FC&C

 

          “FC&C, Peg? What does that mean?” you ask.

          I can’t think of a title for this week’s letter blog. When I look at the file of photos, it’s mostly flowers, critters, and crafts. FC&C. So there you have it.

          This is Spiderwort my beautiful Jody gave me.

          Mike’s yard art is growing an ecosystem all its own.

          This is Daisy Fleabane. It was once believed that dried clusters could rid a dwelling of fleas. In folk medicine, it’s been used as a diuretic and for digestive ailments. A tea brewed from the roots was said to help normalize menstrual flow. The leaves and flowers have been used as a poultice for sores due to their astringent properties. Only young leaves are considered edible. Older leaves have an unpleasant fuzz.

         This one is an escapee from the neighbor across the road. Sally has beautiful flower beds and I believe, but I’m not sure, that this is Columbine.

          I was down on the road, taking pictures of the flowers, Mike was up by the barn doing the weedeating.

          “PEG!” he yells. “PEGGY!”

          “What!” I yell back.

          “PEG!” he yells again and pauses before bellowing, “PEGGY!” 

          I was busy! I was taking pictures and hadn’t yet gotten a shot of the Herb Robert growing there.

          “WHAT!” I yelled back again.

          Mike finally shuts off the weedeater.

“PEGGY!” he yells again.

“WHAT!” This time he heard me.

“COME HERE! QUICK! HURRY UP!”

I went. As soon as he saw me coming up the driveway, he says, “Hurry up. You won’t believe what’s here.”

I climb the bank and stand beside him. I scan the yard in front of us but don’t see anything. “What? I don’t see anything.”

“It’s right there against the barn. Go Look. I think I hit it.”

I went and there was a newborn fawn.

          I didn’t touch him because I didn’t want him to scare him. “I don’t see any blood,” I called back to Mike who stood where I left him. “He’s okay. He’s breathing and his ears are twitching.”

          I walked back to Mike.

          “I’m not going to finish the weedeating,” he said, choosing instead to leave the fawn in peace. “I didn’t see him until I was right on him.”

Did you know that a few hours after being born, and after the mother has cleaned the fawn and eaten the afterbirth, the fawn or fawns will follow its mother away from the birthing spot? She’ll lead them to the best cover available and they’ll instinctively bed down. After a few days, the fawns will begin to follow the doe around. They start to become more familiar with the area and learn to communicate. The fawn will still spend the majority of its time sleeping but will begin to select its own bedding sites. Staying still, even when you go up to them, is a unique behavior in fawns called the "bed phase." It’s usually for the first 5 to 10 days of a fawn's life. During this time, a fawn will spend up to 95 percent of its time bedded and motionless. They are instinctively quiet and will lay very still, which is a survival mechanism to prevent attracting predators. The mother deer will visit only a few times a day to nurse the fawn and may move it to a new location to keep it safe.

          I never did go back for Herb Robert photos. Another time I’ll get a picture of it for you.

          A flower of Mike’s new purple Rhodie.

          Multiflora Roses are blooming. I love the rose smell that fills the air, even if they are evil.

          I took pictures at the pond on a couple of different days. I spotted this guy on the underside of a leaf and knew he’s a dragonfly nymph.

          Daddy Red-winged Blackbird landed on a branch a few feet over my head and called me dirty names. He thought I was too close to the nest he and the Missus made.

     The Missus, looking nothing like her husband, left the nest and landed on a nearby spatterdock leaf.

          I tried to see if the eggs have hatched yet but too many leaves have grown up between the bank and the nest and I’m not getting my feet wet to have a look.

          I asked Copilot, my AI buddy, what kind of Dragonfly this is.

          “It could be a member of the Skimmer family or possibly an Emerald dragonfly,” Copilot said.

          Then I showed him this photo of the same kind of dragonfly, just a different angle.

          “The dragonfly in your image, with its slender body transitioning from yellow near the head to blue at the tail end, could be a Blue Dasher.”

         This one is easier to identify and I did already know his name. I guess I was just testing Copilot when I asked.

“The dragonfly in your image, with its transparent wings featuring black patches and a predominantly white body with darker segments near the head, is likely a Common Whitetail.”

Copilot passed.

AI couldn't identify this one, even with a second angle. 

“The butterfly in your image, with its wings closed and displaying an orange hue with grayish patterns, could be a member of the Lycaenidae family, commonly known as the gossamer-winged butterflies, which includes the coppers, hairstreaks, blues, and metalmarks,” Copilot said.

I went to another source that I use. It’s an app on my phone called Insect ID. I uploaded the picture and they came back with an ID of Common Ringlet butterfly.

          This is Wood Sorrel, also called Sour Grass. It has a lemony flavor. You can add the leaves to your salad or use as a garnish but should be consumed in moderation because it contains oxalic acid which can interfere with nutrient absorption and contribute to kidney stones if eaten in large amounts. It's considered toxic to cats, dogs, and livestock if ingested.

          In folk medicine it was used for sore throats and mouth sores, digestive ailments, fevers, as a diuretic and astringent. Because of its high vitamin C content, it was used to treat scurvy, too.

          These wildflowers look sorta like dandelions on long stems but it’s Yellow Hawkweed, also called Devil’s Paintbrush. It's used in herbal formulas for circulation and supports joint health, edema, coughs, diuretic, astringent and antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory.

One last wildflower to show you this week is the Oxeye Daisy. I love the daisies!

          In folk medicine, it’s been used for a variety of purposes. It's been used as a tonic for digestive issues and to relieve upset stomachs, as a diuretic to help with fluid retention, to treat respiratory conditions like coughs and bronchitis, and applied externally, it's been used for wounds and inflammation due to its astringent properties. Some traditions use it for its sedative effects to help with nervous excitability and insomnia.

          Have you noticed that a lot of the wildflowers have a use in folk medicine? And many of them can be used for the same thing, like as an astringent or diuretic? Are you tired of reading about the uses?

          Our pond leaks and creates a mecca for butterflies. These are the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails. Puddling is what it’s called when they gather on wet soil to sip moisture and minerals, which is essential for their nutrition and reproductive success.

The males have a unique flight pattern during courtship, flying in loops and dives to attract females. They lay their eggs on plants like wild black cherry and tulip trees, which caterpillars feed on after hatching, and they have two to three generations per year.

Farther down our driveway, where it was a little dryer, was a gathering of White Admiral Butterflies.

This is what the underside of the wing looks like on the same butterfly.

>>>*<<<

          On a trip to town, the only pictures I could see to shoot were of the gathering storm clouds.

          The flags on the Veterans Bridge.

          Colorful graffiti.

          Raini Dae. Oh my gosh. This dog continues to amaze me.

          I’ve really been limiting her jumping because of her limp. I’ll toss the ball low, allowing her small jumps because she loves jumping so much. Even then, racing through the yard to catch a grounder, quick-changing of direction has caused her to hurt her knee, too. Mostly I just toss the ball for her to catch. She tires of that game fairly quickly because it’s not what she wants to play!

          Dr. Lori said to give her fish oil. She said that might help her. At night, every night, I wrap a salmon oil capsule in Braunschweiger — aka liverwurst — and give it to her. Both dogs find it simply irresistible and really love it. At first, Raini would spit out the capsule. I had to pick it up, wrap it again, and say, “Eat your pill.” After three days, she just eats it. No more fuss, no more re-wrapping. Of course, I always follow the pill-wrapped Braunschweiger up with another nice piece of Braunschweiger. Now, when I say, “You want your Schweiger?” she starts drooling.

          Raini and Bondi follow me everywhere. It’s their habit to play in the middle of the bathroom floor while I’m getting ready for bed or beautifying myself after a shower. For being such a smart dog, I’ve had to remind her many times not to be too rough with Bondi. She likes to grab Bondi’s back leg and spin her around on the floor. Once in a while, she’ll bite a little hard and Bondi will yip. Raini always gets a scolding after such an incident. This last time, when I heard Bondi yip, I turned to scold Raini and there she stood, looking up at me with the most sorrowful eyes you ever saw. It was all I could do not to laugh. She knew she goofed. Mike always makes Raini stop playing this game. I spend more time with the dogs so I know something he doesn’t know. If Raini stops, Bondi teases her. Runs away, comes back, and gives Raini a little nip, trying to entice her into play.

          Sometimes I leash Raini. When we go on the golf cart or if I’m taking her down to the road to drop off the trash or get the mail. I don’t trust her not to run out into the road.

          Raini seems to know when the occasion calls for a leash. She’ll jump up on the kennel, grab the leash, and take it with her. She gets so excited! Whining and whipping the leash around before dropping it. A couple of times I was afraid she’d brain herself with the metal clip. After a few feet, she drops it. I’ll pick it up and snap it onto her collar, then drop the leash, letting her drag it until I need to be in control. She picks up the trailing leash and carries it and whips it around. I don’t really care except sometimes, when I’m holding the leash, she gets too wild and nearly gets my hand. I need to teach her that when I’m holding it, she’s not allowed to grab it.

          Because we live in such isolation, Bondi and Raini don’t get to socialize much with either people or other dogs. The Kipps and Tux are the exception. They grew up knowing them. When we take Raini to the vet or to the pet store to get her nails clipped, she’s afraid. There have been times I’ve had to pick her up and carry her inside. I always thought it was because of it being the vet or the place that cuts her nails.

          This weekend, we were on the golf cart and met the new neighbors. They stood on my side while we chatted and Raini kept trying to get off the other side of the cart. When that didn’t work, she tried to get in my lap. Eventually, I let her get on the seat between me and Mike and she felt safe there.

          Bondi, on the other hand, barks. After a few minutes, she settled in Mike’s arms and kept her back to the new people.

>>>*<<<

          We’re getting the subfloor put down in the kitchen in preparation for having linoleum installed. We put down the plywood we had and we need to get a few more sheets, maybe next week.

Linoleum has come a long way over the years and the one I’m getting is nearly indestructible, according to the salesman.

          “I think you’ll be sorry you got it,” Mike keeps telling me.

          “I don’t want carpet in the kitchen!” I said for the umpteenth time.

          We’re still a few weeks out on getting that installed, maybe even a month, but Mike wants to have it ready.

          >>>*<<<

          This week in crafts, I made another batch of concrete clay. I flipped the cats over and added dimension to the backs. I didn’t have has much trouble with it as I thought I might. I just put my brave on and jumped in with both feet. I think they came out really cute and paint will really make them pop!

          I’m currently on the hunt for a stick to hang them from. I’ve found a few “maybes” but nothing jumps out at me like Miss Rosie’s did for her primitive chicken mobile, which, I have to tell you, Miss Rosie told me again how much she loves to just sit on the porch and watch them moving in the breeze.

          “Even the two that hang on the same string don’t turn in the same direction,” she told me. “It’s so interesting to watch them.”

          She also told me that the hummingbirds keep coming up to the heart that hangs below the one chicken.

          Here’s the picture again in case you’ve forgotten what it looks like.

          Back to the cats.

          Concrete clay will set up in a few hours no matter what you store it in. Knowing this, and knowing I didn’t want to throw it away, I had a backup plan for my leftovers.

          The time before last, when I made the clay, my backup plan was to make a fairy house. I didn’t have any design in mind other than a general idea of using an old sauerkraut jar, a mushroom shape, a window or two, and a door. It was as I was working and trying to use up all my clay that I added details to it. Originally, I had a mushroom for the chimney but Mike thought it looked like a part of the male anatomy, so I took the top off.

          Once it dried for a few days, I painted it. Now, I’m not entirely sure that you can’t paint it when the concrete is still wet, but that’s an experiment for another day.

          The colors didn’t come out the way I thought they would. Sometimes projects take on a life of their own. I added fairy lights and Mike took me down to the Kipps so I could give it to Miss Rosie.

          “You don’t have to take it,” I preempted before I pulled it from around my back where I was hiding it.

          “Aww! It’s so cute! I love it!” Miss Rosie said. “I was just looking at fairy houses in one of my catalogs.”

          “Catalogs?” you say.

          Yeah. You know. Those magazines they used to send you in the mail with pictures of things in it that you can buy. Miss Rosie and Lamar are old-school. We shop on Amazon; they still shop by catalog.

          During our visit, I mentioned the trouble I was having finding the right stick for the cats. “I’ll never find another one as perfect as yours,” I told her.

          “Yeah,” Mike chimed in. “Can she get that one back?”

          Miss Rosie didn’t hesitate. She didn’t even have to think about it.

“NO!” I laughed. She went on, “It’s mine. She gave it to me.”

          “You might be sorry you get the first of whatever I make,” I told Miss Rosie. “You know I’m bound to get better.” And I am. Getting better, that is. I’m learning with each project I make.

          “I don’t think so,” she said. “It’s like my Billy Jacobs pictures. I only have prints. If I had an original, it would be worth a lot of money!”

          “I’ll never be famous.” And that’s okay with me. I just love seeing Miss Rosie’s face light up with joy when I give her a new gift and she blesses me with that beautiful smile.

          When I was making the fairy house, I needed something to turn it while I worked. I have an old lazy Susan someplace but it got moved when we cleaned out the living room to have the carpet put in and I couldn’t find it. Then I remembered I’d picked up a bunch of these paddles at a yard sale with no clue what I was going to do with them. Maybe paint on them? Turns out, it made the perfect thing for me to sculpt on. I could turn the jar and not get my fingers in the wet concrete. And I can pick up the project and move it around. Who knew!

          When the front of the cats were dry, and I wanted to work on the backsides, I made more concrete clay. I knew I wouldn’t use all of it on the cats and my backup plan this time was another project I’ve been wanting to make for a long time.

          “What’s that, Peg?” you ask.

          I’ve been wanting to make lanterns. I love lanterns. I want to make all shapes and sizes. I’ve been collecting bottles and jars and bottle tops and jar lids for years just for this reason. And now I had my chance. Again, I had no specific design in mind. I took a sauerkraut jar, glued a peanut butter lid on the bottom and three other lids on top in progressively smaller sizes. I poked a hole and added a wire. I let the glue dry while I finished the cats.

          I’m sitting there, working on the lantern, I hold it up by its wire and turn it around to see what else it needed, when — PLOP! — the glue gave way and I’m left holding the handle and one or two small lids. At first, I was kinda mad about all my hard work now being covered in the organic detritus from the rug where it landed, but now, I kinda like it. I may press sunflower seeds, little sticks, and bits of stone in it on purpose next time!

          Mike would come out and visit me as I worked on the kitchen patio. It’s the middle of the day and I’ve got the fan light on. “I can’t see very well because I’m sitting with the light in front of me,” I told my handsome mountain man. “It would be better if I sat on the other side of the table.” I can’t make myself do that though. I don’t like to sit with my back to the yard and the trees and birds and flowers.

          The next thing I know, this shows up in the mail and Mike puts it up for me. It even has a remote-control switch! How cool is that‽

          “Now you’ll have to wear sunglasses when you work!” he joked.

          He loves me and supports my artistic endeavors.

          Let’s call this one done!