I was out watering yesterday morning – high of 91, heat advisory – and I approached the birdbath. I was going to empty it and fill it with fresh water. As I walked to the birdbath, I startled a monarch butterfly who had been on the ground. I watched it fly to the ground by my car. I quickly realized it was a newly transformed baby, just emerged from the chrysalis. He (identified by the dots on his wings) was opening and shutting his wings in order to dry them.
Then he flew to my tire, where he remained for a couple of hours.
It’s all in the timing. If I hadn’t been out there at that time, I would have missed it. One of the caterpillars I showed you a couple of weeks ago is now a butterfly! I wish I knew where the other chrysalises are. Interesting that he was beneath the birdbath, where the chrysalis of a couple of years ago was hanging. I’d already checked the birdbath and there was no chrysalis there this time, so he came from someplace else.
A beautiful little moment in a sea of hot, dry, drought-ridden days.
This dress arrived in yesterday’s mail. A beautiful creation from The Pumpkin Belle, aka Helen, who is a dressmaker in England. I’ve always wanted one of her creations. She uses silks and she hand dyes and ages the fabric. So gorgeous!
Holly won the toss and I must say she looks beautiful. (There was some jealousy amongst the girls, but I assured them that each girl would have her turn.)
I have to coach two people today. I was so tired after the trip that I used up any energy I had coaching and promptly turned into a vegetable afterward. I find I need a day to recover, so I’m scheduling next Tuesday as the recovery day after the next round of driving.
We’re so sick of this heat. Yesterday was particularly humid and unbearable. Today will be the same and then I think we drop to the low eighties on Wednesday. Sigh.
Stay safe.
Happy Tuesday.
glad you had that beautiful little moment, but not that sea of hot, dry, drought-ridden days … lovely monarch in a lovely photo (i love the contrast between such a brightly-colored-and-strong-yet-fragile butterfly and the dark ruggedness of a tire). hope you get cooler weather and rain soon!
your plan to take a day to recover (after next weekend’s long work schedule) sounds good. think i need to follow suit … after retiring almost four months ago, i have struggled to find a balance between productivity and relaxation. there are things going on for/against my family, i am still dealing with fallout and the board from how i was treated at my last “career” job and there’s so much i have to do and want to do.
and i’m finding it takes me longer to do things … and to bounce back from some of those things. bleh.
good luck (prayers, really) to you all with your own to-do lists and weather, woes. hopefully you don’t have woes.
xo,
kathy
Same here. Much longer to bounce back, Kathy.
Stay safe.
Timing is everything, isn’t it? And yours was spot on, perfect! I’m sure glad you hadn’t hopped in the car while Baby Monarch was resting there!
We had big storms yesterday — I hope they come your way.
We’re getting storms tonight. Or so they say. It looks awfully dark out there right now but I’ll believe it when I see it.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Holly is so fancy!
Yes, the heat; the U.S. is enveloped in heat and too much drought. I absolutely DREAD the next days and holiday weekend, the heat here really starts to ramp up big-time by tomorrow; Los Angeles will be over 100 degrees on Labor Day weekend. The SoCalif ‘Inland Empire’ (Riverside, Indio, San Bernardino) will have days on end which go up to 106. I’m quite a bit north of those areas but the weather service is anticipating my coastal locale will be in excessive heat warning from at least Aug 31 thru September 5-6 (and stay tuned). Seven days and more in not heat watch, but heat warning. And we have to help the grid from 4pm to 9pm by using the least amount of electricity possible when I’m gonna want to instead crank up the a/c.
Gotta be out in the hot end-of-August days, to get the dog thru a medical procedure today (nothing drastic for him, thankfully); then five errands earliest in the day tomorrow; but, after that, staying in, staying safe from the heat, trying to keep cool and not deplete our bodies’ energy reserves. My husband mowed the lawn last evening and we’ll try to soak what we can (plants and other landscaping) today (within reason although we’re not formally water-restricted yet in the drought; frankly, I don’t know why, but it doesn’t mean we have carte blanche to use water unwisely; you oughta see our vehicles which are absolutely filthy because of not washing them in order to conserve the water [I’d justify a professional car wash, those drive-thru kind, but my husband thinks our cars are too old for that kind of vigorous/mechanical washing {old exterior paint is I guess part of what he worries over}; those car washes recycle the water here; and, gosh, the lines are so long at the carwash because of people all doing the same thing and trying not to waste the water at home]).
Hope the coaching goes well today. Rest up.
Wow. I just read the complete weather report. Inland Empire with yesterday’s TV news saying 106 degrees? Shoot, in my region (our town is actually named in the report), the expectation is for temps to go as high as 112(!!); seriously? Won’t be my SoCalif town (I hope); rather, in areas like 40 miles away. People will flock to the beaches, but the forecast I saw yesterday said the beaches would be in the mid-to-high 80s which is quite unusual (seems so anyway) for the Pacific shore here. Oh well; just have to get thru it, and I’m so grateful I have the choice and privilege to stay indoors out of the heat! I have several neighbors in these old tract houses we live in, here in the old subdivision, who do not have central air conditioning; how will they stand it? (I find it worrisome!)
I had meant to add that I’m so glad you spotted the baby monarch; what a treat!
xo
We don’t have central air conditioning. We use window a/c units. Maybe they do? We did the same thing when we lived in San Diego.
xo
I haven’t washed my car in ages. I know I should, but it’s never a priority.
Stay safe, Vicki.
We always plan for a day of rest after excursions of at least two days. We laugh about it, but it’s true….we need that. Just like the fact that I can no longer multitask like I did in the past. I do miss that.
You caught a beautiful moment with the Monarch. And I agree with Kathy…the contrast on the tire is striking.
That’s quite the dress…Holly is already for a party! Enjoy your day! ;)
I missing a lot of things. The fact is, we just can’t do everything at the intensity we used to. We have to plan breaks. Depressing, but true.
Stay safe.
A brand new Monarch! How majestic…and we need many more of them!
We’re expecting hotter temperatures here through about the middle of next week…not something I’m looking forward to!
Rest up!
I’m so over this summer. I’ll be glad to see it go.
Stay safe, Barrie.
Hope your coaching goes well. I spark daily in person or FaceTime before or after school with two little grandsons. Tonight weekly session with a little boy on East Coast…Thursday’s with youngest granddaughter Facetime…she is a senior and home schooled like her sisters were…don’t guess I will ever quit…I am lucky here with heat as we have a breeze almost every day from the ocean…makes it nice…and a little shower almost daily too…
Thanks, Brenda.
Stay safe.
I’ve never seen a new born butterfly! What a moment. Your girl is beautiful in a dress that is a work of art.
Thank you, Nora!
Stay safe.
Yes I agree this heat and humidity is awful. You would think it would be cool here by the ocean , but it is not. I will have to remember this because the Farmer’s Almanac said for our region of the country will be very snowy and cold tbis winter. We need a new oil tank because ours is over 30 years old. The oil service company came out and it will be $3,800,00. Yikes but what can you do? Just keep moving on try to save where we can.
good luck with that oil tank, linda. i hope the end result is a great new oil tank installed at a much lower cost, that the estimate was on the high side and wrong.
take care and stay safe!
kathy
Sorry about the oil tank, Linda!
And sorry you’re having to deal with this heat/humidity, as well.
Stay safe.