Backyard Tour

This morning I noticed that the lone yellow iris has started flowering. There's just one of them up there on the retaining wall so it's got a lot of showing off to do.

 

The purple irises are still going strong. It hasn't been windy or stormy so all but one of them is still standing tall.

 

I don't remember if this is purple sage or purple salvia. I remember that it's a perennial so it comes back every year and every year I'm surprised to see it. The buds aren't quite open yet but soon.

 

The ferns below the kitchen window are shooting up. I love the bright yellow green color and the curlicue at the tops of the fronds. Did you know that some people pick them and eat them when they first sprout? They must have a lot more ferns than I do or a different variety because I don't think mine would be very tasty. I just remembered, the kind they pick are fiddleheads. Mine aren't that kind.

 

In the bird news, the male Oriole came back a few times and once he stayed long enough to have his picture taken. The sharpest one is this one with his beak buried in the jelly so you can't see his face or his bright orange breast but like I said, it's the clearest shot so it's what you get.

 

The House Finches have taken to the orange half in a big way. I watched this male sink its beak in so far that it had to really pull back to get it out. That didn't keep it from going back in for more.

 

And I spied the female Hummingbird coming in for a snack. They're so fast and so skittish that it's rare I get a picture. I confess I had to go into the photo archives for this shot because she was just too fast for me today.

 

This afternoon instead of painting, I sorted through my new watercolors and cut up the ones that weren't pleasing to me. I ended up with 19 little sections that I embossed and then glued onto cards. Some of the embossing folders are thicker than others and those are difficult to crank through. One time I lost my grip on the crank and it sprang back and whacked me in the finger. Ouch! I have a lovely bruised finger and a little blood blister but it doesn't hurt anymore and the finger works just fine.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Botanical Study. Which means taking a real close look at a plant and trying to draw it just right. I have some Lilies of the Valley in a vase on the table so I chose one of those. It isn't great but it's drawn, colored, and done.

 For most of the afternoon I sat here at my desk listening to the audiobook of Spies Don't Retire. I got the email from the producer this morning so I listened to the first 12 (of 50) chapters. So far I only have three things that need fixing. I think that's a pretty impressive job. I hope it continues to be this flawless. The last few publisher-generated audiobooks I've listened to have had mispronunciations in them. Makes me wonder if the author didn't have the opportunity to listen to it first or didn't take the time. I'm glad I can make it as perfect as possible and I'm lucky to have a nice producer who's willing to make changes.

 

DS invited me over for lunch today for a very belated Mother's Day celebration. They're so busy that this was the first day he had time. We've seen each other a few times and he's apologized for the delay but I don't mind. DIL1 and LC were off on a Girl Scout camping night so it was just the boys, me, and one of OJ's school friends. We had a lovely lunch of grilled brats, watermelon cubes, and delicious broccoli and cashew salad from the deli. I love that broccoli salad. OJ's first soccer game is next Wednesday so I'll get to see them all then.

I also watched a 45-minute webinar about book descriptions that I'd signed up to attend on Thursday, forgot about on the day until it had been on an hour, so I watched the replay today. It was informative and I feel good about my book blurbs.

--Barbara