Butterflies

 Today Aesop was part terror, part cutie.  I will try to remember the cutie parts.  Some of his good moments include choosing to sleep by me on the couch and calmly greeting me when I came inside.  His best moment was when he was chewing on a piece of grass.

Chewing on a piece of grass...

It was a busy day, other happy things include:

• Aesop also had a bath today.  The reasons for the bath would fall under the terror category, but the soft, clean, nice smelling dog that emerged after the terror was nice and what should be remembered.

• Early this spring we had a houseplant that was dead.  I was busy attempting to grow new things and the inside plant was placed high away from the cats and forgotten.  Keziah brought it outside and I cut all the dead off leaving a pot of dirt.  I placed the pot on a shelf outside the shed.  Today Keziah noticed that it is growing again.

• There were people at the house today.  Each person or couple came by for a different reason.  It was great to see them all.  We now have two targets for thrown weapons so we can have practice and packages have been exchanged.
• There were so many flowers blooming that the plants had their own dance as bees and butterflies would take off and land.  Lens helped me identify two butterflies, the great spangled fritillary and the painted lady.

Bindweed.

Great Spangled Fritillary and a Monarch Butterfly.

Painted Lady Butterfly.

☮

Currently reading: Backpacking: A Hedonist’s Guide, by Rick Greenspan and Hal Kahn.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Embracing the Groundhog...Haha!

 Researching ways to get rid of a groundhog I had a sort of revelation.  I'm letting these animals get the best of me.  Today I have decided that my best plan of action is to embrace the groundhog.  I do not mean literally.  Even the figurative meaning is off a bit.  This year the garden is not going to produce much, again.  Part of the reason is the woodchuck/groundhog family.  Part of the reason is that I started with a bang but ran into things along the way that have derailed my efforts.  My hope is to concentrate on getting the fence where I want it to be to help keep out as many critters as I can while making the garden a place they might not want to be.  I also hope to do more prep work and research about the soil and other conditions and rent a tiller to get rid of some of the weeds.  If I can find a way to plant the things I have already started and keep them protected from the critters that want to eat them, I will.  My mindset needs to shift though.  Anyway, here are other happy things from today:

• Keziah has been helping some friends clean out their storage unit.  In the process, she has brought home a few things.

I'm not sure how long it has been there, but 
I noticed this statue by some of the wild sweet William.

• The bindweed and grapes are holding each other.

I really like the bindweed flower.
They are in the same family as morning glories
which I also like.

• The SCA household that I am a part of had a gathering today.  Six of us were able to attend.  It was so wonderful to see these friends.  I arrived early enough to walk with Anastasia and be greeted by her cat.  One of the friends we haven't seen in a few years and that helped to make the day even more special.  It was really fun getting to catch up with, and hug, this group of people.  I wish I had remembered to take a photo of us.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thank you for reading, stay safe.

Some Summer Flowers

As I lay me down to sleep, I realize I need to write up a quick blog.  Happy things for today:

• Instead of doing the things I should have done early this morning, I took some down time/self care.
• Later in the morning I went for a walk with a friend for a different kind of self care.
• Lens identified a new to me plant-or at least I don't remember it.

The purple flowering plant is a
pickerelweed.

• Sometimes I take pictures quickly and look at them later and notice something.  This time there was a bee that I didn't see when I got close to take a picture of this bindweed.

Bindweed with a yellow jacket?

• When I got the SD card from the wildlife camera I noticed a vervain plant and some jewelweed.

Probably common vervain.

Orange jewelweed.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.