Wildlife

I kept my eye out for backyard wildlife today. My favorite picture is this one of a chipmunk pressing its belly to the cool cement in the shade of the patio. It got up to 88 degrees again today and the humidity was right up there near 60% so it was a hot one. I'd probably press my belly to the cool cement if I didn't have air conditioning.

This picture of the baby bunny turned out kind of blurry (and I'm not sure why) but it's getting bigger every day. Today it spent some time nibbling around the violet leaves that are growing through the gaps in the patio blocks.

I filled the birdfeeders and this Sparrow was the first one on the round feeder and then it flew up to the suet pellets. The Sparrows have gotten addicted to the suet pellets and spend most of the day after I fill the feeder squabbling for a space on there to peck at the pellets through the mesh and they make short work of it.

Before it got too hot out I took the loppers out and trimmed that trash tree or big tree-like shrub back so when I mow on Sunday I don't have to duck under the overhanging branches. And now I can see the day lilies when they bloom.

 

Another thing that didn't get scraped out when they took out the garden last year is peppermint. It's growing in a nice patch in the lawn so it'll smell great when I mow in a couple days.

I flipped to the next page in Seuss-isms to find the Grinch and his dog Max. They were fun to draw and turned out looking almost like they're supposed to look.

This evening at Friday Night Knitting I got out the sock and realized that I'd pulled out the needle from half of the stitches. Uh-oh. I very carefully and quickly threaded the needle back through the loose stitches and only missed one which I caught right away. I am convinced that this sock is going to be way too big in the foot but I'm too far along to rip it out and start over. Way too far. Maybe I'll send it on a trip through the dryer when it's finished.

And I added six rounds to the Rainbow Brioche Beanie tonight too. You can't see it on this side but I somehow added a stitch between the white rows so there's another mistake that I can't fix. This may be a problem when I get to the crown decreases. Maybe I can knit two together?

Last week I redid the Categories and Keywords on all versions of my books and can't believe what a difference that has made. Still haven't got any more sales but the Impressions and Clicks have skyrocketed. Impressions are the gold bar graph, the Clicks are the purple spikes, and Ad Spend is the blue spikes. There's one lonely green spike which is my lone sale since I started this ad odyssey. See how much taller the gold bars on the right are?

I saw a meme on FB the other day that said "Everyone would be happy if pot fields were burning instead of forests" so I spent the afternoon trying to write a story about that. It didn't go well. I'll keep trying.

--Barbara

A Lily Day

When I went out to refill the birdbath after a Robin splashed out most of the water I noticed that the orange day lilies on the west edge of the backyard have started to bloom. There's a trash tree growing at the lot line that overshadows them. I might have to go out this weekend with the loppers and cut it back so they get more sunlight and I can mow without getting smacked in the face with branches.

In front the red day lily is continuing to bloom. I wish I could paint these. Maybe I'll give it another try.

And Dad's rose, while not a lily, is still blooming. Most of the blossoms in the clusters are fading and the petals are falling but I did find this one rose that's still looking good.

Another Downy Woodpecker landed on the patio umbrella today and then it flew over to the platform feeder. Finally it flew to the suet pellets feeder which is completely empty but it spent a little time hanging upside down poking around in the mesh for crumbs.

I drew the next Chibis today--a goat and a hamster. I think the goat doesn't look like a goat but I like the hamster and its chubby cheeks.

Later in the afternoon I pulled out my paints and tried my hand at a skyscape. I probably should have added a couple birds to the sky but I didn't. There isn't a lot to it but parts of it please me. That white heap is supposed to be a big cloud. It's terrible, I see that now.

While watching a little TV tonight I started another crocheted hat, this one in gray and purple. I kind of wish I'd used a dark red for the accent color but I'm too far into it to rip it out and start again. Next time.

In addition to the heat (it hit 89 today), the humidity has arrived. It seems cruel that we have to have it hot, humid, and smoky. I was going to take a walk after supper but it hadn't really cooled off much and was still muggy and smoky so I bailed. Stupid smoke. 

--Barbara

Nothing

I went down to the downtown library this afternoon to sort books and there weren't any. Not one bag or box or pile or book. So I went downtown, paid for an hour's parking, turned right around, and came home. Oh well.

I spent the morning goofing off on the computer. Checking emails, reading emails, checking my Amazon ads marketing page to see if anything was happening (a couple clicks but still no more sales). I took a shower and got dressed which some days (like today) feels like an accomplishment.

Drawing today was out of 20 Ways to Draw a Tree, so all nature things like a bird, a stemmed flower, and a fern. The fern drawing got big so it kind of took up most of the page. I don't know how that happened.

A Downy Woodpecker landed on the patio umbrella and sat there for quite a
while. It looked around and didn't fly over to the suet cakes so I'm not sure why it visited. Just touring the neighborhood, I guess.

I spent a bit of the day working on another manuscript scene. This one only managed to get to 500 words before the idea ran out but 500 is better than zero.

DS called as I was just getting home from the library so say that his afternoon was kind of blowing up and would I be willing to get the kids from camp and take them home. Of course! The funny thing is that I had the thought this morning that one of these days he'd call to ask me that very thing. Woo, precognition. It was kind of freaky.

--Barbara

Red Sun Setting

We have been the beneficiaries of Canadian wildfire smoke for days. It's not as bad as it was in NYC a couple weeks ago but there's a definite haze and it smells like a campfire outside. When I was coming back from my little walk this evening I noticed the sun was looking reddish and you can kind of see the haze. The smoke can go away any day now. It makes my lungs hurt.

This morning I saw a little female House Finch on the orange half. Later in the day another House Finch was perched on the grape jelly dish dipping its beak in. I haven't seen a Oriole since the last time I put a picture on here. Haven't seen a Hummingbird either. I don't know if they're coming early or if they've moved on.

I went out and clipped down all of the asparagus tops this afternoon. I don't go out and check for them (which I probably should do but I'm still peeved that it didn't get dug up when the garden was removed) and they were too tall to cut with the mower. Then I noticed how pretty the Stella d'Oro lilies looked nestled in the day lily leaves. I was not tempted to try to paint them again.

I spent a couple hours before and after lunch working on another manuscript scene. I think part of what I wrote needs to be deleted because it's just blabber and boring but some of it might get to stay.

Today's drawings from 20 Ways to Draw a Jellyfish are a seal, a sea serpent, a sea slug, a seashell, and a sponge. I especially like the sea serpent. And I just noticed that everything I drew today starts with an "S." How about that.

Around suppertime a pair of Downy Woodpeckers came to investigate the empty suet pellet feeder. This juvenile one stayed long enough to have its picture taken. I wasn't sure it was a Downy because the whole top of its head is rusty red but I searched a couple bird books and Sibley had pictures of them in all stages. I've never seen one like this.

I got another Click today and have almost 2800 Impressions but still no more sales. The Amazon Ads Challenge runs next month again so I signed up hoping to learn things that I missed last time. It can't hurt and it's free.

--Barbara

And More Rain

It was actively raining when I finally got out of bed this morning. Such a pleasant way to wake up in these drought-y days. And it kept drizzle raining until the afternoon so the overnight and morning rain filled the birdbath which means we got at least 1/4" of rain. Hooray!

The Stella d'Oro lilies are loving the rain. Eight of the eleven plants are blooming. Naturally there's a two-plant gap in the middle so I can't go up there and take a long shot of the whole line of them but I did get a couple nice pictures from the patio, one of which I'll share with you.

As promised I drew and colored a picture today. It's from 10-Step Drawing: Flowers and it's a waterlily. I wasn't confident that I could draw the petals the right way but I focused on the instructions and managed pretty well. I think.

Then I turned to Draw 500 Sea Creatures and drew a seal, a merman with trident, and a black coral. Fun.

After supper I decided to try painting a Stella d'Oro lily. Not a success. Not anywhere close to a success. My favorite part is the buds on the left. The flower is pitiful and the background is awful. What a waste of paint and paper.

Changing the Categories and Keywords on my books has really made a difference. I went from an average of between 500 and 700 Impressions a day to around 2500 Impressions yesterday and today. I got a click today. Maybe I'll get another sale soon. Fingers crossed.

--Barbara

Rain!

We had rain today! Not a lot but any rain is better than no rain. The street was wet when I opened the shades this morning and it puckered up and rained around lunchtime. There was even thunder. It rained for about 20 minutes and then it sprinkled when I was coming home from the grocery an hour later. And then it quit. I got hit by about ten raindrops when I was taking a little walk this evening but nothing to hurry me along. But I'm so glad we got a little rain.

During a dry period a Cardinal came to investigate the fallen seed. He found a peanut on the patio and carried it around in his beak for a while before breaking it up and eating it.

I went back to Things With Wings for drawing practice today and drew a butterfly, an angel, a ladybug, a paper airplane, and a toucan. I know that these pictures aren't as interesting as the chibis or the Seussian drawings but for some reason drawing these figures in ink satisfies something within me. I promise to do something colorful tomorrow.

I spent the afternoon squeezing out a scene for my manuscript. It wasn't something I'd thought of before but I gave Rose a party guy for a guest. She didn't appreciate him needing a beer at breakfast. Imagine having beer and egg casserole or muffins. Ugh. But I managed almost 1500 words so it was a good afternoon.

Spending yesterday afternoon redoing my Amazon Ads Categories and Keywords has really paid off in an increase in Impressions. No Clicks or Sales yet but Impressions have increased threefold yesterday and today. That has to make a difference.

I've been obsessed with eating watermelon lately (along with my obsession with pretzel rods) so I bought a personal size watermelon at the grocery today instead of a box of precut watermelon chunks (which they were out of). On the drive home the round watermelon escaped from the bag that it was in and was rolling around in the wayback of my car. When I realized that it was loose back there my driving became very careful because I didn't want it to slam around and break open and make a mess. Happily I got it home in one piece. Tomorrow I cut it up and bag the pieces.

--Barbara

Small & Furry

I saw a streak of brown dart across the patio this morning and there was a chipmunk gobbling up fallen birdseed. Chipmunks are so small and so skittish, I was amazed at how long it stayed there, even lunging a Mourning Dove to keep its distance.

Then this Robin was standing in the birdbath. I thought it was going to duck down and splash around so I got the camera ready but all it did was dip its beak into the water a few times to get a drink. Maybe its feet were hot? I waited a while, one eye pressed to the viewfinder, but it never did anything else. Then it flew away.

It was another hot one today and Dad's roses are holding up pretty well. It got up to 91 degrees today and now it's merely 78 degrees and it's after 9pm. Things are supposed to cool off for the next few days and they're even talking about rain in the area tomorrow.

I decided to copy the figures that had the fewest lines to draw the sea creatures today. I like the crocodile, the dolphin, the lionfish, and the lobster. The eel, not so much, although I suspect that the problem is operator error

Then I pulled out my paints and a picture of a Bluejay and tried my hand at it. I think it turned out pretty well.

I finished the Toast & Cream Hat tonight while watching back-to-back Longmire episodes. I'm almost through the first season. Although I like Lou Diamond Phillips I'm disappointed that they didn't find a Native actor to play his part. They don't stick close to the books which I'm a big fan of but the show's worth watching.

I spent some time this afternoon redoing the Categories and Keywords on all of my books in all of their forms. Amazon changed their Category parameters so that they're more in line with real-life search terms so changing them might make my books easier to find. I was able to run a search term report on the Marketing page so that I could make them into Keywords which might also make my titles pop up in searches. I got another click today so I know that my books are showing up in searches. This marketing gig is a lot of work.

--Barbara

Lots of Roses

I looked out at Dad's rose today and was amazed that almost all of the buds that were so tightly closed when I took pictures last week have opened. There are three clusters of roses and the fragrance is divine.

The Stella d'Oro lilies are still going strong too. Each flower only lasts a day but there are lots of buds on the plants and lots of flowers to enjoy.

I filled all of the birdfeeders this morning and spilled a bit of seed on the patio. This Catbird found the spilled seed and made short work of it. I like his sleek gray feathers and his black cap. Also the jaunty tilt of his tail.

This Sparrow was the first bird to arrive after the feeders got filled. I don't know how they get the message although I have long suspected that the Chickadees are the messengers. They're usually the first to arrive at a filled feeder and they always have something to say. I haven't seen a Hummingbird in weeks or an Oriole in about a week but their food disappears so they must be coming in the early morning before I'm up.

I'm working my way, page by page, through 20 Ways to Draw a Jellyfish so today we have a walrus, an angelfish, a whale, a clownfish, and a crab. They're fun to draw.

From Draw 500 Amazing Sea Creatures I  have a pufferfish, a sea turtle, and a seashell. Not quite as much fun to draw but I do like the way the turtle turned out.

At Friday Night Knitting I added a couple rounds to the Rainbow Brioche Beanie and got almost done with the Toast & Cream Hat. Crocheting goes much faster than knitting. I'm glad I took KE's advice and got out my crochet hook because my knitting mojo seems to be at an all-time low. It'll come back but for now I'll crank out a few charity hats.

It got up to 90 today. Ugh. I'm glad that I went out to water the flowers and fill the feeders before it got that hot. It's supposed to cool down to the high 70s on Sunday and rain on Monday. That will be awesome. We really need rain. Like a whole week of nice, steady rain. Next week I need to mow the weeds in the lawn. The grass isn't growing in this drought but the weeds are thriving. Go figure.

--Barbara

Backyard Sights

This afternoon I took a stroll around the backyard to see what there was to see. First I turned on the hose to water the retaining wall and surprised this baby bunny. It was small enough that it would have fit in my cupped hands. It didn't dash away as soon as I came out or came near, it just sat there munching on some grass and watching me. Only when I went up toward the retaining wall did it run away.

Across the patio the bleeding hearts are just about done blooming. There are a few fading flowers on the long stems, most of them hiding behind leaves, but I found these that were in the open.

The Stella d'Oro lilies are getting into the swing of blooming. I can't stand at the wall and take a long shot of them all because they're too overshadowed by leaves but you can see the enthusiastic flowering of this one plant.

Right after lunch I went down to the library to sort books for an hour. All of the tables were filled by a single layer of bags and boxes of books. I managed to clear off one table while I was there. That felt like a real accomplishment. Lots of fiction hardcovers and paperbacks in the bags that I sorted today. And there was another Barbara for me to chat with for the last half hour of sorting. It's always better to have someone to visit with, makes the time go faster.

 

For drawing practice I opened Draw 20 Jellyfish and drew an anemone, a squid, a seahorse, and a starfish. Some days I feel like I'm getting worse instead of better but I'll keep at it. Keep wasting paper and ink.

I added a few rounds to the Toast & Cream Hat this evening while I watched Maine Cabin Masters on TV. I've seen all of the episodes but that's one show that I can watch over and over. I probably should have put Longmire on Netflix instead of watching reruns but it didn't occur to me until just now. Oh well.

Boy, this was a low energy day. I could have stayed in my jammies and zoned out reading and watching TV all day but I knew that I'd feel guilty if I did that so I pushed myself to do a few things. I feel like I'm not sleeping well lately. That's my excuse anyway.

--Barbara