutorials. I know my sister loves it for crochet and knitting patterns. I totally get why so many people love it. The truth? I don’t go back and ‘visit’ my boards very often. Once pinned, usually forgotten.

I just can’t seem to get excited about it. I am bombarded with images (especially decorating photos) on a daily basis, simply by visiting other blogs. And let’s face it, both on blogs and on Pinterest, there is often a sameness to the designs and color choices, so it’s very rare that I see something startling and unusual enough to want to pin or repin it. More often than not, the images/designs are variations on the same theme.

Heck, I’ve had a copy of Flea Market Style sitting on the coffee table for a week now. I bought this particular copy on Tuesday in NYC. I’m sure it’s full of beautiful photos and great ideas for repurposing.

Have I cracked it open? No.

I am sadly lacking in the Pinterest gene.

Is it simply a matter of Decorating Photo Fatigue? Or, just plain Photo Fatigue? Probably a little of both. I just don’t want to spend hours on Pinterest. Or even an hour. I have no desire to be a Pinning Pro.

But I know lots of you spend time on Pinterest and love every minute of it. It provides lots of good tips, ideas, and inspiration. It’s like an uber-magazine.

So, I have a feeling I’m the exception here. The oddball. That’s okay. I’ve certainly been in that position before and most likely will be again.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “What are we going to do with her?”

Sigh.

My name is Claudia and I’d rather read a good book than pin.

(New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.)

Happy Monday.

The Defiant Ones

The Garden, A Butterfly & Some Top Secret Work

I’d Rather Read than Pin

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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