Ferns

This hot weather we've had the last few days has really sent the fern fronds popping. One variety, I don't remember its name, sends up tall curls of fronds on dark purple stems that remind me of a bishop's staff.

The other fern grows from the center of last year's plant and starts out as a cluster of little green fists that unfurl in bright green fronds.

I cleaned out the finch feeder and realized how moldy it was. Yuk. I had a time getting all of the old seed and crud out of the feeder so when I went back to the birdseed store for the forgotten finch seed I broke down and bought a new feeder. I was afraid that I'd never attract Goldfinches again if I used the old, moldy feeder. I can remove the bottom of this feeder and clean it out which will be better for keeping the seed nice for the birdies.

The daily art page today was all about shading, making shade swatches, and then drawing a simple object using different degrees of shading. I won't bore you with that dull picture but I loved the next figure in the 15-Minute Artist. It was a toadstool and I think it looks like a cartoon. I love it!

Then I took another go at the face I've been drawing for the last two days. I think the eyes are a little better but I didn't make the nose long enough. I'm determined to make this poor lady look decent. I'll try again.

After that I turned to the next page in the 10-Step: Everyday Things book to find an umbrella which was easy and fun to draw. I am especially enchanted by the puddle. I don't know why.

The last couple days I kept seeing a dark gray bird with a black cap on its head and couldn't figure out what kind of bird it was. Naturally it didn't stay around or come close enough to have its picture taken so I could identify it and show it to you but I paged through my bird books this afternoon and found it. It's a Gray Catbird called that because its call sounds like a cat crying. Eerie. Maybe it'll come closer so I can take its picture one of these days.

I went out to pull the tall, yellow-flowered weeds (not dandelions, those are still short) in the yard which were the only reason that I'd need to mow and nearly melted. It was 90 degrees and humid and it wasn't even 11 o'clock in the morning. Tomorrow is supposed to be another hot and humid day and then it's supposed to cool down to normal early next week. I sincerely hope that it isn't hot and humid for my week at The Clearing for which I leave in eight more days. But who's counting?

Today's toss was a pair of shoes that I hated to get rid of but haven't worn in probably three years. They're waterproof garden/rain shoes with chickens printed on them. I love them but don't wear them so why keep them. 

--Barbara