butterfly — Page 14

Weekend Thoughts

August 24, 2014 at 8:25 am by Claudia

The weekend so far has been nicely slow, an unhurried pace of a weekend that suits me fine.

I talked Don into making his Vegan Blueberry Pancakes yesterday morning. Need I say more?

We went to the grocery store and to our little library where a copy of The Heist by Daniel Silva was waiting for me. I had been in a long queue for this book so I was surprised and happy that it was now available. Since I had barely started The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olson (which is on my Kindle) I made a U-turn and started The Heist. I also checked out two other books which I will probably talk about on Just Let Me Finish This Page. Two books written by writers about their love of reading – I love books about books, if you know what I mean.

I watered all the potted plants and The Chicken Wire Fence Garden. I read. I did a NY Times crossword puzzle (a tough one, I modestly say.) I scrubbed the bathtub. We watched Marty on TCM.

Today? More of the same. Reading, writing, a little cleaning.

Work will soon begin on Hamlet, the show I’m coaching next, but I think I’ll wait until next week.

Currently blooming all over the property:

yellow beauty

Beautiful Goldenrod. It’s right alongside some Purple Loosestrife and the combination of the yellow and purple is gorgeous. (I’m not worried about the Purple Loosestrife, it isn’t invasive here. It just blooms in the wetter parts of the property and it’s beautiful.)

I was watering plants on the porch and I saw this beauty on the Butterfly Bush.

giantswallowtail 1

Yes, it’s blurry, sorry, as the butterfly was moving its wings very quickly. The butterfly was very large in size, so I did some research. It’s the Giant Swallowtail. I had to crop this photo down from one I took from a distance. Right after I took this, I cautiously walked around the porch to the bush and got this view:

giantswallowtail 2

Stunningly beautiful. Nature is stupendously wondrous and amazing.

I don’t understand why anyone would ever capture a butterfly. They should be magical and elusive and free. I should try to take a photo and be frustrated because the butterfly moves and flits and then disappears. That’s the way it should be. Those moments, those seconds in time, where the butterfly appears and then soars into the air and over the trees, those moments make me smile.

Today is my last day on the antibiotics. Tomorrow? I can have coffee with half and half first thing in the morning. Cannot wait. And we can start hiking again this week – no more worries about the sun.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Winged Critters

August 22, 2014 at 8:56 am by Claudia

Pictures today.

Scout’s under the weather, I’m tired (just 3 more days of antibiotics,) it’s cloudy and sort of rainy outside. Not rainy enough, however – we really need a couple of days of non-stop rain.

I’m going to retreat and read today. I need to lose myself in the pages of a book.

thurs - frittilary

A Great Spangled Frittilary. She was moving rather quickly, so this is the only shot I have.

thurs - hum moth

Hummingbird Moth in action. Those wings move awfully fast.

beetle on butterfly bush

Ah. The dreaded beetle. On my butterfly bush.

The fact is that Scout is hanging in there, but declining, and it’s hard for me to watch and I get very worried. I don’t talk about it very much because she is so deeply embedded in my heart that I simply can’t. I can’t go there. I have to take her with me to Hartford in September and that also worries me.

Send some healing prayers our way, okay?

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

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Elusive Butterfly

August 15, 2014 at 8:09 am by Claudia

I date myself by using this post title. Does anyone else remember that song, sung by Bob Lind (I had to look it up) and released in 1966? I wasn’t a big fan, but I do remember it clearly.

Anyway, during the past few days, I’ve been looking for elusive butterflies around the property. You remember the huge Eastern Tiger Swallowtail that I sort of missed out on because I had Scout on the leash and no camera? Yesterday, I saw two Swallowtails.

swallowtail black

The swallowtail in black – his wings were fluttering so quickly that I could only grab a quick shot. You can see the amazing colors near the bottom of his wings. One of the wings was torn, but it didn’t seem to be slowing him down.

swallowtail full

This one, on the other hand, stayed still long enough for me to click the shutter on the camera. Isn’t she beautiful? She’s not the same one I saw the other day. That swallowtail had blue markings at the bottom of her wings. This one looks to have a little wing damage on the right.

swallowtail two

It must be this elusiveness, coupled with sheer beauty, that makes butterflies so fascinating. Flitting here, there, and then, before you can snap your fingers, soaring above the bushes and the trees and…gone.

I can’t tell you how many times this week that I’ve seen one and run into the house for the camera. Even Don is trained. He was coming out the door to go to the car yesterday. I was trying to snap these pictures. I held up one hand and he froze in place until I was done.

If only Scout minded so well.

And how about this guy?

W - green critter

He was on the outside of the bathroom window. He was rather long – about 3 or 4 inches – and he hung out there for quite a long time.

Amazing.

I’m off to the Apple Store to have the Genius Bar take a look at my computer. I’m pretty sure I know what’s wrong. I only hope it doesn’t cost too much! Have to have my laptop or this blog won’t get written. Cross your fingers for me. I’m hoping I can hang out while they fix it and that I don’t have to leave it overnight.

Forgot to add: new post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Weekend Thoughts

Winged Critters

Elusive Butterfly

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Archives