misc pictures

I have a lot of pictures piling up to share but instead of diddling around on the computer when I wasn't working, I've been spending my time outdoors diddling around in the yard. I had another day of diddling in the yard planned for today but it's raining, and very welcome, so instead I guess I'll diddle around on the computer.

Speaking of computers, someone needs to coin a better term for these devices because I rarely do any computing on mine. I use my calculator for that. It's really a communication device. We write on it, email correspondence, share our views and express our opinions of the world through blogs and social media, find images, do research or, as I like to call it, consult the All-Knowing Oracle. But compute? Nah.

a row of birds in silhouette above the etched shower and toilet stalls

You might have noticed that I used the past tense when referring to my income producing work. We did finally finish the last of the commissions last week that had piled up starting from the end of last July. Whew! We are both a little burned out. There are a few things still in the works, one small job that we will probably be doing sooner rather than later and two other proposals still hanging out there.

I'm hesitant to be too happy or wish too hard for a break as we must be careful what we wish for because, as we all know, gods and genies love to fuck with our heads, but I am looking forward to not having to go into the city every week for a while. And the week long grandkid visits start soon. I can't believe it's already that time again. Seems like they were just here. Well, they were just here but only for the long weekend.

So here's a few bits and pieces of the past several weeks, not in any sort of chronological order.

The big pecan by the corner of the shop dropped another big limb while we were in the city last week. This is what we came home to. The trunk end of that limb was at least 8” in diameter. That's the second one off this tree in a week's time.

This might be why. Girdling is not good for women or trees.

We also discovered that the birds had gotten to our first tomatoes that ripened while we were gone.

Yesterday was market day in this little town. I got a bag of (wormy non-GMO) corn to put up so I sat down to shuck it all and blanch it and get it in the freezer. One of the ears didn't get pollinated except for a few kernels.

Each strand of silk is attached to a future kernel. If that strand doesn't get pollinated, no kernel develops.

This guy was hauling ass. It looked just like a stick humping it's way across the bare ground. By the time I got back with my camera, he was in the grass so I relocated him for the photo shoot. It was doing it's 'see how scary I am' defense dance, thrashing it's head back and forth trying to get that big thing hovering over it to move along. I have no idea what it will become as I couldn't find it in my caterpillar book.

The spring blues, pinks, and purples are all going to seed and the 13 Acre Field is yellow and white with cone flowers and horsemint.

The altheas have started blooming.

A soft and pastel sunset.

Just hatched stink bugs on a green dewberry. This photo snapped right before I doused them with insecticidal soap. Not very crisp, I know, but I can't very well run out and take another.

Most of my efforts in the yard this spring have been in and around the Little Back Yard,

although I have worked some on this end of the long bed behind the shop.

I have more pictures but this is enough for now.