An End

 

Another week has come to an end and I find that my thoughts have turned to you many times through the week (as they normally do) while I snap away at pictures here and there; pictures I think you might like to see.

We took a golf cart ride down our back dirt roads and these first pictures are from that ride.

I don’t know what kind of thistle left these great tufts behind. There’s a line of it along a field by the Game Lands. It seems like I should’ve noticed the flowers long before they faded but for the life of me, I can’t remember what they were.

These flowers hiding amongst the weeds caught my attention. I thought it was some kind of rose but do you see the big ole honkin’ leaves on these things! 

This is a called Purple-flowered Raspberry, Flowering Raspberry, or Virginia Raspberry. It doesn’t have any thorns and is typically grown as an ornamental because of its rose-like, long-blooming, fragrant flowers. Its fruit resembles a large, flat raspberry and is rather fuzzy to the touch and tongue. Although it is edible, it’s somewhat dry, crumbly and unappetizing. However, it’s a beneficial food source for songbirds, game birds, butterflies, bees, large and small mammals. 

Another berry I saw was this Snowberry, also called Waxberry, or Ghostberry. It’s in the honeysuckle family. When the berries are broken open, the interior looks like fine, sparkling granular snow. The flesh is spongy and contains two whitish stone seeds. The seeds, which contain endosperm and a small embryo, are egg-shaped and more or less flattened. They have a very tough, hard, impermeable covering, and so are very hard to germinate and may lie dormant for up to ten years.

I’m going to say it is not edible. But (and there’s always a but), the Native Americans used the plant as a medicine, a soap, sometimes for food, and the wood was good for arrow shafts. In Russia, the berries are crushed in the hands and rubbed about for a soothing folk-remedy hand lotion.

I know these are some kinda sunflower. Their little faces follow the sun. Which one are they? I don’t know. Oxeye Sunflower, Jerusalem Artichoke, Woodland Sunflower, Giant Sunflower — they all look the same to me. But I suspect these are the Woodland Sunflower. Feel free to correct me. 

I saw two Horace’s Duskywings this week when I was out for a walk with Bondi.

Although these look like they’re different color butterflies, they’re really not. It’s a trick of the light. The guy sitting on the Goldenrod was in the shade and appears black to my camera.

In the sun, he magically turns brown.

Joe Pye is blooming. 

I keep looking for Queen of the Prairie, one of Momma’s favorite late-summer flowers. It’s somewhat similar to Joe Pye. Momma said when she saw Queen of the Prairie in bloom, she knew summer was over and school would soon start.

We stopped to see how the Tussock Moths were doing. They’re rapidly devouring the milkweed they’re on. I still think that big guy is feeding on the small ones. Notice there are no babies close to him and no holes in the milkweed leaf either. He was there the last time I checked and he’s still there. He’s staying for a reason.  

I Googled it. It says the Tussock caterpillars are voracious eaters and they’ll eat Monarch caterpillars, so why not any other caterpillars they find?

A little later in the week there was nothing left of the milkweed except the center main stem. Near the top was one lone Tussock.

On the other side of the fence are a couple of other milkweed plants, or maybe what I should say is there were a couple of other milkweed plants. They’re gone now too. 

I spy with my eye an Elderberry! I didn’t know this one was growing here. The one I did know about is gone. Between deer rubbing and storm damage, it succumbed. I don’t know why I’m so excited to see it. I never get any of the berries. The birds get them as soon as they’re ripe.

Lots of Juniper berries hanging on the tree. 

The boys sometimes go on walks with us. (Just Tiger made it in this picture.)

We’re walking along the perimeter of the property and a bird starts squawking. I stopped and looked until I found it. By the time I raised my camera and focused, the Catbird had just taken flight from the skeleton of the one Elderberry I knew I had.

She didn’t go far before she landed and started scolding us again.

 This is Wild Madder also called White Bedstraw. It’s sprays of tiny white flowers decorate the edges of my pond.

Going past one of the willows that grow rampant around here, I see small green berries — Wait! Willows don’t get berries! I backed it up and took a closer look. They’re galls. A gall is an abnormal growth caused by feeding or egg-laying insects, mites, nematodes (worm), fungi, bacteria and viruses and rarely affect plant health. 

Another bush that grows rampant around here is the Silky Dogwood. Its fruit is turning purple.

It’s planted for ornamental value and thrives in moist to wet soil, helping with erosion control along steep banks and slopes. It can also be used as a windbreak for homes and agriculture fields as well as being used as a natural border between fields. And let’s not forget that it provides homes and food for many types of wildlife. 

I felt the leash tighten and a resistance when I tugged. I turned around to see Bondi enjoying a back rub as I pulled her through the cool grass. When she had enough, she flipped herself over and trotted behind me. I had to smile. This was something Ginger liked to do, too. 

A bee on a milkweed leaf. He was so still and quiet I thought maybe he was stuck. I walked around him taking pictures and I don’t think he’s stuck; I think he was still cold from the nighttime temps. 

          Have you ever stopped and looked at the Smartweed when its flowers have opened up?

           This bee should give you an idea of how tiny the flowers are. 

I thought to make a loop of our walk. Down the driveway, up the road, and come in the back driveway. That way I’ll be at the kitchen door and can shed my boots without walking the whole way through the house.

I felt the leash tighten and this time when I turn around to find out what the delay was, I see someone has a mouthful. 

It could be just a clump of grass from the mower, it could have mud in it, it could have poop in it, too. Who knows? But one thing Bondi knows for sure is that I’m not gonna let her keep it but the leash doesn’t allow her to run from me. I won.

At the entrance to my driveway the Pale Touch-me-nots grow. In my head I’m already telling you that this yellow variety is much larger than the orange Spotted Touch-me-nots.

They get their name because if you touch a mature seed pod, it explodes.

On down the road are the orange ones and when I saw more of the yellow ones, I plucked two so you could see what I’m talking about sizewise.

Touch-me-nots are also called Jewelweed and are said to be a remedy for poison ivy.

Coming up the back driveway I pass the milkweed patch. I’m a little sad and confused as to why I don’t have any Monarch Caterpillars.

I have a Musk Mallow growing along the edge of my yard that wasn’t there before. 

The Musk Mallow can be made into a tea because of its expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. This tea is then used to treat cough and gastrointestinal irritation. In case of inflammation of the throat and mouth, you can use the tea also for gargling.

Fresh shoots, young leaves, and flowers can be eaten in a salad or the leaves can be prepared like spinach or finely chopped into soups. It promotes digestion and stimulates the metabolism.

The ants are taking care of their Black Bean Aphids. They like the honeydew secreted by the aphids. They’ll even protect them from predators who might try to eat them. 

Virgin’s Bower is blooming. It’s also called Devil's Darning Needles, Devil's Hair, Old Man’s Beard, and Woodbine. This is an aggressively growing vine that will climb to the top of whatever's growing nearby. Once it sets its seeds, it’ll look totally different and the Devil’s Hair and Old Man’s Beard names will make more sense.

The boys were laying in the grass waiting for us. Bondi roused ‘em out. 

I stopped to check out my Japanese Lanterns. They’re getting red!

I unhooked and unharnessed Bondi and set her down once I’d stepped across the fenced yard. She spotted Tiger laying at the door waiting for us. Across the yard she goes at a hundred miles an hour and launches herself into his arms.

I laughed when Tiger fell over. 

Then the play started. Tiger with leg-of-Bondi, Bondi with ear-of-Tiger.

More Bondi stories, you say.

Okay! There might be one or two more left.

I was given a hydrangea two years ago (or maybe three) and it bloomed for the first time this year. I was expecting pink or blue blooms and instead I’ve got white.

The hydrangea lives inside a protective, deer-resistant fence attached to the end of Bondi’s run and it doesn’t get mowed very often. Look who snuck inside while I was taking pictures. 

Bondi loves tall grasses and even on our walks will take quick forays into it. I say that but she doesn’t like the grass in her run to be tall. I guess that’s one of those exceptions to the rule.

I turned around and spotted a rose blooming! It looks like it’s been there for a day or so and I don’t know how I missed it. 

Bondi thought she’d have a taste. 

I don’t want to hurt my rose bush with the weedeater so the grass is tall around it. Have you ever stopped to look at the flowers that bloom from the grasses? 

Interesting.

A Red Admiral came into the yard. 

I followed him around and when he landed in the grass, I took a picture of the underside of his wing.

Bondi didn’t notice him because she was busy with a find of her own. She played with this grasshopper for hours.

She never hurt him, unlike Itsy or Ginger who would’ve eaten him, but did pick him up in her mouth a couple of times. Mostly she just hunted him whenever he jumped away from her. 

I found a worm on the patio one day. I picked it up and tossed it into the yard. Someone saw me do it and went after her worm. Bondi was picking him up so carefully that she couldn’t hold on to him and dropped him several times. One ear up, one ear down because she’s lunging for it after having dropped him for the second time.

She was finally satisfied with her hold and took him back up onto the patio. I let her keep him. After he dries out, she might eat him.

A jumping spider sees me and scampers back between the boards. 

She found the broken clay pot that was in the concrete butterfly water leaf. It’s still sitting on the patio today because I didn’t pick it up again.

I finally finished a keyring holder for my Miss Rosie. I’ve been working on it for weeks!

“What was the hold up?” you ask.

I couldn’t find the hooks I wanted. So, I decided I’d use some of the junk keys we have around here. I tried to bend one with pliers and broke it. I asked Mike to try and he broke one, too. 

“It’s a pot metal and you’ll probably never get them to bend without breaking,” Mike said.

Challenge accepted!

I put it on my anvil and kept tapping away at it until I got it bent into a hook. It was a long slow process but I was pretty pleased with myself when it worked. Pride goeth before the fall. I broke the next one because I tried to bend it faster, then I got a good one, and broke the last one. I was out of keys and only had two hooks made. I wanted three.

“There should be a whole bunch of those keys around here someplace. When I had all the locks keyed the same, he gave us back the old keys,” Mike said.

I looked, and I looked, and I looked, and I even looked some more. I know Mike is right but I can’t find them anywhere!

Then I found the perfect hooks at Lowe’s. These are a rose and a push pin design, just the perfect thing.

“Did you have trouble getting the pins into the wood?” you wanna know.

Nope. Because it’s not wood. It’s cardboard. And the chickens are special napkins that were given to Miss Rosie. I was at her house one day and saw them there. “Can I have one when you open them?” I asked. “They’re just perfect for a project I have in mind.”

As it turns out, they’ve had the napkins for a while and never opened them. Because of them being so special, she didn’t want to waste them. Now she’ll have a more permanent reminder.

Miss Rose had just gotten home from shopping when I gave her the keyring holder and she showed me some shirts she’d gotten a good deal on. “You can have a couple if you want them?” she offered.

She loves me!

I looked through the shirts and picked one that would be a good match to a pair of shorts she’d given me earlier in the summer, then the bags were set aside while we visited.

“Why does she do that!?” I asked when Bondi stuck her head in Tux’s mouth again.

“I don’t know,” Rosie said.

Bondi continued to pester Tux until he jumped up on a little table to get away from her. 

Bondi’s attempts to play with Tux frustrated, she turned her attention to the shopping bags. She grabbed it and started pulling it around the porch. Tux had to jump down and see what she was doing.

Bondi pulled and pulled the bag around, going in circles — and fell down the steps. 

It barely slowed her down. Then she reached inside and pulled a shirt out. 

She laid down and started chewing the bag. I took it away from her. 

You’d think that was the end of the story, wouldn’t you?

Nope. It’s not. Bondi thought the bags were so much fun at Miss Rosie’s that when we got home, she pulled my bag of bags off the shelf. 

She had a blast pulling all the bags out and shaking them around. Smudge helped.

“Why are you letting her do that?” Mike was a little upset.

“They’re just bags. They’re having fun, burning off energy, and I’ll clean it up,” is what I said, but in my mind’s eye, I’m remembering a story from a hundred years ago.

Okay! Okay! Not a literal hundred years, but it was a very long time ago.

One of the first tenants we had at our shopping center in Lake Ozark, was a young couple with two small boys. It had rained and mama was letting the boys play in the water puddle. I took a ton of pictures. The dad came out and was upset. “Why are you letting them make a mess?” I don’t remember if she said anything, just collected the boys and dried them off.

We lived on the property, above one of the stores and I left to print a few of the pictures off for her. This one is by far my favorite. Two little boys with their head in the water. I made it into an eight by ten and took it back down to her. She loved it! She turned it to her husband and said, “How could you ever hope to get a picture like this if you don’t let them play?”

Those parking lot water puddles made for hours of play and tons of pictures for this little piece of my heart. 

Andrew, our grandson. Kevin and Kandyce never discouraged play even when it sometimes made a mess.

“Messes are only for a moment and can be cleaned up,” they told me when I asked why they weren’t upset about the mess. “Happy memories last a lifetime.”

My happy place this week was spent on the patio working out a new idea I had for cutting out my giant ladybugs.

“What’s that?” you ask.

I decided I wanted to try to use my Dremel to cut the curves. For the most part it worked pretty well, but it makes a mess. After cutting the curves with the Dremel, I used the tin snips to make the straight cuts, then I had to soap and water wash the whole thing and let it dry before I could paint it.

I made it yellow.

“I’ve never seen a yellow ladybug,” Mike said.

“It’s my ladybug and I can make it any color I want!” I defended.

I made some small ladybugs from the scraps and decorated one with stars and one with hearts instead of dots.

I also made a bunch of tin can flowers this week, too. 

I was showing off my new creations to the waitress at breakfast one morning and she loves them so much she’s ordered three of them! My first sale!

My husband likes them so much he wants to keep them all. But he didn’t say that. What he said was, “You shouldn’t give any of them away. After you get this side full you could decorate the whole other side!”

I smiled. “My joy is in sharing the things I make.”

When I was spray painting, I was out in the middle of the yard close to the Glads. This guy, sitting on the edge of one spent flowers, caught my attention. He’s got something in his mouth, I think and went for my camera.

Just about the time I get back, he spits out whatever he’d been eating — I see it drop —and he took off. It was only a few seconds and he came back with another little something in his mouth. I didn’t know bees ate bugs, I thought and got as close as I could.

I guess he was feeling a little crowded because he took off — and landed on the other side of the Glads. I followed. The little bug he’s drinking seems to reflect whatever color he’s sitting on. It looks red in the first shot and yellow in the second, even though it’s the same bug.

Looking at this guy on my computer, I think he’s a Robber Fly and not a bee, but which specific Robber Fly he is, I don’t know.

And now for the road picture portion of my letter blog.

I told you that they took the cement barriers down and it looked like they were going to fix our road. Mike and I were surprised when the next time we go past, new barriers are in place. They just set them closer to the center line. “Why didn’t they just move the old ones over instead of hauling them out?” I wanted to know.

“It might have something to do with liability,” was the only guess Miss Rosie and Mike could come up with.

I see these trucks lined up along the road and wonder what they’re doing. 

Zoom in and it looks like the guy standing inside the yellow fence is looking down. Buried utility lines? Underground bunker? 

I saw hillsides covered with the invasive Purple Loosestrife.

Let’s end with a cute picture of Bondi. Every since she fell off the golf cart, I keep my hand on her when she lays behind the seat. In this picture she’s resting her head on my hand. 

Let’s call this one done!