THE DUST WILL WAIT

As the oddest of days, weeks, and months perplex and confuse, it is calming to see an early August moon peak over the mountains. The trusty cell phone that seems my constant companion takes acceptable results and gives me the false sense that I have figured out how to take night time photos.  I haven't.  This was luck and the only one with minimal blur and that interesting reflected fence provided by the neighbors security light. Earlier that day the excitement came from finding someones parakeet feeding with sparrows.   The little buffet on the ground is provided for the quail and dove that visit our backyard at least once a day. But they have not presented any young.  I've assumed they were meals for the feral cats and several hawks that hunt relentlessly in our neighborhood. A  Cooper's Hawk grabbed a squawking young sparrow when I was standing nearby, so I know they aren't shy about my presence.   Little parakeet did not return this morni...

Spring in the valley teased its way well into June.  Even July has not breathed its summer dragon in the foothills of the mountains.  (I have a narrow comfort zone so I say restrain the beast as long as possible.) And,  as the unseasonably cool breezes prompted me to wear a sweatshirt over my worn garden togs,  my eyes were drawn to something strange growing in the Physostegia Virginoiana,  aka Obedient Plant.  I studied the leaves carefully as I touched them with garden gloves.  (Why do I wear them?  I still get dirt beneath my finger nails!)   There was something very familiar about the narrow leaf and the stem that was stretching with impatience to reach the mid morning sun.  (The morning shade is a result of the neighbors ancient towering silver maples. They are a love hate relationship.) With recognition, a childhood emotion swept over me.  Memories of racing through meadows surrounded by towering firs and cedars....

We took some grandchildren to see FROZEN and now we know who to blame for this.

After yesterday's feeding frenzy,  I woke this morning in a fog.  When I looked out the window I realized that I was in good company.  It was also freezing.  The calendar says it isn't winter yet.  Nobody told the weather. I checked the heater in the bird feeder. I set it on the rock waterfall because the birds already flock to that spot.   That little device has been working overtime by several years.  I've wondered if it would wear thin and produce an electric shock.  It does look a bit worse for wear. Jack Frost creates delicate filigree for such a cranky old fellow.  The Yew is evergreen.  The berries are poisonous. The Burning Bush.  Also warnings about Toxicity. The Star Magnolia.  Harmless! Mizelle's face has her own creative efforts from chowing down on leftover pumpkin pie.  Pumpkin pie - very edible.  Eating it at grandma's computer?  Dangerous!

Today is the last day the neighborhood robins and friends can drink at the rock waterfall.  Tomorrow it will be winterized.  Note:  Cedar Waxwing down in front   You can see the net over the pond and on the lower level of the fountain which deters Herons and Kingfishers from having our fish for their winter feasts. The pesky magpie! In case you might feel sorry for the thirsty bunch, please know that I will be putting up my heated bird bath to keep the feathered flock coming back!  

I didn't get a post in yesterday for my 30 days in November. Yesterday's birding quest in the morning ended in the middle of nowhere in a downpour.  Yes!  I did look at the weather report -  it was off by several hours with the predictions. Grand Auntie Fern's check up at the clinic went well.  She is 104 and now in a care home. This summer she fell and broke her hip.  Things have gone down hill.  She is unable to walk.   However, her wonderful sense of humor is intact along with lots of 100 year memories. But short term has been zapped and she now thinks she is a little girl and wants to go home to live with her dad.   Her heart rate and blood pressure are better than mine; she may outlive us all.  Next week it is the eye physician, and the week after that is the dentist.  Hopefully there won't be any snow and ice until after these are completed for the year. Lunch with my "almost 17" year-old granddaughter yesterday was fun. ...

Last month my four year old granddaughter asked me if she could look at the photos on my cell phone.  I answered, "sure" and then went on with whatever I was doing. Later that day I picked up the cell phone and found the following new shots in my gallery.  She was busy. The land line phone in my bedroom: The pink Anemones blossoming next to the patio: The Lobelia in the front yard.  She's not supposed to go out front alone! This one had me going for a few minutes.  ????  Scratching head. AWWW! The fish food container that Grandpa left on the patio table. Grandma (me) at the computer through her own reflection. There you have it.  The world as seen through the eyes of  Mizelle.

Working in the flowers is mostly a pleasurable activity for me. The month of August, however,  required a lot more sweat and drudgery from me, and much of that time I was on my knees. That is because in late July we were invited to be a late submission to an annual pond and garden event that raises money for a worthy cause. The September weekend event may be timed to allow for more people to take part and more money to be raised.  It isn't, however, timed to take advantage of the the more prolific garden colors.  In fact,the majority of our colorful bloomers were past their zenith, and many had no blossoms at all. This made me spend more time with some of the fall blooming plants.  They were faithfully fertilized, dead-headed, and weeded daily. The pond is entirely my husband's domain.  The water-lilies had been stunned by a algae bloom problem earlier in the summer and had been "iffy" for several months.  They would be a disappointment. But, the ...

In early May of this year, a little mallard hen and her chicks spent several days in our backyard enjoying the security of our fence and the pleasure of our little pond. A long story made short --  she and her 8 babies were chased by a dog.  My 3-year-old and 5-year-old grandchildren helped me gather the surviving six ducklings and carry them into our yard.  Mama Duck needed no more encouragement to follow us then her babies excited peeps. She decided it was a good place to be. Eventually, someone left a gate open, and the Mama Duck decided it was time for her family to head out. Immediately they  encountered another neighborhood dog which paid no attention to them whatsoever. Unfortunately, Mama Duck squawked with alarm and they all scattered... leaving one duckling behind. We made some calls and another neighbor had a friend with domestic ducks who agreed to take the baby. But it had to be kept in its own container and not with the other ducks. ...

I love all my flowers.  Each one is my favorite when it blooms. But, sometimes I admit to bias towards the Ligularia that grows beneath the Smoke Tree. When I bought it, the Ligularia was post bloom and nearly dead in its little container.  It was some kind of late season sale and I could buy everything for 90% off.   That was probably 15 years ago. It grows a bit larger every year but doesn't seed.  The blooms last for a short time, but I leave the stalks to dry until I can't put it off any longer and then clip them off.  It appreciates the shade of the smoke tree and wilts if the sun reaches the greenery. This photo was taken in 2007 --  but you can see how large the leaves are and how perfectly the yellow spikes display their confetti style blossoms. This  was an early morning capture this summer -- a brave stalk sneaking a peak through the branches of the Smoke Tree. I guess I admire the fragile beauty and its stubborn resol...

I've heard the voice of this little wren in the bushes around my patio  -- echoing through my back yard as if through a megaphone.  So much volume coming out of this little feathered bit of avian life. Today it actually perched in the top of the pine that grows in our neighbors yard and hangs its branches over into the corner of our back yard.  As it declared its territory I dare not infringe -  instead I stayed on my side of the yard and used the digital zoom to captured its aria of spring. I was hoping another Bewick would respond.  Perhaps now would be a good time to find a wren box and place it in a safe nesting spot.

This is Day 13 in the Two Weeks of Autumn Photo Challenge and the subject is color. Here it is, October 5 in our valley, and things are still very green.  The fact that it rained last night - a very pleasant patter on the sky window -- could mean that things will be more likely to turn brown than the seasonal yellow, amber, and reds.  I hope I'm wrong. In the meantime we are still enjoying the pink Anenome and other plants facing east, and the Zinnias in the vegetable patch, The variety of blossoming plants on the north side of the house. Here's some proof that fall colors have arrived:  the American Goldfinch.  They have all lost their bright yellow spring and summer colors.  You may have to click on the image to see it there on the feeder. And, I noticed there were a few scattered yellow leaves on the ground.  I suspect by next week we will be seeing a lot more of those and our rakes, too! I'm so proud of myself ...  I finally di...

During the summer the sunlight invades our yard at dawn and wakes us if we forget to close the shades very tight.  But as the sun moves with the shortening days, the neighbors huge maple trees block it and our yard stays shaded late into the morning.  As you can see, however, it finds its way between the branches and leaves to poke holes of light that shimmer around our yard.   The sun will return at yet a much southern angle as the leaves disappear and the days grow cold and short.  But for now, I'll take the dappled morning sunbeam hellos and enjoy. Join the sunlight on Day 11 of Faye's Autumn Photo Challenge!  Click HERE ~!

What do you do when you don't know how to use all those fancy dials and switches for night shots on your Canon?  And what do you do when the Moon Phase is a Waxing Crescent at 4% of Full and you aren't even sure it is going to show up between the clouds?  And what do you do when you don't have any celestial photos in your archives, and you don't have any heavenly decor hanging on your patio or deck?  What do you do when you have nothing to post for  Day 7, Harvest Moon" on the Two Weeks in Autumn photo Challenge ? You panic because it's after dusk.  You race to take a photo of your bounty of acorn squash and the zucchini. You groan at the Leeks in the background and hope you find a home for most because you can't possibly cook and eat that much soup.  You sigh because you know you'll have to explain how the Zinnia starts got mixed up with the vegetable starts and that's why they bloom in gay profusion between the peppers and the squa...

Autumn's yield  of Concord Grape from our back yard arbor will not even provide enough for my annual batch of jam.  The cold spring and summer are to blame.  Now I wonder if I should just leave them for the birds so that they will have a winter treat this year. To add your photo to Faye's Two Weeks in Autumn Photo Challenge - Day 3, click   **here*** .

Our open window was only hinting the promise of dawn that morning last week as we lay on our backs beneath it, giggling like school children. We have lived in this house over three decades and we thought we knew our neighborhood, and would have argued that there was nothing new under (or before) the sun.   But, apparently we didn’t and there was. I was roused from the perfect sleep by a siren approaching from the east.   Listening for sirens is a very old habit left over from years of being a firefighter’s wife.    Back then I would have a moment of fear and worry, and then I would shake it off and whisper a prayer of protection for him and his co-workers. So, there I lay. Still availing a quiet prayer for life and property.  Also hoping the emergency vehicle would pass quickly and let me go back to sweet snoring ignorant bliss.  Then I heard it.  A dog began to howl its deep base accompaniment   of the whining siren....

Last week my daughter Karmyn received the radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer.  It was of course precautionary. She has been doing very well this week and we are all breathing easier and giving thanks. My week was easier than hers...staying with the kids.  I reminded Jammin and Buttercup to practice the piano and the Caboose to go potty. (When you are three it is so easy to play too long!)  We went to the park one day and visited the Hasty Freeze for shakes on another day.  And we pulled out my watercolors and played at being artsy another afternoon.    They still missed their mama very much.  Every night I woke up with at least one extra head on the other pillow. *** The drive home on Saturday was spectacular in its presentations of blues, greens, and browns.  The sun was bright and the prevailing wind pushed me along the gorge.   An osprey surprised me when it flew along side and then in front of me with a wiggly...

 Swallowtail  Snake River Sky Snake River - Fishhook Park with Grands (Interloper on far left.. ha ha) Snake River - Leaving the dock Life is Grand (five of them) Fish Pond at night Can you see me? Sparrow Food looking at the camera   Bees with Garlic breath Such is life