Saturday, May 22, 2021

ARTSY PHOTO OF...

 our son and a bit of a hodge-podge from our week.  Son came over a couple of days ago for a few hours.  I was sitting at the other side of the kitchen table while we were talking and I was drinking out of my half-pint mug.  When I got to the bottom of my glass of water I said to myself, that would make a neat photo and so here he is, an artsy one of son as taken through the bottom of the glass with my cell phone.  No I can't stop myself and my two fave guys are always so patient with my desire to record everything in our lives, even in artsy ways.  I can almost see my Dad smiling, he was the same way.

Next is a photo of my Mother's Day flowers.  They have lasted longer than I expected.  A few of the flowers are gone but most are still viable.  There were three wood lilies, and one took longer than the others to open up.  When I came downstairs a week later, this pretty bloom greeted me.

These were looking good also.  The flowers have lasted longer than usual.  I added plant food when I first got them, and fresh water every day, which is what I do with any flowers I get.  Always happy when they last this long.  They do brighten the place up.
 

We made a start to our planting before the heat gets too high.  Hellebores o. 'Pine Knot Select', hoping for a deep pink but I will be happy with what comes.  We also planted a couple of Pica Bella Coneflowers.

This week we will be buying more as we are trying to fill in a shady part of our garden and those frosty nights should be over by now.  The coneflowers will get more sun.  I want lots of butterflies and bees!

I was there to help out and act as gopher (go for this, go for that, you know how it is), but when Gregg asked me to get one of the tools he needed, on my way past another tree I saw a Catbird.  Yes, hubs got what he needed first as I gave him the box cutter, but I had grabbed my camera in the house and started taking photos of the bird.  I have to download them still and will post them next week sometime.  I was on call for the rest of the planting session, but I also wanted to take photos of our 17-year brood of Cicadas, which were/are everywhere.  Son took great shots near their place and has a lot more than we have.  They back onto woods.  I will share those in a few days also.  This is one I took.  Not everyone's cup of tea, but like all things in nature I find them fascinating.

I saw my first Cicada yesterday and I was wondering when we would be getting ours.  Last night we heard them singing, they were really loud!  As I walked around the garden I saw all these small holes in the dirt, and looking up there were dozens of their shed shells on the trellis.  Then I looked over at one of the hostas, one that needs to be trimmed as half of it seems to have died.  On the bare branches that needs to be removed, there were about a dozen or so shed skins.  Then I looked over at our Willow Oak and there were more on its trunk, one I saw in the process of shedding, and more like the one above climbing up the tree, there were several like that actually.  One stopped when I got close to it with my cell phone.  I hope this short video comes out as I think it is the first time I have tried loading one since blogger changed things around.  If it doesn't work I will get back to it later and see what I can do.  Gregg had just found thick tarp that had been laid about a foot down, maybe the last time we had extensive work done on that area, and he was having a really hard time cutting through it with the tools he had, even with the box cutter he had asked for.  He had to cut through it for each plant and it was hard going.  There was no way I could help and I felt exasperated for him.  The tarp was so embedded into the earth that it was impossible to pull up any large pieces.  A future project for removal!


There were lots of maple seeds lying around so had to take a photo of those.  

Next is a photo of a moth that was on the door screen when I went to let some fresh air in.  Pretty little thing but do not know what kind of moth it is.  This was also when I came downstairs first thing.  Such a pretty day today.

Someone posted the following on my neighborhood app, the same place I got my possum graphic that I posted yesterday (it is actually called an Opossum but I can't hear the 'O' sound very often).  There are a lot of animal lovers on my neighborhood app.  With the days getting hotter, it is a good reminder for the safety of our furry family members.  Even though we ourselves no longer have any pets, I still like to share these safety measures for others who do, just in case.

One of our neighbors across the street shouted hello when we were outside planting. He was walking up the hill with his dog.  I chatted to him for a while.  We both said how wonderful the weather was and I said something like it's nice to be getting back to normal, at which  he said with emphasis, oh yes it certainly is.  I asked him how his family was.  They had a baby girl not too long after they moved here and she was almost a year old already.  I was shocked.  It is hard to believe but with everything going on, not too many people have been out and about, and time has certainly marched on.  Yes, things are slowly getting back to normal.  No photos of our neighbor and his dog, but a nice memory of pleasant conversation.  
A very nice young man, and his wife and other little girl are the same way, and their dog usually comes over and says hello.

One last photo of a weekend treat.  Gregg makes the most delicious coffee milk shakes.  It is his memory from childhood.  He spent a lot of time in New England while visiting with his Mother's family.  He remembers New England milkshakes being thinner, which he prefers to this day and he makes them the New England way, at least from his memory of 60  plus years ago.  We lived in New England for about a year-and-a-half in Newport, Rhode Island.  We hadn't been married long but I don't remember what their milkshakes were like.  Have to say his are the best I have ever had.  I don't say it just because I know Gregg enjoys reading my posts, it's the truth.

A bit of a hodgepodge today and I realize I am all over the place.  This day has gone by so quickly and it's time to publish this before I put the computer away.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.  I will be back on Monday.



32 comments:

  1. This is a beautiful chatty, newsy post. Thank you.
    I love your arty photo - and the video did work.
    It is years since I have seen or heard a cicada.

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    1. Hi Sue and thank you, I am so glad you enjoyed it. As I sit hear I can hear them in our garden, it is a permanent humming sound. I have the windows wide open today as it is a pretty day.

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  2. Well first, good job on snapping the upcoming Catbird. I find that they are so very secretive!! Yes, your Cicada video works! I find them fascinating in a creepy kind of way. I do not like the modern, thicker milkshakes! You can turn them upside down and they don't come out of the glass. This is soft serve ice-cream, NOT a shake as I remember them! I never heard of a Wood Lily, it is lovely. I think my favorite is your son thru the bottom of the glass, wow!! It makes a beautiful frame around him, and is so cool!

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    1. Thank you Ginny, the Catbird will be on here in a few days. I have more to share first. I know the type of milkshake you're talking about. They might as well call it ice-cream in a cup as it is near impossible to drink through a straw without giving yourself a headache, though I do like it with a spoon :) I like that Wood Lily also and my son thru the glass is a fave :)

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  3. What a good idea for the first photo, love it.
    All photos are wonderful to see and the video worked for me - well done.

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    1. Obrigado por seus comentários gentis. Um abraço e um desejo de uma semana muito feliz pela frente :)

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  5. Hello,
    I like the first artsy reflection shot. The hellebores and coneflowers will be lovely.
    The cicadas are creepy looking, I think I saw one. The coffee milkshake looks yummy!
    Take care, have a great weekend!

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    1. Thanks Eileen, appreciate that and have a great weekend also, what's left of it :)

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  6. people who live with cameras are alwasy hodgepodge and i should have named my blog hodgepodge since that is what it is... the video worked fine. I hope those cicados don't come here. they keep me awake at night with that shrill noise.. i had to chuckle with the video when he wants you to come help and you said just let me get this guy. I do that all the time... everything you took a photo of I would have also..

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    1. Thanks Sandra, I wonder how far south those Cicadas come? Gregg knows how focused I am when I take photos ;)))

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  7. I left without commenting on the bottom of the glass art. I LOVE IT! I would have done it and somewhere on my blog is photos taken through the bottom of a glass,

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    1. Thanks again :) I would like to see that photo of yours.

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  8. I love creative photos like the one through the bottom of the cup. A beautiful garden requires a lot of work but is a lot of fun. Have a nice weekend:)

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    1. Thank you Lucyna, I'm glad you liked my post :) You have a nice weekend too and also a great week ahead.

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  9. As you know I'm almost always all over the place in posts all the time so I like your hodgepodge post. I love the first artsy shot and your flowers are gorgeous. I tried not to see the cicada and skipped the video. I am not a fan of insects - eeek! I could sure go for one of Gregg's coffee milkshakes, sounds delicious. Have a fantastic weekend. :)

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    1. Hi Martha, I love your posts, always interesting. So glad you enjoyed this one. Yes I know, not everyone is a fan of insects. I just grew up fascinated with them. Yes, I could go for one of Gregg's coffee milkshakes too but I am making myself wait until next weekend :) I hope you have enjoyed a great weekend, and I wish you the same for next week.

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  10. What great photos! The artsy one is fun and I love seeing your planting. I have yet to see a cicada this year, despite all the news reports. (I don't know if that is a good or bad thing!) I really enjoyed the diversity of this post!

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    1. Thank you Jeanie, it seemed to me that our son saw the Cicadas in his area than we did, but I could be wrong. So glad you enjoyed my post, really appreciate you saying :)

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  11. You have the right name for your blog when as you say you are all over the place today with different topics on your post today. You got a variety of things done.

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    1. Thanks Red, yes it's been a while since I did a proper ramble :) Sometimes I start off with one or two thoughts and then it turns into a ramble ;)

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  12. Nice photos of your son and Gregg. Thanks for the tip on how to make the cut flowers last longer.

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    1. You're welcome Gigi and glad you enjoyed :) I hope my tip will help you with your own flowers. I think maybe it also depends on the kind of flowers we get.

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  13. Enjoyed your lovely post Denise that shot of your son is a winner! Those coneflowers reseed readily my garden is now full of them. They are lovely and need no care.

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    1. Thank you Christine, I am happy you liked my son's photo. Good to know about the coneflowers, the garden needs that kind of help. I am trying to put hardy plants and flowers in the garden this year :)

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  14. I like that artsy shot of your son through the bottom of your mug! Fun. Cicada's are so noisy. I'm not sure if we have them here in the northeastern corner of Washington state. It will be fun to see what pops up in the planter. Your mother's day bouquet is pretty! Happy weekend to you.

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    1. Happy you enjoyed my son's artsy photo Ellen. Always fun to see what grows around here :) Happy weekend to you too and a great week ahead :)

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  15. The flowers certainly are cheerful.

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    1. Thank you William, I always feel so peaceful and happy when I am around flowers.

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  16. You are such a wonderful photographer, Denise. I remember the joy of spring planting. And oh yes, you certainly have the red-eyed 17 year cicada all right. That's so much fun.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comment Kay :) Yes, I am enjoying the idea of putting more plants into our garden. Off to the garden center when the rain stops! Yes, the cicada's are fun.

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