Back in the day I spent hours photographing the minuscule
life in my garden.
Above you can see a dahlia home for a spider family.
In the large file image you can see that the daddy
has dragged home something for his babies to snack on.
I hope in this smaller file you can see this detail.
The snack is white, almost transparent.
Here is an another image I captured in a nearby flower.
Perhaps the aliens are already here hiding in our gardens.
This one looks harmless to me.
It might be his baby that the spiders are going to eat.
In the natural world you have to eat or be eaten.
Everything is eventually recycled.
Let us take another look at our friendly hoverfly.
Here it is having fun between the sheets(petals) of a peony.
The swirls & whirls of the center disk contain multiple florets.
Their colors range from green to orange to brown.
The pink rays surround the disk & lighten up the garden.
Many insects come to feast on this flower's nectar.
Pictured above you can see an innocent hoverfly has come to visit.
It is harmless to humans & does not sting.
It is a beneficial insect.
The adult feeds on flowers & can pollinate some.
Its larvae, which is its immature phase, is nearly invisible.
The larvae feeds on aphids, & by doing this it helps the gardener.
The Point of Rocks Bridge carries U.S. Route 15 across the Potomac River.
It connects Frederick County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia.
The light and shadow under the bridge merges the real with its reflection.
It reminds me of an old style strip of film, though the picture is digital.
Here the larval skin is shown. The dragonfly is a blue dasher.
The wings are still wet. It will not fly until they are dry.
There was a storm the night before.
This 12 spotted skimmer rests on a blade of blue grass.
Even though its back faces me, its amazing eyes
can watch me within a 360 degree vision range.
My camera rests still upon a tripod.
No nervous motion triggers a flight response.
A picture is captured.
Then it takes flight out of frame.
Recently I witnessed a 12 spotted skimmer
within my pond.
It had climbed up onto the stem of a water lily.
Its larval skin had been shed.
It was still attached nearby.
I always marvel at the wondrous wings
stretched out to dry.
They had successfully unfolded and expanded.
It soon took off,
ready to thrive with a new lease on life.
My garden is finally getting some attention. Each day brings a little improvement.
There are Poke Weed trees in several places by the fences.. Their identification was verified by a New York Botanical Garden photo including an informative article. They have red stems with an abundance of berries which turn dark purple as they ripen. Their name is thought to come from an Algonquin word “pokan” which means bloody. I have cut down and pulled out of the ground several of them, though I am considering keeping the tallest one. It is located up against a fence in a spot not ideal for anything else. It might help some birds survive the winter. The chance of the birds spreading the seeds is 100 percent.
After I read the New York Botanical Garden article featuring poke weed I explored the rest of their website. I read about an ongoing exhibition by the artist Ebony G. Patterson which has been extended through October 22, 2023. I wish we lived closer to this garden so I could go see this in person.
The words:” …things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting” caught my attention. This is the name of the exhibition. The black vulture statues positioned among the field of flowers struck me as funny. I used to see black vultures and turkey vultures frequently in my neighborhood. They liked to hang out in trees next to the local little league fields. I would see them on some grocery store dumpsters. I rarely see them anymore. Seeing the picture of the vulture sculptures placed among the flowers seemed out of character for this species. The juxtaposition made me think.
Anyways as usual I went looking for my vulture pictures. I found some, but not the ones I was looking for. I did find a red cardinal beginning to molt. In my garden I have frequently seen the almost bald heads of male and female cardinals.
I like the artist Ebony’s idea of the connection between thriving and the shedding and molting. I feel like I have been shedding and molting for a long time now. I feel ready to thrive. These words uplifted me and made me realize this is how nature works. Thank you Ebony G. Patterson.
Barbie mania is in full swing these days with the upcoming release of the movie, Barbie!
Summer is when I get caught up with my housecleaning projects. We are rearranging the furniture in my daughter’s room, so I took the opportunity to go through old toys & select which to keep & which to give away to Goodwill.
She had way too many Barbie dolls that had seen better days. There were a few to survive the play sessions of my daughter and her daddy. Her daddy told the Barbie stories he made up as she played along. It was good therapy for both of them. (smirk)
The Princess of Holland Barbie and an unknown golden goddess Barbie (that are pictured above) were among the few that seemed to survive the wear and tear of these play sessions.
We never set out to be collectors. We simply purchased them for play.
I can relate better to the gold breastplate and chainmail skirt than the princess with pearls and royal gown. I never had the patience to play for long with Barbie dolls, though I purchased many for my daughter who loved them. I tried to look up their names online since their boxes are long gone. I had success finding the princess but no luck finding the name for our golden goddess (a name which I gave her.)
I filled up the back of my vehicle with toys still in good condition that hopefully another child can enjoy. The room in our house is all cleaned and organized with a new ceiling fan and light.
My garden is still waiting for more attention. I am regularly filling the bird feeders, placed so I can see the birds from our kitchen window. The peanut suet is very popular and two squares last only about 24 hours before they are gone. The seed feeders last a little longer. The local squirrels have learned to climb a tall slick pole on one of them, so it is not uncommon to see these acrobats in action. Sometimes I run out and scare them off, but the way the birds fight has got me thinking…why not let the squirrels spoil their feast now and then.
Back to Barbie…I hope our family can make it out to the theater to see the new Barbie movie with Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig. All the marketing continues, and it makes me smile.
* I have discovered that our golden goddess Barbie is actually the Princess of the Vikings Barbie. We are missing her golden winged helmet & her golden sword.
A simple duet performed by sisters.
The metronome in the corner is used for practice.
There are apps for that now.
The round Seabee plaque on the wall is to honor our father.
He was in Vietnam while we stayed in Port Hueneme (why Nee me).
I no longer remember what song we played.
My dad eventually returned from his war duties.
We moved across the country soon after his return
Our piano moved with us and I continued to take lessons.
My sister's flute was easier to pack and it too traveled with us.
She switched to a piccolo when she joined a marching band.
Two years later I joined the same marching band.
I became a flag girl.
I no longer play the piano since it was sold when I was in high school.
I was not an exceptional player, so my interest wondered away.
The experience was worthwhile even if I did not progress.
Perhaps if my fingers had been longer or my palm had a wider stretch,
it would not have seemed so hard.
There was no passion between me and the piano, so my piano playing ended.
movingforwardslowly 