One Big Turtle

 I had an assistant today.  He and I went to the Neville Museum to gawp at the Savage Ancient Seas exhibit.  It's filled with prehistoric fossil replicas.  OJ knows the names of lots of them.  I don't.  Every time I said anything about the big turtle, he corrected me with the proper name.  Do you think I remember it?  No, I don't.  Trust me, it was a big turtle, almost as big as a Smart Car, with flippers.  Huge.

I took this blurry picture of a Downy Woodpecker mostly to show how quickly the suet pellets disappear around here.  One of the squirrels is especially enamored of them and takes every opportunity to hang on the feeder and nibble away.  The woodpeckers aren't far behind and even the Chickadees and Sparrows take their turns pecking at them.  I love seeing the birds, I don't love the expense.

This is not the suet pellet squirrel.  This squirrel isn't adept at scaling the crook and getting to the good stuff.  It sits on the ground gazing up at the suet cakes, jumps onto a Slinky, rides it down, and jumps off.  I've taken to strewing a couple handfuls of sunflower seeds in the grass for the poor thing.

Today's toss was the last of the camisole tank tops.

I didn't do prompts today.  Instead I went to the museum, colored, played with clay, went to the park, played foosball and shuffleboard, and kept a 5-year-old fed, watered, and entertained.  It was a full, fun day.

--Barbara

Entered

Today was the first day that Fair entries could be taken in, so I took them in.  I met some friends and we got all of our entries tagged and pinned and ready to be judged tomorrow morning.  Sunday is pickup day, that's when I find out if I've won any ribbons.

The birds were about today.  There are two or three Downy Woodpeckers that take turns on the suet pellets and cakes.  One of them even flies over to the bamboo plant stake next to the house and has a few pecks on the aluminum siding but I'm sure there aren't any tasty morsels there.  P.S. I filled the feeder after I took this picture.

I hoped that this Goldfinch would turn around so I could take a picture of its face but it resolutely kept its back turned.  They never stay long so I was lucky to get this.

And the juvenile Cardinal was back today too.  I like the faint hints of red on the wings and tail which you can't really see but, trust me, they're there.

The geraniums are in their mid-summer glory.  I've got four pots of them and they're surviving pretty well considering I forget to dead head them and only water them every once in a while.

Today's toss was another camisole tank top.  They're almost gone!

The prompt today said that you're on a solo hike and your backpack is getting heavier by the step.  In it is water, food, your favorite keepsake, and your cellphone.  What do you get rid of?  That was an easy choice for me, I'd get rid of the keepsake.  I'm not so much of a "thing" person.  I keep memories in my head and my heart and don't feel the need for tangible reminders.

--Barbara

And... Done!

Finished the Investment Cooking this afternoon.  I made Salisbury Steak which smells so good it's hard not to save one portion for the night's supper but I was strong and got them all into the freezer before temptation overtook me.  Now I have six weeks of suppers put away so I don't continue eating bad things.  It's been a bad week of making poor choices but tomorrow I'll get back onto the straight and narrow.  Cross my heart.

There are still some orange day lilies blooming on the retaining wall.

 

 

And one red day lily showed up this morning too.

 

 

The sedum is starting to bloom.  Over time these pale green flowers will turn a shade of pink and then age to a rusty bronze color.  These are the only mid- to late-summer bloomers in the yard.

I had a bunny visitor to check out the seed fallout from the feeder.

 

 

A Mourning Dove squeezed itself into the platform feeder this morning.  I can't for the life of me figure out how it gets in there.

 

Today's toss was a side-view mirror that I never put on the bicycle that I never ride.  And a book that I sat and reread this afternoon and evening.  A paper book!  I haven't read a paper book in a coon's age.

The prompt today said to write a story with unlikeable characters.  I wrote about a liar.  Ugh.

--Barbara

Three Years

I had a busy day today.  I kept myself busy because today is the three year anniversary of Durwood's passing.  I thought of him a lot today but not sadly.  I made sure to entertain only happy memories.

The big thing I did today was cook (and wash dishes).  Yesterday I forgot to say that I put Chicken Cacciatore in the slow cooker.  Today I made Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls and Chicken Breasts Pierre.  Yes, I'm hurrying through the Investment Cooking this time.  It feels like the right thing to do.  Only one more recipe to go.

This morning there was a juvenile or female Cardinal on the feeder.  Now that she's found her way here I guess she likes it.

A squirrel made itself at home hanging on the suet pellets.  Part of me wants to chase it away and part of me is transfixed at the way it can work through the mesh for bites.

 

After the cooking and the dish washing, I went out and mowed the lawn.  The humidity left Thursday night so it was bearable to mow in the sunshine.  There was an interesting looking bug on one of the Purple Coneflowers.  I wonder what it is.

Tonight I finished the Green Dishcloth.  Tomorrow I'll dig around and find some not-cotton yarn to knit with to give my hands a rest.

Today's toss was another camisole tank top.  I didn't realize that I had so many but at least it's the right season for them to be in the thrift shop.

The prompt today asked what charity you'd set up and why.  I couldn't think of a charity but I'd like for all races and religions to get along.  I so enjoy that fact that Green Bay is a more diverse city than it was when I was growing up here.  I want every ethnic group to open a restaurant or food truck so I can try all of the foods and learn about their cultures.  I want adults to be like kids.  Kids just play, they don't look at color or ethnicity, they just see other kids.  I want us all to be like that.  Not much chance of that but I can dream.

--Barbara

More Birdies

This morning was another good one for seeing different birds.  There was the usual Downy Woodpecker at the suet pellets (which I won't bore you with) but then a pair of Cardinals came to the platform feeder.  I haven't seen a female Cardinal all summer and there one was.

But the bird that I was most happy to see was this Nuthatch that visited and stayed long enough to have its picture taken.  I was even more impressed that the Cardinal tolerated it at the feeder at the same time.  It didn't lunge at the Nuthatch to drive it away.  I wonder why.  All of the House Finches and Sparrows get the lunge treatment.

The Black-eyed Susans are still abloom.  I don't know how long the flowers last but it seems like it's a good long time.  There are flowers on three of the plants and there are smaller plants between them that should flower next summer.  I hope.

This was the lone Stella d'Oro lily blooming today.  

 

 

And the orange tiger lily had a blossom on it today too.

 

I knitted on the Green Dishcloth tonight at Friday Night Knitting but my hands got tired so I quit knitting a little early and just visited.  Cotton yarn doesn't have any give to it so it can be tiring to knit with.  I need to dig out some other yarn.

Today's toss was another two camisole tank tops.

The prompt today said to think of some song lyrics that you misheard and write a story about them.  The one that springs to mind is: "I can see all Popsicles in my way."  (it's supposed to be "obstacles")  So I wrote a little story about someone dropping Popsicles from a box on the sunny sidewalk.  Sticky, and not very interesting.

--Barbara

Bird Day

Today was a bird day at the feeders.  No, really, even more than usual.  First there was a Bluejay that came shrieking around.  I don't know what it was looking for since the peanut wreath was empty, the corn cobs were bare, and the platform feeder was filled with just hulls.  It landed on the crook and posed a bit.

Then a Hummingbird showed up to sip at the nectar feeder.  After a few sips it flew up to the patio door to look in at me.  I snapped a picture but it was one tiny blur, dang it.

The Downy Woodpeckers arrived to peck at the emptying suet pellets and totally empty suet cakes but I was busy cooking and didn't get a picture.  A Nuthatch came to the feeders too.  Once again I wasn't fast enough to get a picture.  I wish I had a camera implanted in my eye so I could snap a shot when I see something worthwhile and not have to dash for the camera and hope the danged bird holds still long enough.

Today was the first day of this bout of Investment Cooking.  First I had to go to the grocery for supplies and, naturally, I missed listing an item so I had to go to a different store in the middle of the second recipe.  Man, I hate when I don't double check to make sure I have what I need.  First I made Chickpea Curry, then Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Breasts, and now I have Chicken Tikka Masala in the slow cooker.  It'll be done in about an hour.  I've made two batches of brown rice too.  That leaves four more recipes to get finished before Tuesday which is trash night.  With all of the raw meat packages in there I have to time the cooking so that I'm done when it's time to take out the trash, especially in summer when the garbage reeks.

Today's toss was another couple camisole tank tops.  I hat to see them go but I can't wear them in public.

The prompt today asked what "living dangerously" means to you.  Right now, living dangerously means going into a store without a mask.  The proliferation of the delta variant scares me.  With the inability of the littles to get vaccinated I'm doing everything I can think of to make sure I don't carry the virus to them.

--Barbara

Back From (Sorta) Camping

I went to the campground.  I even sat by a campfire.  But I was not camping.  Lala slept in her tent, I went to a motel to sleep.  It was so hot and so humid I don't know how she slept.  I was fine in the air conditioning.  😉

Yesterday morning I drove down to meet Lala in Waupaca, about an hour away.  She was just setting up her new tent and getting her campsite organized.  All around her site were these
knee-high plants with these pretty yellow flowers dangling from them.  I don't know what they are but aren't they pretty?

We decided to take a walk and found this little stream burbling alongside the trail.  It was a nice, wide trail so we weren't walking through tall grass or brush so didn't have to worry about ticks.  We were in the shade but there also wasn't much of a breeze.  Hot and humid.

 

In the afternoon we took a stern-wheeler boat tour of the Chain of Lakes.  Despite our hopes, the boat was too slow to make much of a breeze and the sun beat down on the upper deck so about halfway through Lala and I decided to stop stressing our sunblock and retire to the lower deck.  All of the windows were open so there was a slight breeze but at least we were in the shade.  We made the executive decision to have an early supper in the restaurant at the marina rather than go back to the campsite to make a fire and cook our brats on sticks.  It was just too hot and the restaurant was air conditioned.  Ahh.  I had a pesto and chicken flatbread which was delicious and not too pricey for a resort area restaurant.

This morning it cooled down to 70 degrees so Lala texted that she was making a fire and to come back if I wanted to.  I wanted to.  She made a nice fire and we got out the toasting forks, each of us speared a bratwurst, and we had brats for breakfast.  Yum.  Not very Weight Watcher-y but delicious.

Today's toss was a camisole tank top that I took along to wear in the heat but it was way too big and looked terrible.  Luckily I had another top with me, just in case.  I don't know why I thought that tops that fit me 65 pounds ago would still fit.  They don't.  Out they go, one at a time.

The prompt today asked what is the worst that could happen.  Losing one of my children or grandchildren.  I don't know how people survive that.

--Barbara