Musings

With the work of the last few years, and especially the tree-trimming=light-intensification of last year, well, and weed removal, the rhubarb is coming back! This variety courtesy of the Botanist makes strong pink rhubarb sauce, not any of that greenish or brownish stuff you may have been offered elsewhere. I may even be able to make a small pan of it!

Those long leaves are ramps, and the notched leaves are bloodroot. I’ll be digging some ramps for dinner tomorrow. But, I left them today, because I was digging cow parsnips—or perhaps giant hogweed—both are phytotoxic and invasive, and I should have done this removal last year. Then I wouldn’t have had so many daughter plants to remove. Eradicate. That human thing: choosing which plants to encourage and which to…disappear.

Posted at 6:46 PM | Comments Off on Plant choices

Sour cherry. Only we rarely get to eat the cherries. The birds unerringly know when the fruit is on the cusp of ripeness, and they swoop in and take the whole crop in a couple of hours. Done and done.

Spring beauties. Love the color variation in the centers…is it the age of the blooms, or…??

The Uncle Dave maple is always hopeful (if I am allowed to anthropomorphize). The newly germinated are ready to go for years, but are unaware that the lawn mower will axe their dreams.

*Spring is about all kinds of creatures, but plants are much easier to spot and photograph (see title). Also spotted: huge vee of Canada geese; minnows in the upper Tahquamenon. And in recent days: a rafter/flock of wild turkeys—seemed like all females? [We were moving fast.]

Posted at 9:53 PM | Comments Off on Spring is about plants*

We’ve traveled back into earlier spring. Hello, grape hyacinths!

And rediscovered a Big Bridge!

Hello, Hemlock’s Own Trillium! Been watching for a spring lovely in this exact spot at the foot of this tree for decades.

Posted at 8:00 PM | Comments Off on Oh, exclamation point

Greens! Only they’re not mine…a productive container garden in front of a rental…four apartments…someone’s commandeered the sunniest spot for these lovelies.

I liked the light through the leaves. Looked better in person. Through my polarized sunglasses.

And looking up…high altitude magnolia blossoms.

They are huge. Here’s a bud at finger height.

Posted at 9:47 PM | Comments Off on Greens, and…

Carry-over from yesterday…apparently no redbugs from my berry-picking. Fast and feet on pavement saved me. This is a red bug, but not a redbug (aka chigger).

This bee mastered this rose. Dead aim into the core, trundled around for a minute, bzz bzz, and I captured its soul.

And the third “b” is berries. Not the kind I found yesterday, but smokey-, sage-colored lovelies.

Posted at 8:55 PM | 2 Comments »

Hands down, the most exciting happening in my day was finding this blossom, and its family. Because I knew it was a berry blossom. And a signal….

So I kept looking. Eeee-heeee! Berries! Hmm, any ripe ones? How ’bout ripe-enough ones? Gentle twist on one with color. Nope. So I try another, hmmm, add a bit to the gentle on the twist…thinking, well, I’ll try it, probably a bit…not-quite ripe. Sure enough, not full tasty, but…mmm…sun-warmed berry! Yay! Fortified, I keep looking. Back there, way behind the close distracting berries, a fully ripe berry…mmmmm. A new season…berry-season! Yeah. Life is darned good. Ripe. Sun-warm. I’m so lucky.

Artsy picture. Not sure why this grass has not greened up…must be a stay-brown a LOOOOONG time species.

Jay commented not that long ago that a V-marked marker probably announces a valve. Duh. She is so right…as I expected. Here’s a different V-marker, a hydrant, and a valve cover. Done and done. Thanks for the tip, Jay.

Posted at 9:18 PM | Comments Off on Adventuring

These evergreen magnolias become big trees. And the flowers can be far overhead. This one was. And a big bee was buzzing about in it. Perfect, I thought, and fumbled the phone, which didn’t recognize me with the mask on…fumble more, and bee buzzed away. But, here’s the flower. Alone again. Naturally.

Bonus second shot…. No bees here either. But many flower friends. Of two species.

Posted at 9:01 PM | Comments Off on Lonesome flower

Flower-shadow art.

Lit-fern art.

Sidewalk art.

Posted at 9:17 PM | Comments Off on Art “flavors”

Near perfect. Those colors!

I encountered recommendations for “Money Heist” (true title “La casa de papel”) several disparate places, and asked the Guru if he’d be interested in giving it a try. We embarked, and have watched two episodes. It has a Euro feel, which makes sense because it’s a Spain Spanish production. The subtitles are teensy, which is both less distracting from the picture and difficult to read. I’m warming to the fast-speaking cast and their Spain-accented Spanish—been YEARS since I heard that….

So, oddly?, we’re bouncing between “Money Heist” and running through old “Billions” to get caught up or refreshed before dipping into the new season. Both have to do with cash and power, but in quite different ways. I’ll be staying tuned.

Posted at 9:21 PM | Comments Off on So far so good

Walking Partner and I had to cross the street (actual traffic!) to get shots of this huge cactus with many blooms and buds. Beautiful yellow-orange color.

New York markets are up; I’m wondering how much money is flowing in from foreign buyers…US market as a haven?

Posted at 6:30 PM | Comments Off on Rain quit for our walk