Thistle

 Work this morning was a little stressful.  When they asked if people wanted to volunteer to go home, I jumped at the chance.  I had hoped to get laundry done and pack for the weekend.  I leave Friday morning with two friends for Pennsylvania.  I will be packing in the morning because I needed to do laundry.  I also wanted to mow some of the yard.  It was a very hot day and I didn't mow until late afternoon.  I'll get up early in the morning to get ready.  Happy things for today include:

• Binge watching New Girl on Netflix this morning until the rest of the household woke up.  After breakfast I had a nice nap.
• Running errands with Keziah and helping to choose new toys for the pets.

• Eventually I made it outside to mow some of the yard and to make my way as best I could to the wildlife camera.  I mowed as much of a path to the wildlife camera as I could.  Zed came out and used the weedwacker the remaining way to the camera.  There is so much growth the camera isn't catching as much any more.

It has been a while since I mowed.

After I mowed and cleaned it up a bit.

• I looked closer at the jewelweed today and it is huge.  I'm pretty certain that it has stretched over eight feet to grow taller than the Japanese knotweed and staghorn sumac that are crowding it out.

• There is a milk thistle that is threatening and beautiful all at once.

Thistle.

Thistle seeds.

Milk thistle

More seeds.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.


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

National Park Service Founders Day

 As stated occasionally in a previous post, I don't like coming up with titles.  However, in looking for an idea today I came across National Park Service Founders Day.  After reading this article about the holiday and the parks, I am reminded why visiting them all is not a goal, there are just too many.  Too many for me to visit time and money-wise.  I'd love if even more parks and protected areas existed.  This date is now added to my Google Calendar to repeat forever to remind me.  Other happy things for today:

• I remembered to water plants.  I have been very bad about this since getting a job.  I'm happy to write that the geraniums that are still in the cellar are still alive.  They seem to be doing better with the artificial light than the ones outside.  Still no flowers, maybe next year.

• The jewelweed is blooming and the bees are busy visiting it as well as the Japanese knotweed that is threatening to push out the jewelweed.  

Jewelweed flower close-up.

Bee on the Japanese knotweed.

• Yesterday I got a reasonable amount of sleep which made my time at work so much better!  Here is hoping I get to sleep today too.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. 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.