Musings

Some days are just a blur; today was one. I’m good, though…leftovers make it easy (for example).

Posted at 8:15 PM | Comments Off on One foot in front…

This was a sunny afternoon five days ago. I’m over a thousand miles south of this beach, no lakes or sandy shores nearby. I’m torn about relocating, but quite glad to no longer be on the road. 😅

Posted at 8:09 PM | 2 Comments »

The storm the other day brought this lupin down across the path, and my eye was caught by the complex patterns in in the blossoms.

I can’t know, of course, but perhaps when I stopped to take this picture the seed tick I found inside my elbow a couple hours later crawled onto me…ick. I quickly removed it, then took a shower with lots of soaping, followed by a complete towel scrubbing.

Posted at 9:11 PM | Comments Off on I feel clean (now)

The predicted heat streak really hit us today. We were lucky, however, as the windiness tempered the heat (to some degree 🤣). I thought this barrel reflection did a good job of showing the turmoil in the sky. I truly enjoyed my 4:30pm dip in the not-so-warm lake.

It may get down to 69°F tonight, so tomorrow will be another hot one.

Posted at 10:06 PM | Comments Off on Heat treatment

On my post-coffee beach walk, I saw wee rollers coming in, not feverishly, but unmistakably.

I had to post this photo with the colorful lupins and serendipitous OOF* seagull.

Back in the garden, I flipped open a discarded rhubarb leaf, and discovered a pair of slugs. Yup, they’re gross. But, still: nature data.

* OOF = out of focus

Posted at 9:16 PM | Comments Off on It did get sunny

I’m not a major Jimmy Buffett fan, but this evening I’ve been thinking about changes in latitudes and attitudes.

BTW, no change needed in this lovely pottery, made by Gail-the-potter for guests use to toast the new couple at her wedding.

Posted at 9:47 PM | Comments Off on Metamorphize

Yesterday we left idyllic lake-side life, scented with Canadian wildfire smoke, to arrive in clear skies and no nearby open water.

We abandoned lilacs and lupin, and now breathe the sweet scent of gardenias. BTW, the temp here is 80°F, with the AC running, while up north it’s 62°F and my cousin has a fire in the fireplace.

Posted at 6:56 PM | Comments Off on Latitude change

Last night was quiet, and with all the moisture after the rain, the situation was perfect for the sun to make ground fog. Lovely.

Before the sun got up very high, I took various tools and buckets and drove the car to the other end of the swamp to do some hogweed extraction from the ditch. I’m convinced this is where the ones in our field came from. I did a similar removal session several years back, but I hadn’t realized how big the survivors have gotten. I removed all that looked like they’d make seeds this year. Several were too embedded in roots to extract their roots, so the “crop” will continue. I’ll try to get after them again before summer’s end.

Our big excitement was this evening, when we attended a murder mystery dinner theater play. It’s the first time I ate next to a dead guy—Mr. Cooper his name was. We had a great good time, and I even guessed the killer, although not the whole back story and motivation.

Posted at 10:06 PM | Comments Off on MaNachur & human anchor

We headed to Manistique to have a better grocery selection than are offered at nearer stores, and began our adventure with lunch, followed by a stroll on the boardwalk (mostly paved) along the Lake Michigan shore to look at the lighthouse. It’s rather stubby and unprepossessing; good thing it’s painted red.

And just to the left, moments after the photo above, I caught a gull taking flight. Look! No horizon in the background, and this was merely perhaps an angle of 40° different.

Next stop: groceries. I guess a version of the shopping-after-lunch plan was in the air, as we saw both parties that were eating when we arrived at the lunch place at the grocery place. Great minds? (Snort; I don’t think so, just restocking after a long holiday weekend.)

Back at the ranch, I got the grocs put up, then headed out to check on the lake and just wander about. The barberries next to the cottage are in bloom. Indeed, we watched a (smallish, dark) hummingbird busy with the flowers just yesterday.

I checked the lupin pair pictured yesterday, and the development is noticeable. This is about 30 hrs after the previous photo.

I just went out to close up the entry porch, and realized the buckets I put out to drain and dry now seem to be a convention. I used the buckets to water in the new top-dressing I added to the rhubarb in the bed I created last fall down at the stone house. The plants’re small, yet doing well, and all survived (a major coup).

Posted at 9:47 PM | Comments Off on Slow kind of busy

Proof we had rain overnight….

Proof it wasn’t much. [The rain barrel stays indoors all winter…if I don’t forget—so this is MaNachur’s first deposit of 2025.]

First lupin buds I spotted…the rest are just vegetation for now.

Although the summer veg crop is not coming in yet, we went for a veggie-laden dinner…raw lettuce, tomatoes, and radishes, plus “semi-stir-fried” broccoli…with medallions of salt-n-peppa pork tenderloin. [Lousy photo quality, but the eatin’ was good!]

Posted at 10:30 PM | Comments Off on Damp-day