Sunday, June 2, 2013

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.




11 comments:

  1. it is true - seems like just a couple of months ago, you had your grands visiting for their weeks. wow, that year went fast...

    really like the etched birds! and, yes, i hope your break doesn't last too long.

    that caterpillar is so cool! like a piece of a rag!

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  2. Ooh pretty flowers! And interesting dishrag bugs!

    My dad says the stinkbugs are a menace this year. Haven't seen any in Ohio (I'm knocking on wood here).

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  3. fabulous photos- all of them delicious eye candy for me! LOVE the caterpillar that looks like fabric. and the baby stink bugs and all the rest- You live in a very lively place! I can hear the buzz and munch!

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  4. Beautiful pictures, darling. We have pecan trees too and they do like to drop their heavy limbs. Damn birds eating your tomatoes. Humans are definitely not the only creatures who love tomatoes.

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  5. That caterpillar looked like a snake that had shed his skin . . . very strange. I was looking in the grass below for a snake. Thanks for the sweet comment that you left on my blog . . . Texas is a long way to drive to go sail, but if you lived closer, we would have loved to invite you, :)
    Have a lovely day,
    Your blogging sister, Connie :)

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  6. Love fields of wildflowers and love your big rosemary plant. I never knew that corn silk had to be pollinated. Learn something every day.

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  7. I'm hoping someone identifies the caterpillar. It looks as if appropriated the ragged old lace curtain from the front window of an abandoned shanty.

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  8. I enjoyed seeing your varied photos. That caterpillar looks like he was dressed very casually. And I've never seen corn like that. Be sure not to walk under your pecan tree if it's being that temperamental.

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  9. Interesting photos! I love seeing your yard and all your plants. I especially love the shot of the coneflowers in the field.

    What is an althea? I would have called that flower a hibiscus.

    As for computing, that's a good point! I suppose that's how the Internet transformed computers. What were isolated devices for literally "computing" turned into science-fiction-style communicators!

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  10. That caterpillar is scary...and we all know he will eat and eat and eat! Yuck!
    Nice pics...love the fields of flowers.
    Mine is sparse right now..due to extreme drought! Sigh
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  11. I love these.

    Aww ... baby stink bugs.

    Had no idea birds ate tomatoes. Wow!

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.