“Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.”
Psalm 147:7-8 ESV
I guess even the sky has a rib cage. The sky was very blue early Friday, but a lot of days last week were hazy, not just summer haze, but smoky from fires. A high layer of smoke gave us a yellow look at times but no trouble at ground level which has been a health issue in some places. And, since I mentioned a rib cage…
…this will stick to your rib cage and eating it on a regular basis will do a lot to permanently hide your rib cage. But, on Friday the 31st, we took a chance on it and celebrated the 56th anniversary of our “first date” by both having a blueberry/peach semifreddo! Of course we indulged in a few other things as we enjoyed a delightful evening at Bottega!
The Appalachian Foothills, and this spot on Lookout Mountain close to our home offers really great summertime views of parts of Weiss Lake. In younger days I would not have hesitated to set out on a hike to get here (here and back would take all day), but these days it is really nice to be able to park my truck not too far away!
Not the best day this grasshopper has experienced, but maybe some little bluebirds inside the box she’s sitting on will be pleased. Or, maybe this is too big of a bite and she will just eat it herself?
The sunflowers grew fast, grew tall, and bloomed early. Already spent by the end of July, the only thing left was for the birds, literally. I decided this was an eyesore and that it was time to clean up and move on.
I proceeded to remove the flower heads which were loaded with seeds, and mulch them with the mower right in the yard by this bed. The result was thousands of seeds scattered all around. I also had the bright idea to pull up all the old sunflower remains and prepare this spot for something else, or maybe just be ready for next year. This was no easy matter. After taking a break and returning to the task, wild turkeys were behind the Sunshine Cottage and I am thinking they had chosen this place to have lunch. Looking at these roots, I now know why the plants grew as they did. It was a major ordeal to remove the good soil from the roots!
Hummingbird moths have been fairly common this season. This clearwing, with its slightly different coloration is not as common as the one we simply call a hummingbird clearwing. I believe this to be a snowberry clearwing.
The lotus bogs and their flowers are showy in July and August. We have two areas where I find these and they peak at slightly different times, although the spots are not that far apart. This is a swampy area surrounded by woods while the other spot is part of the shallows of a very large lake. I would think the difference in water temperature might be a factor?…just guessing.
A nice July late afternoon on Weiss Lake. This portion can be seen from atop the mountain as in the earlier photo!
The full Buck Moon coincided with the anniversary of the first moon landing on July 29, 1969. I was looking southeast at this rising from our pasture this July, but sitting on a sofa with my Mom in 1969 when those first steps on the moon were taken. Were you around in those days, and do you remember?
As the moon moved a little higher the colors began to change and the thin cloud strips added interest. It is often called the Buck Moon because this is the time buck deer are experiencing maximum antler growth.
I currently have only one camera out back and it sends photos to my phone. I put it in a new place last week. Sent to my phone on Thursday, this buck is growing some nice antlers. The antlers are covered in velvet this time of year. He did us a favor stopping by and posing. The smaller deer is also a buck. There were 3 in one photo, all growing new antlers…so I guess they were celebrating the full moon named after them long ago by native Americans!
Our crape myrtles in the garden and along the drive are my favorite color as far as crape myrtles go. A number of years ago, while cleaning along the edge of the woods beside where I mow regularly, I spotted a small plant and decided to leave it alone. The reason…I thought it was a crape myrtle and was likely an offspring of the very old trees that are nearby along the driveway. Every year for many years I’ve mowed right next to it along the woods and watched it grow. And finally, my suspicions have been confirmed…
…because a few days back, the tree by the woods began to bloom for the first time. But, there is one problem with my original suspicion. This tree by the woods, which is a crape myrtle, is not the same color as any of our other trees? The nearest tree this color is in a neighbor’s yard about a half mile away. Can we thank the birds for this one? It doesn’t get much sun at the woods edge but I’m glad I left it. It has probably been there 10 years!
We spotted this and thought it summed up things quite well. I suppose I have never adjusted to change very well, and I know for sure that aging only adds to this fact!
Even the highly energetic garden ladies do occasionally need a short rest.
Pam recently said to me, “you see the extraordinary in the ordinary”. Well it has nothing to do with anyone but the Creator of all creation whereby everything is extraordinary. This is a new, female pine cone. When pollen was in the air in April, the scales were open so the pollen could enter. The scales then tightly closed, fertilization took place, and seeds began to develop, all within the sealed protection of “mother cone”. Those sharp points even suggest, “leave my seeds alone”. Next year the cone will swell, change colors, and become that woody thing we usually think about when we think “pine cone”. As the seeds mature during the second year, they will eventually be free to escape and be scattered by the wind or wildlife. Depending on the type tree and other factors, it might take even longer for this extraordinary cycle to complete! Just an ordinary, low hanging, pine cone that almost scratched me in the face as I was walking through the yard?…I really don’t think so!
An early in the week sunset as July entered its final week. Our skies were somewhat hazy at the end of the week which was said to be caused by smoke from distant wildfires!
We hope your August is off to a pleasant and peaceful start!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Linking with:
Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
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