flowers — Page 134

Wednesday Morning

August 8, 2018 at 8:41 am by Claudia

I’m feeling a bit under the weather with all this humidity. Since I’m allergic to molds and mildew, an extended period of high humidity takes its toll.

I’m over it.

I did manage to get out yesterday to water the plants and take some pictures. Then it was back inside with the air conditioning. And Don and I moved our morning coffee location to the front porch to avoid the mosquitoes in the Secret Garden.

A couple of monarchs have been gracing us with their presence. I think they’ve recently emerged from the milkweed. They flit, they fly, they land on things and move on as if they’re just discovering this world. It’s lovely to watch. There is something about them that is magical. And to know that the milkweed that I let grow wherever it wants to on this property is part of the reason for their existence makes me very happy.

This monarch kept flying back to the milkweed and I had to contort my body to get a picture of him in there. But it was worth it.

Then, late yesterday afternoon as I was standing on the porch, a monarch landed on my hanging lantana plant. I happened to have my camera with me.

I’ve seen a lot of monarchs this year, which is very, very encouraging.

And bees, of course.

As I looked out the kitchen door yesterday, this greeted me. So I ran for my camera.

I didn’t want to wait as I knew the heat would force them to close up in the afternoon.

Morning glories make me smile.

We’re having brunch with Doug today. Rick is out of town.

And then I’m retreating to the air conditioned cottage!

Happy Wednesday.

Frogs, Moths, Flowers, Mowing and Zelig

August 6, 2018 at 9:37 am by Claudia

I won’t tell you exactly how much I mowed yesterday. But it was a lot. I knew rain was supposed to come on Tuesday and I also knew how hot and humid the rest of Sunday would be. (Heat Warnings – also for today and tomorrow.) Don was off scouting locations for his polaroid photography, so he wasn’t here to yell at me to “Come in!”

It’s been so wet from all the rain, but even more, it’s so humid that the grass never gets dry. That means the lawnmower gets clogged with wet grass, which means I have to stop and clear it out approximately 1000 times, so the process was longer than expected. I also took several breaks. But I started early.

Then I weed whacked.

I know. Maybe too much, but a big part of me is happy that I can do all of that in hot and humid weather, that I can push mow most of the property in one session, that I can outwork my neighbor, who is 20 years younger than me, has far less lawn, and is on his rider lawnmower while I’m walking and pushing and getting it done.

Strong women unite!

This adorable little guy was hopping away from the path of the lawnmower. Of course, I stopped to make sure he was safe and took a picture of him.

Flowers:

As if lit by a spotlight.

Don was scouting a location nearby, which is an old railway trestle bridge that spans the Hudson. It’s called The Walkway Over the Hudson. (I shared a walk we took there on the blog a couple of years ago.) Anyway, while he was there, the camera attracted all sorts of attention as it always does and he ended up speaking to, and taking a picture of, a young couple visiting our neck of the woods from London. Questions about the camera ensued and Don told them he was studying with a guy and that they should google his name – Louis Mendes.

They responded with “Oh, we know him! We just met him the other day at the train station!”

What are the odds that this young couple would be visiting and have already met Louis?

I told Don that Louis is the “Zelig” of modern day Manhattan.

Don’s going into the city today to have a session with Louis. I was going to go with him but I do not cope well with this heat, and the thought of being in the city and trying to avoid it is not pleasant. And I don’t have to be there for anything specific. So I’m staying here, running some errands, and waiting for a package to be delivered. I’ll share the contents with you tomorrow.

Happy Monday.

Good for the Soul

August 5, 2018 at 9:53 am by Claudia

It was foggy this morning and I love a foggy morning. It was also not raining. I opened the front door and could hear birdsong. It wasn’t the sound of many, many birds like one hears in the spring, but one or two birds with the most glorious calls. I went outside, sat on the glider and just listened. The calls were loud and very musical and, since it was foggy, the cicadas hadn’t started up yet, so I could simply sit and listen.

Eventually, I went inside for my camera because it was so beautiful out there that I couldn’t resist.

I felt calmer and more at peace than I have in a while. It’s amazing and wondrous what fog and birdsong and the beauty of the landscape can do for one’s soul.

The light just beginning to hit the maple tree.

Pokeweed, which has self-seeded in front of the house. I don’t want it there next year, but I couldn’t pull it now. The birds love those berries.

I heard the honking of Canada Geese and got this picture of them flying through the fog.

I saw a little bird fly onto a maple branch so I got up and moved closer. He, too, was singing a beautiful song, a song that seemed too powerful to come from that little body.

I managed to get this photo:

I love seeing that tiny bird in the midst of all the leaves and the lichen-covered branches, with the fog in the background. I was real happy with this shot.

A good way to start the day. To add to that, we were able to sit in the secret garden and have our second cup of coffee. We haven’t been able to do that for a while. Eventually, we had to come in as the mosquitoes are plentiful this year due to all the rain.

Today, I must mow. It’s supposed to get very, very hot this afternoon, so I’ll have to get to it this morning. And tomorrow morning. Because it’s going to rain again on Tuesday. Remember me saying that the rivers were alarmingly low? They’re full to the brim now. We can hear the rush of water from our front porch.

That’s a good thing.

Happy Sunday.

Wednesday Morning

Frogs, Moths, Flowers, Mowing and Zelig

Good for the Soul

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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