Tuesday, 11 July 2023
An hour after I made yesterday’s post, our power went out, then we had a fierce storm that didn’t last terribly long…thunder, lightning, rain. The power was out for about nine hours, but thankfully back on in time for coffee-making. By sunrise, it was all clear and sparkly out, although some of the now-tall grasses were wet and lodged. They perked up after the sun and wind dried them, and I managed to pull off two sessions with The Beast.
Monday, 10 July 2023
Bee-pea. Not a petroleum company. [Pale blossom compared to our usual specimens….]
Another frustrating day of intermittent potential-rain, with almost no actual rainfall…but the threat was enough to keep me away from Beast-work beyond about fifteen minutes I got in before nine, halted by the strongest rain of the day (until now that is…the rain came in after I began typing—sheesh).
Although I think a bit of wind brought down many of these leaves, they were already compromised…I think from heat and desiccation. It’s a bad summer for many plants.
Sunday, 9 July 2023
Another ho-hum day of chores, resting between chores, a bath in the lake, a neighbor drop-in, and this and that. However, I arose before the sun ascended above the trees [earlier than I’ve gotten up lately; looooong days here…].
Saturday, 8 July 2023
I never managed to get in my almost-an-hour with The Beast today. Weather was never permitting. Throughout the day, the predicted rain window was present, absent, moved, and returned. I didn’t want to get caught out in the field…not so much the rain, but lightning aversion was my focus. This was the threatening sky in the late afternoon.
And to top it all off, we never got enough rain to moisten even the flagstones. In essence, I got a slow Saturday without even trying.
Friday, 7 July 2023
We’re back in a cool-overnight phase, with also somewhat cooler highs. Nevertheless, the grasses are forging ahead with their annual business…making seeds.
Thursday, 6 July 2023
There’s no reason you should remember that I received a packet of “wild”flower seeds at the baby shower back in late May. Here’s the first bloom they produced. BTW, the baby has arrived and is about a week old! From the two photos I’ve seen (sleeping in both), she’s a cutie!
I learned the word rubisco from a WashPo article by Michael J. Coren. Somehow I only came across it this week, although the publication date is 27 June. Rubisco is a protein officially named Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. It’s the chemical catalyst for photosynthesis and is found in leaves (apparently all leaves). As I’ve mentioned before, my ignorance is vast.
Wednesday, 5 July 2023
We had a bit of a cloudburst this morning that filled the water barrel—almost filled it, actually.
The day was rain-free, although often overcast, until late afternoon when we had off-and-on pitter-patter, and right now it’s sprinkling again. That pattern made doing yard work difficult, although the plants are MUCH happier. I’ll bet the grass won’t be crunchy tomorrow (which is an improvement).
Tuesday, 4 July 2023
Such a surprise to see a grouse on our road by our property…and she was “purring” to wee ones in the grass behind her. Safe travels!
Monday, 3 July 2023
The beach sand retains clues. See the fawn and adult deer tracks. And mine. I don’t know the dog-like one…not a raccoon or similar with an elongated foot. I didn’t know, so I just went in the water.
Day two of decent air, not much haze and no smoke smell. Yay.
Sunday, 2 July 2023
Previous summers I have had multiple opportunites to take foggy morning photos. This year I suspect it’s been just too darned dry for the fog to form. So, I was excited this morning to see the fog thicken as the sun rose, and went to to capture images. Since I now have a clear path from my activities with The Beast, I headed out into the field for a different perspective than I usually get from near the cottage. After this shot, and a few more steps, I scared up a sleeping deer, which huffed-snorted at me for the indignity.
Also, the day stayed cool longer in the morning, which made my almost-an-hour with The Beast easier to endure. Still humid, though….