Musings

Last evening, post-posting, we drove to the other side of the lake to hear live music by AnnMarie Rowland, who has a fabulous voice that is complemented by her guitar-playing. As we listened, we watched the sun set. [Read more about Ann here.]

Between sets, she sat and talked with us. We heard about how the song “Lovely Agnes” became a pivot in her life, and how, for a guest-artist gig, she wrote eleven songs about aquifer groundwater. She did play “Lovely Agnes” last night, but none of the groundwater songs. [BTW, singer/songwriter Sally Rogers wrote “Lovely Agnes” in honor of her grandmother’s 92nd birthday.]

Far less of a story here: parsley from the neighbors’ garden, and chives from the gone-wild zone north of the cottage. Local greens?

We tempted fate by leaving the property this afternoon to do a few errands, without closing the windows. Fate became a low-grade downpour. Fortunately, there was almost no wind, so almost no rain/rain-spray came in.

Next chore: to plant the leggy basil plants we got in town for the greatly marked down price of $1.50 each in the now rain-moistened plot…probably set into the flank of the hillfort—where I put the basil seeds during the last trip, and some have germinated!

This hoptoad was hoping for hunting success after the rain from a well-camouflaged location by the hill fort.

Posted at 7:10 PM | Comments Off on Bit of a story-telling mode

I took a swamp walk today…which means I took a “real” walk and went down the road to the swamp…and stayed on the ROAD the entire time. I did not walk in the swamp, rather I passed through and slightly above it.

I did step tentatively off the blacktop to get this shot; love blue flags.

Later, after doing chores/yardwork, I set off for my first swim of the year. En route to the beach, I found this pair, with the dragonfly wildly dominant and in control. One less butterfly…shades of Ray Bradbury…I did NOT step on either of them. Descending to water-side, I discovered the Annual Engineering Project was underway, the one that results in a dock. I admire those who undertake it greatly.

After my leetle swim-ette, while I was toweling off my feet, I noticed this cicada husk…a piece of art. Discarded and forgotten art. Insect trash.

Posted at 6:46 PM | Comments Off on Deconstructed swamp, kinda

Three times I tried to photo the vetch blooms, and none were in focus, but the fly was in this one. Couldn’t have done that if I tried.

Trying to photo the leaf and flower parts of this American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), and look who snuck into the background, cousin of the one above, I’m pretty sure.

Took me quite a while to figure out what kind of tree this is…half-dozen bird and wildflower ID books, but no good tree ID books. Hrrumph. And I do not need to BUY any more books!

Posted at 9:03 PM | 1 Comment »

…cone sightings are not surprising.

At a stop, however, not expected: stacks of new(?) golf cart tires.

Could be anywhere: exceedingly afflicted poison ivy…makes me happy in a twisted way.

Posted at 9:35 PM | 1 Comment »

The basil was READY. 🌱 I scissored ✂️ it back, snip ✂︎ snip. I didn’t worry about shaping 🌳 the plant (hah), just removed all the flowering spikes and their leaves, and the almost-ready-to-flower spikes. This process captured enough for a pesto pasta with perhaps twice the pesto that might normally be used. Rich! 🌈 Lucky! 🍀

Posted at 8:02 PM | Comments Off on Pesto night

Rumor around the neighborhood two decades ago (or so) was that Elton John owned this place. It’s not a McMansion so I could never believe he lived here, but maybe someone important to him did…. Anyway, just in advance of the rumor someone put a buncha $$$ into the property, including having this curving staircase built.

I’m going with morning glory and not bindweed, but the purple centers have me confused. Of course, they’re related, so? 🤷 And I’m no taxonomist, no? 🤷

Posted at 7:52 PM | Comments Off on Rumors

Somekinda deep flower unknown to me. Or, frankly, forgotten. It happens.

Now this, don’t think I’ve seen white lavender before, but that is what this is. And the bees know it’s collection time.

We got blasted by two vigorous storm cells. Rain. Wind. Mildly scary for a Sunday afternoon when we didn’t have any idea we’d riled up the weather gods.

Posted at 7:28 PM | 1 Comment »

Apologies for the curt post yeasterday. I was amidst a complicated battery discharging/recharging regime. Judging by today’s data, it worked! Yay!

I’m pretty sure this is the messiest job site I’ve seen herebouts. Knew you’d want to be in the know. 🙃*

Just found out that the upside-down slightly smiling emoji indicates sarcasm. Alternate: 🙄 but this one can also mean playful—NOT the same.

Posted at 6:48 PM | Comments Off on Churning through steps

I rolled out trying to beat the heat…not possible, but earlier is less humid-dramatic. Car hood had proof that we got some precipitation overnight, but the street was mostly dry.

On up the hill and around the corner, the street between trees was damp, so variable rainfall. Homeowners had a one-car garage replaced with this two-“seater” (!). I fail to grasp the philosophy behind the lone sentinel landscaping. Anybody?

Okay, I gotta give you a Thursday flower—this delicate spike. What a color!

Posted at 7:47 PM | Comments Off on Working the odds

Somehow this flower is two, one embedded in the other. New “model” to me!

Someone’s sod project seems like only a marginal success…surprising since we’ve had plenty of rain lately. Perhaps the grass looks afflicted because the sod was flopped down on compacted soil?

Posted at 6:24 PM | Comments Off on Strangenesses, mild