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….
Saturday, 1 July 2023
Golden-lit potentilla.
My morning fun…exercising The Beast.
The Beast…waiting.
Last summer, we bought The Beast to frustrate, and hopefully to ultimately remove, an invasive grass that has very strong stems and out-competes the “normal” pasture grasses. Of course, this is no longer a pasture, nor doesn’t anyone hay it, or otherwise manage it for agriculture. Just. Too. Much. Effort. [Yes, more than operating the beast on hot, humid, hazy days. Long story.]
Friday, 30 June 2023
We’ve been watching what to me is the “new” series in the StarWars franchise, Andor. When I hear it, I hear and/or (like and/not and similar). When I read it, I can see it as Andor. Anyway, mostly a pretty good story…grim world, but decent story/characters/writing.
Thursday, 29 June 2023
The smoky haze continues to hang here; you can barely see the other side of the lake (approximately three miles). Thankfully, yesterday and today it didn’t smell smoky outdoors.
Meanwhile, on land, the lupine blooms have mostly become pods—still green—as Fabaceae do.
Wednesday, 28 June 2023
This is what I think of as the standard, even ubiquitous milkweed leaf shape on this property.
Lately, I’ve noticed that a minority have this narrower leaf shape. Without a doubt still a milkweed….
I haven’t seen enough monarch action to see if they notice a difference.
After poking around in details online, I think the first one may be Asclepias syriaca, and the second Asclepias meadii, but that’s an off-the-cuff assessment.
And I thought a milkweed is just a milkweed. My ignorance.
Yeah, I know the light is totally different. The colors of the two are slightly different, with the broader leaf plants “greener,” and the narrower leaved ones, slightly more blue-green. IMHO
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
People say age brings wisdom, but for most of us that really isn’t true, when we get old we’ve just accumulated more experiences, good and bad. The result is more likely to be cynicism than wisdom.*
I have to go with Backman on this. We age into cynicism?
*Text is on page 30 of Neil Smith’s translation of Fredrik Backman’s The Winners (2021; hardback version; title in Swedish original: Vinnarna).
Monday, 26 June 2023
We did a wee bit of time travelling this evening and watched “Yellow Submarine.” I’m sure I never saw it before. Great music; I sang along with all the songs!