SMILE – Page 4 – movingforwardslowly

Katydid– Is that an Ovipositor?

Since I am avoiding the heat, I did some more looking in the same folder where I had found the other pictures in my last post. When I focused in on the katydid pictures I noticed the backside of its abdomen was dark brown. My first question to myself was “is it depositing eggs? I did a little research and learned of the word “ovipositor”. I found this word here on this video https://youtu.be/IRG-zCDS9iI?si=Djgo13btr1ugw24q . Since my katydid from my garden did not have an extended ovipositor, it must not have been laying eggs. Still I learned this new word today! Thank you to Bug of the Week.

I was curious about the man who posted this video, and I was curious whether he had any new 2025 videos. I saw that he had a Fireflies 2025 video posted. This reminded me that I have seen a few in my garden recently, and last night I saw several of them lighting up. Fireflies always remind me of my grandparents that lived on a farm in Plattsburg, MO. My grandfather once took the glowing spot off of one and stuck it on my ring finger. I still have this memory 50+ years later. It was a magical memory in my childhood brain.

Another Birthday Rolls Around

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM!

Old school pictures are so much fun to look at. It is too bad your haircuts were not the best (ha, ha, ha).

You look great for your age today! Love, your wife, Kathy

Red Hats

I just finished reading Ursula K. Le Guin's book Voices. The priests in this book all wore red hats. They were called the Red Hats.

Coincidentally, I have been seeing a lot of red hats in catholic news these days.

The Red Hats in Le Guin's book were not kind men. I am not making any kind of comparison to the real cardinals wearing red hats and working together to pick a new pope in the Sistine Chapel.

Out of curiosity I did a quick search of catholic hats. I was surprised to find so many official hat names.

Three Poems

This photo was taken by Katherine June Krein in the year 2008.

Hairstreak
Small in size, about an inch, it still captivates. Up close it is more attractive than from a distance. Usually, the opposite is true, especially true of humans.

There are different types and variations of the hairstreak. It has a scientific name. I don't have it memorized. You can look it up.

The sky is overcast today. We are in the future now, and not in the past with this. I have not seen any butterflies yet in 2025.

Honeybees were swarming the skip laurel hedge yesterday. I read it provides an early spring nectar. They seemed a nuisance, but they are important pollinators, so they will be left alone. I am insignificant to them, and probably not even noticed.

The overcast sky today has changed to intermittent sunshine. A storm is forecast for later tonight.

Rose Hips
The season is over, and all the petals have fallen.
The stark and brittle rose stems are left standing.
They remain armed and dangerous with thorns intact.
The blossom bases that were once green begin to redden and ripen.
These jewels are called hips.
They hold value and should be picked.
Fresh or dried they can be used for tea or jam.
If left alone, the birds will find them and be thankful.
These rose hips might even keep the doctor away.
(July 12,2020)

Not exactly dirty, hot, and sweaty! AI generated image.

Unadorned
No necklaces, no manicures, no pedicure
Uncut, unpolished, and rough.
Sweaty, grimy, hot and dirty.
I sit completely unadorned in the garden.
The plants, insects, and garden birds take center stage.
The only spotlights are the sun and moon.
In the garden I'm the watcher and director,
When nature decides to acquiesce.
(I deleted it and typed it again today. The original date has been lost.)

P.S. I combined two old posts. I was going to delete them, and decided they could stay here. Why not?
P.P.S Today I added a 3rd poem.

Date Palm: Phoenix dactylifera

This picture was taken from the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park Alliance website

My fascination with Palm trees continues. With Palm Sunday arriving this weekend, I have been exploring the Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera). There are many of these trees on the property owned by the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park in California. One of my fondest memories is taking my daughter on a Safari drive through this park when she was young. We were visiting my sister who lived in Los Angeles at the time. My daughter was thrilled and a little scared to feed the giraffes carrots. They would come up to the safari truck and with their prehensile tongues they would scoop them out of our hands.

The fruit of the Date Palm tree are called Medjool dates. I bought some the other day at one of our local grocery stores. I have eaten them in salads at restaurants, but I have never bought a box of them to consume at home. We have been eating them today, and I can definitely say that they are delicious. My plan is to chop some of them up to put into a pound cake I hope to make this weekend. I enjoy experimenting. One of my recent goals this year is to try new foods and experiment with different recipes. I am currently focused on the Medjool date.

The dates I bought were grown in the Bard Valley of California. I had to research the name Bard since I attended an elementary school in California in 3rd and 4th grade by the name of Richard Bard. Curiously I don’t ever remember eating whole dates when I was young and lived in California. This is a shame since I could have discovered them long ago.

If I end up making the cake this weekend, I will post a picture. It would be a nice addition to a Palm Sunday brunch.

I made the Vanilla Sour Creme Pound Cake and added chopped medjool dates. I baked it this morning. Now all I need to do is make the brunch tomorrow morning to go with it. It will be simple.

I found a picture (08/09/25) of Ivan the giraffe that would use his tongue to scoop the carrots out of your hand.

March Madness 2025

I remember the long lines waiting to get into Cameron, hours spent waiting, all to get good center court stadium seats. We chanted songs and cheers.
This madness continued throughout the basketball season.
I won lottery tickets to go to the Final Four one year.*
The good old days!
Over the years since then I have not always followed the team. Some years when my life has allowed me the time, I watch the games.
This past Friday I watched Duke dominate the other team. They won!
They play again today. 

The other day when I was looking at pictures, I saw a Duke fan wearing a Blue Devil mask with the words "U Can't Touch This" written on it.
This MC Hammer song came out the year my daughter was born just a couple of weeks before her birthday. This song always puts me in a good mood, especially when I watch MC Hammer do his dance!

Go Duke!

* Update--I decided to look up the year I attended the Final Four. It was 1978 and the final four was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. My roommate Allison, was from Charlotte. Duke made it through to the Championship game, however, we lost to Kentucky that year. The score was 94-88.

Correction to the update: It was the first round of March Madness that I attended in Charlotte, N.C. in 1978 and not the final four. Duke did go on to the Championship game that same year.

International Women’s Day 2025

AI generated image with the prompt: Business woman holding up her arms to show her muscles.

Keep your head up. Look up and see the big blue sky, and feel the energy all around you. Feel the pulse and rhythm of life.

Stand up tall,stretch your neck, and loosen up.
Try to flex every muscle in your body.
Feel your inner strength pump up your potential.

Get ready to move, to excel, to support others, and to keep going even when the hurdles get higher.
Your opposition needs to be pushed back. Do not let them overwhelm you when 
you come head to head. Your voice needs to be heard!

Celebrate your successes, and do not let your shortcomings hold you back.
Keep getting up and doing your best.
Do not let others discourage you from your goals.
Stay strong!

Bless, Blessed, and Blessings

I have several thoughts on my mind this Sunday. I think I posted about the cardinal flower yesterday because Pope Francis has been in the news.
My thoughts and prayers are with him.

Last week I received my Virginia Real ID. This is my birthday month, and it was time to renew my driver's license, so since the law has changed regarding this, I upgraded to a real ID. I am good now for eight years before the need will arise again.

My inside joke is that I will be blessed next week since adding one year to my age will make my age 'code' for blessed. I see this word written on clothes, garden stones, garden fairies, etc. Making it a joke is one way to lessen the thought of 'older age' or 'old age'. I don't feel old.

This hypertufa planter I made 14 years ago is still standing strong.
The inside needs to be redesigned with new plant material and fun features.
I found the recipe online at gardeners.com. Here is a picture.

You can find directions at the above mentioned website. I did not follow these exact directions when I made mine years ago. If I remember correctly I found the directions in a book or magazine. They were not complete directions, so I had to improvise with how to make the form. I used a big old picnic basket that I lined with a super-sized, plastic, heavy duty garden refuse bag. I used gloves to slap the mixture on the sides. It was much harder to make than I expected. Once you start the process, you have to finish it. I was very blessed that it turned out as well as it did. The only reason I made one is because I kept seeing them at an upscale garden center, and I really wanted one, though their price was more than I could justify or felt comfortable paying.

Since I will be blessed this year (ha!), I should redesign the planter with some new mini or dwarf plantings. It currently holds a dwarf azalea, and some dwarf hostas named "Mouse Ears." These are drought tolerant. I still have the faded fairy with the word "Bless" on it. I will look for more garden decor with the words: bless, blessed, or blessing. Also I need to look for an automatic way to water it.

Looking ahead with plans to improve some things is a good way to feel positive right now.

Mascots and Team Spirit

Sunday, February 9th, 2025, will be a big day for players, mascots, and fans.

I am not a huge football fan; however, this upcoming Super Bowl has the potential to be a record-breaking game.

I have my pretzel bites and buffalo chicken dip ready to serve on Sunday.
I have some whole wheat pizza dough ready to defrost.
I might not need it. My husband brought home a Sam's club pizza tonight.
I don't have an appetite for eating pizza all weekend.
I do have some orange juice and blue moon beer.
I rarely drink alcohol. I might have a beer mimosa this Sunday.

I looked up the team mascots today. They are cute and look like they can rally up their team's spirits and get the crowd roaring!

Good Luck to all and let us all hope the game is fairly played.

Cowrie, Cowry, Kauri

(picture from Wikipedia.)

I found a small, smooth and shiny shell today. It was lying on the floor near my foot. I picked it up, and then slipped it in my pocket for later inspection. I’d gotten into the habit of doing this back in the days when I thought I could divine messages from found objects.

When the time came for further inspection, I recognized it as a common shell that I’d seen many times throughout my life: in shell games, jewelry, and other crafts. My specific shell is about an inch long, and it has a teardrop shape. Its colors are softly hued. It has a pale silver teardrop in the middle surrounded by a thin line of orange-red, and beyond that on the edges and under-side it is a soft sand color. Its top is domed, and the under side is flat with a slightly curved opening winding down the middle with small ridges on both sides.

I knew it had to have a name, but I could not remember what it was. I did a little online searching and was soon able to answer my own question. Its name is Cowry aka Cowrie or in Hindu Kauri. They come in various sizes and color patterns. I had to smile when I read that it is the shell of a sea snail. The snail has become somewhat of a totem or animal spirit for me this past year or so.

I also found it strangely coincidental that I found it a day before the start of Diwali – the Festival of Lights in India. I read that the Kauri shells are seen as a symbol of the Goddess Lakshmi. I don’t know very much about these things, but they do intrigue me.

At the end of a tiring work day, I like to let my imagination ponder the spirit of Lakshmi running through my life and mind. I’ll save my found shell and place it somewhere special.