The humidity has broken and this morning is beautifully cool. We had a huge thunderstorm yesterday which went on for a long time; torrential rain, thunder, lightning, black skies. It was rather spectacular. I’m always, this particular summer, grateful for rain. We need it so.
I saw this little monarch the other day. Quickly spotting the first zinnia to open, he zeroed in for a landing.
Every time I see a monarch butterfly, I am heartened. Our milkweed is invaluable as it is the one and only habitat for monarchs. That’s why I let it self-seed wherever it wants to.
That little moth I showed you yesterday is called a Rosy Maple Moth. As it was on lavender that was right next to the maple tree, it all makes sense.
The purple (and white) coneflowers are fully open. More than almost any other flower here, I think that coneflowers are the perfect cottage garden flower. They’re sturdy and self-seeding, they last a long time, and they’re beautiful.
Me taking a picture of Don taking a picture of me. That camera is heavy!
More Holga photos:
A young woman sitting on a stoop in the Village.
A lost sneaker.
We’re having brunch at a local restaurant with Rick and Doug today. I haven’t seen them in ages. We love them and look forward to catching up and to certain laughter. We always laugh a lot when we’re together.
You surely know, by the way, without me writing in detail, my thoughts on the word “treason” and its application to the man who occupies the Oval Office. Enough said.
Happy Wednesday.
are there any elected officials talking about impeachment? sure should be, in my opinion.
wonderful photos, as always. yesterday’s pink-and-cream butterfly was new to me and so beautiful. thanks for sharing!
glad you had some more rain. it’s forecast to fall when i am at work and can’t enjoy listening to and watching it, but i will be grateful if we get some more rain as we need it, too.
enjoy time with friends, the cameras, each other …!
kathy in iowa
We will. Thank you, Kathy!
We have had so much rain this summer but it’s been hot and humid so not much outdoor activity for me. I need to find a cool late afternoon and clean up around the front yard area. Some old pots and things have been left out and it’s looking messy! Enjoy your visit with friends as I think we all need some laughter in our lives right now. Hugs!
We sure do. Don makes me laugh, but we’re both tired! So seeing Rick and Doug again gave us a boost!
Once again your talent for photography shines. Thanks for the beautiful pictures. But may I take the rare opportunity to use my degree in horticulture to offer a correction about milkweed and monarch butterflies? Adult monarchs lay their eggs in milkweed. Milkweed is the only source for the larval (caterpillar) stage of monarchs. Mature monarchs, like all butterflies, feed on nectar from a variety of plants, including milkweed.
Your blog is such a nice break in my day. And I’m so sorry about your husband’s show closing. We need more Margaritavilles, given the dystopia we’re all living in now.
I know that about milkweed. I was talking about laying their eggs in the milkweed. I know they can feed anywhere – probably didn’t articulate that well enough!
Thanks, Maizie.
Love your NYC pictures, quite poetic. And that picture of Don with is camera brings back such wonderful memories for me. Definitely not the camera you’d want to haul around on vacation though. We have milkweed in the front of the house and I have to scold my husband for pulling it out. But the monarchs still manage to make it around the back to the garden so I can photograph them. There were many years not so long ago when entire summers would go by without a sighting. So glad they are making a comeback!
They are indeed! Thank goodness!
Isn’t it lovely when you “know” someone well enough to know their thoughts on certain subjects without their even having to speak out loud? Thank you for thinking of us.
Thank you for being here, Eileen.
Love that pic of Don….he looks so intense. Your thoughts really don’t need much explaining….mine don’t either. I’m counting on Mueller, or any other sane person, to end this insanity for us.
Weather nice here today…weed picking on my docket. I would much rather be having lunch with friends. Enjoy the laughter! ;)
I am, too. I’m waiting for more indictments. Pretty please!
hope you had a wonderful brunch!
it’s cloudy here. it’s still in the 100’s with high humidity . . . but there are CLOUDS!
so with the A/C on one can almost pretend it’s not life threatening out there! XOXO
Yay for clouds!
Enjoy. Runch and catching up! I know you love good conversation. I returned to lots of Lavender flowers and consequently, lots of bees have been so busy in my garden! I loath cutting the Lavender for myself, since I know the bees love and need it so much.
Haha, Where did those first words come from?, “Enjoy brunch…”
xo
I never cut it for me. I leave it for the bees!
I think it’s great that you can laugh a lot with your good friends. I just read an article last night about laughter truly being the best medicine – – to get off the phone and instead just laugh face to face with people, in good company and conversation, not just looking at puppy videos on the internet. I didn’t note the sources but it said, “Children laugh about 300 times a day, whereas adults laugh, on average, only about five times each day. The more we laugh, the better our perspective. Problems also seem to shrink, bringing an increased sense of energy. Laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, boosts immune function, triggers the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers) and produces a general sense of wellbeing.” Laughter is healing.
Thanks, Vicki.
Hope you had a wonderful brunch and much laughter. So sad that the moments of laughter seem to be fleeting as of late.
I can’t. There aren’t words I can find to express my embarrassment and heartbreak that he and his horrid cronies have brought upon our country. It might be a big joke to them, but I can hardly catch my breath. Disgrace.
Neither can I, Chris.
Hi Claudia, and Friends, those Cone flowers are Absolutely, Outrageous! Everything about them makes them a most Appropriate Most Beautiful Cottage Flower ever!!
I personally can’t believe that a single person is still in support of our current President!
Did you hear that Unbelievable ,excuse he made up!
I guess if we the Country lets him get away with that 4 year old nonsense, he will just keep doing it.
We are in a very Sad, Pitiful, place my friends. God Help us. Judy A-
We sure are, Judy. I know he and his fellow corrupt traitors will be brought to justice, but in the meantime, we have to deal with his insanity on a daily basis.
Beautiful pictures of your flowers and the Monarch.
And yes. Treason.
Thank you, Tana.
I’m going to reply so that you receive a notification that I replied, but I no longer allow any of this kind of thing on my blog. If you support him, you support a traitor. And if you try to vilify Obama with nonsense that has been proven false over and over again? Sorry. It’s not going to happen in this space, which is mine and which I monitor.
Also your IP address is from Canada. Hmmm. And you’re preaching to me about ‘real Americans?’ Don’t waste my time.
I will leave this up long enough for you to get my response and then I’m deleting your comment.
OMG…Can you imagine such ignorance Claudia!…What will it take to wake these people up?
I have no idea. They watch Fox news, read alt-right websites and think that is the whole story. It’s willful ignorance and my days of tolerating it are GONE. There is no excuse for it. She’s writing from a Canadian address, so I think she’s trolling. Nevertheless, the comment will soon be deleted.
Such a pretty name for such a pretty moth!
I know! I just loved seeing that moth!
Those cone flowers are lovely. The Monarch is a thing of beauty.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn!
Don’s camera is a thing of beauty and very impressive looking though I wouldn’t want to have to lug it around. Still, he will have great fun exploring all of its possibilities.
I enjoy seeing your flower photos; I spent quite a while this morning myself photographing my flowers after the rain. In my latest post, “After the Rain,” I shared a few of my favorites. Here is the link if you would like to take a look. http://apositiveoutlook-janice.blogspot.com
Thank you, Janice!