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| Red Admiral Caterpillar |
Technically these are not all bugs, but they are certainly creepy crawly things. Walking around the farm and birdie hot spots you see all sorts of critters. Last time I went up the hill I saw the results of the incredible influx of Red Admiral butterflies this spring...there were black caterpillars in every stage of development everywhere I walked.
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| Black Swallowtail fancy dance |
Birding has been heavily curtailed lately by all the appointments, pills, and people involved in getting Ralph through his heart surgery last Wednesday.
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| Box Elder Bug larvae They gather in clusters of a thousand or so, working hard to grow up and infiltrate our house this winter. Wish they would stick to eating Box Elder trees |
And that is all right. He made it through the operation and seems to be doing well so far. I am driving...in a state of terror...but driving, everybody everywhere they need to go. It isn't pretty, but at least I have a really cool car, as Alan and Amber sold us their Blazer. They needed a bigger car for all the kiddo gear they need to haul. It is truly a sweet little car and someday I may learn to work all the bells and whistles. Meanwhile, I am astonished by how terribly the state of getting from place-to-place has deteriorated since I was a regular car pilot. People are NUTZ! And getting nutzer.
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| Carpenter Bee (I think) eating our house One larva at a time. |
I took myself out birding one morning this week, just down to the river. It is a lot less fun alone...
After a sweet stretch of perfect hay weather we are back to monsoons. It was great to see the bales piling up and the wagons of sweet-smelling winter feed rolling up to the barns around town.
But now, ugh! Anyone need some rain, come and get it...one size fits all, first come, first serve. We have plenty to spare. My sis-in-law reported 4 inches in a one-day dump of the rain gauge.
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| Teeny tiny yellow spider, perhaps a Yellow Crab Spider? |
I would like to get a couple of quarts of strawberries to make jam. Ralph can have just a little bit with his breakfast and he really loves it. However, I hate to try to can jam when it's been raining like this. It is hard to find berries that aren't covered with sand and hard to get the sand off if you buy them like that. Hope we don't miss the season.
Anyhow, hope you are all doing well and having a nice summer. I have all the nice I could ask for just having Ralph home safe from the scary thing.
Hugs.
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| Hummingbird Moth, maybe a Strawberry Clearwing Anyone who knows these bugs...feel free to chime in and enlighten me. Thanks |
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5 comments:
Oh Marianne . . . So much here. Dear Ralf . . . your musings on life . . nature . . and the "nutz" around us. So big. And your sharing regarding it all - it so richly engages one's heart and mind. Thank you . And {{Hugs}} back at you :)
Honey! "Dear Ralph"!!
Sending up healing prayers for your husband.
Although I was a professional driver in my day (trucks) the mindset of the people currently on the road is enough to make me stay home some days. Or maybe it's their lack of skills?
Thank you, Cathy, hope you and Keith are doing well.
Shirley, thank you! Impressed that you drove trucks! A big and important job for sure. We are all amazed on a daily basis at what comes over the scanner feed these days and what comes at s when we take to the roads. I don't drive if I don't have to.
Oh, my dear friend, I have been so remiss about visiting fellow bloggers' posts, mostly because my failing eyesight and various other old-age limitations have sapped so much of my energies of late that I can barely keep posting my own.But hunger for your fascinating posts urged me here today, where I learned of your husband's medical issues. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit that poked me, so now I can add my prayers for Ralph's rapid and complete recovery, and your own peace of mind. And safety on the road. I cannot believe how impatient so many drivers are these days, endangering other drivers by extreme tailgating and charging back and forth among lanes, even speeding around other cars by racing along the shoulder. Stay safe. And know that I am thinking of you and those you love.
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