More New Things

We'll start with the last two of the new plants. The final one I had ordered came today. It's very tiny, but I have hopes it will spread. Actually, it will probably do so faster if I separate the rosettes. Maybe tomorrow. It's a Sempervivum- one of the arachnoideum (has filaments like a spider web on it) and is called 'Arctic White.'

Here it is in context. Definitely need it to spread. I spent a fair amount of time deciding where best to put it.

The other new plant I bought last month may turn out to be a mistake. Or not. The leaves are a vary dark green, which is a nice contrast depending on what's next to it. (Not much yet.) And the flowers are a deep blue. But they are also very small, so they are pretty much lost in the rock garden. We'll see if it survives. It is Veronica peduncularis 'Georgia Blue.' Common name- Creeping Speedwell.

The thing down on the road that is new is the paving project. Lots of people are complaining about how disruptive it is, but I can assure you that when I was a kid a project of this magnitude would take at least one whole summer. They will probably have all 5 miles of this done in a month. I'm impressed. The only thing that's tricky is they are doing it so fast you never are positive which lane is the one you are supposed to be in. No accidents so far!

This is new only in the fact that I've never seen a mourning dove come on the deck before. It both used the bird bath and took a few seeds from the saucer. Fun!

In other news: We got 0.7 inch of rain yesterday, but things dried out pretty well by afternoon so I could work in the garden without getting too wet. I did all the tasks as usual. Still trying to work my way through the rock garden for the second time this season. But I've now completed all the spaces where I have to be slightly acrobatic to get to them. The rest will definitely be easier.

Sigh. I have 3 plants in an online shopping cart. Because I had a gift card for most of what I've bought so far this year, I'm not even remotely close to what I spent on the gardens last year. But I still need more money for my tooth, and I just had a big car repair too. Decisions, decisions!

See Some of the new plants

Pinks and Chipper

It always confuses me that my peony blooms so late in the season. When I was a kid, we always took bouquets to the cemetery on Memorial Day, and they were always iris, bridal wreath spirea, and peonies. But here, those three plants don't bloom at the same time at all!

This is just a plain old pink peony. Not my favorite, but it seems to bloom most years now.

Another touch of pink- OK, pinkish-purple, is a bunch of house finches that have been visiting the bird bath. The bad news is that I can't get good pictures of them through the screen. The very good news is that this flexible screen is working really well, and I can keep the deck door open most days.

Also pink- the 'Siskiyou' Primrose in the rock garden is beautiful right now. It doesn't get as tall in my poor soil as it was in the pot when I bought it, but that's actually better for the rock garden. It likes to plant itself all over the place. I'm thinking about whether this might be OK. In the former iteration of this garden there were California Poppies that self-seeded all over, and I just let them come up wherever they wanted. The thing is, they are annuals, so they never took over. This one is perennial and spreads with underground rhizomes, so I think it would take over everthing if I let it go. I would like to get it going in a couple other spaces and confine it to those.

And the chipper? Well, it's not really a chipmunk. It's a thirteen-lined ground squirrel, and I was outside without the good camera, so I had to take its picture with the phone. The phone does not do well with zoomed pix. But I did capture it for you.

In other news: I did all the usual project things, had a Zoom meeting, got groceries, and continued weeding the rock garden. The weather was perfect!

See A Quiet Day at Home

Seven and Eight

I've never done an Enneagram, but it looks like I've finally hit the year that fits how mine would probably turn out. Sevens and Eights are highly self-assertive, independent, and strong willed. Both types also resist being controlled or limited by authorities. Ha!

The day began by enjoying the soft air coming in through the open deck door, now that I have the screen fixed. The turkeys were gobbbling!

And a number of other birds were calling too. I got the Merlin app to work and it said Field Sparrow, Catbird, Cowbird, and... Brown Thrasher! I haven't seen one yet this year, but I almost always have them around the house. Here is a picture of one from 2010.

I will get to do fun things another day, but I didn't work too hard today. One order of items came for Confidence Camp, so I checked those items in and started the next order.

I worked on some of the never-ending projects, and did some more prep for Confidence Camp. Both the custom patches and bandanas are now ordered. Maybe I'll show you another day.

I'm glad I showed you the white grape hyacinths because something ate them last night :/ But here is the rock garden on my birthday which looks about the same as last year. But that's fine. There are several more things starting to bloom.

I fixed the fence on the front garden yesterday. Guess I should have gotten the rock garden done too! Here is the front garden looking so much cleaner than any of the recent springs. Here is the west end.

Then I sort of goofed off. It wasn't a personal requirement for me to watch this movie before Confidence Camp. I sure hope no one will be faced with this kind of decision, but I watched "127 Hours," about the young man who got his arm caught under a rock in a slot canyon and finally cut it off to save his life. Recommended if you want some heavy drama, but it's pretty realistic. I also own the book, but haven't talked myself into reading it yet. Somehow the movie seemed less gruesome. Won't know if that's valid until I do read the book.

It rained on and off. The world is fresh and green. Thanks to so many for all the birthday wishes on Facebook. Here I go into the next year...

See Lucky Sevens

A Returning Regular

I looked out the kitchen window and saw two pale shapes on the ground. Couldn't decide what they were.

Before I got back with the camera, one of them was gone. But the other was still there. What is it?

Did you know? It's a flicker. This is a woodpecker, but one that spends most of its time on the ground. This is a male- note the black moustache. It was probably a pair, but the female flew away.

Lots more flicker info through the link below if you want. I really love the way they look. And you can't see the yellow undersides of the wing feathers here, but it's stunning when they show it off.

I hunkered down and worked hard today. Got stuff done on all current projects. Did errands. Silver star for me (I should be doing a couple other things too, so no gold).

See Northern Flicker

Cartier Park Visit

I have been without a computer all day. That is a serious sort of weaning! I'm blogging on the old computer which could die, using accessories that have also been relegated to the "dead" pile because they are totally unreliable. My new computer is being put together, but it wasn't quite done at end of the business day.

I've been thinking about it, and I think I've had a total of 5 laptop computers. I don't think I've bought a single one of them. I can say for sure that 4 of them were used and gifts from people. I can't quite pull up the memory of where I got #2 in that lineup.

At any rate, I am forever grateful for the generosity of folks who have helped me. However, I've been fairly covetous of a computer that doesn't struggle for quite a while. I decided it's time to get serious about that.

So, I dropped my current computer off this morning along with all software disks and accessories. My recent computer problems may be all one issue, or they may be several things conspiring to do me in. So, I left all the stuff with STS Computers in Ludington. They've been my computer folks for over 30 years. They know that I know just enough to be dangerous, but they treat me with respect and don't try to force stuff on me I don't need or want. And their prices are reasonable.

Then I went for a walk at Cartier Park. We had thunderstorms overnight and the paths were damp and cool.

The last time I was there (February), the gazebo was where it's always been. But then, it was torn down because they discovered serious structural issues. But February was a while ago! Someone donated the money and a new gazebo has already been built!

Lincoln Lake was silver rather than blue today.

And did you notice who was also enjoying the water? A great blue heron.

I have managed to find some tasks to do that didn't require a computer. Mostly I read a book and tried not to stew over not being able to work on pressing things.

Now I have a Zoom meeting. I'll have to try to also do that on the old computer which needs to not be allowed to be on long enough to get very hot. Hopefully, it will hang in there just a little longer or I'll have to switch to phone.

Report on mouth- just a little swelling left. Things are good. Not eating crunchy foods yet, but everything seems to be on track.

See Mile and a Half

Ice Age Trail

We mainly wanted to put a good number of miles under our tires today. But I had one planned wish, and that was to at least put my feet on the Ice Age Trail. We chose Janesville, Wisconsin, because it was on the way to where we were staying for the night.

I did a total of 0.7 mile. But my 20 minutes had just about everything a trail adventure can provide. Some was dirt, some was paved. A turn wasn't marked and I ended up at a dead end in a golf course. I needed a bathroom (but did find a porta-potty- Lon's Jons, actually). Once I went back and found the turn, I saw this. The Ice Age Trail has yellow blazes.

I followed the blazes down some beautifully made rock steps to the Rock River.

So now I have at least put a foot on 4 national scenic trails. Am I trying for all 11? Probably not; my chances of getting out west are low. But if the opportunity arises, I'll take it.

The day started with a fast look at a place called End-O-Line Railroad Park. We were not there when it was really open. That's probably good, or Diane and I would have seriously wanted to take the tour. It was much more than a village park with an engine. Basically, they are recreating a small village from the past. As far as I'm concerned, the key feature is an old turntable. I've seen some old ones, but never one that still has the rail down in the pit that allows the table to turn.

Here are some of the buildings in their historic village.

I was sadly thinking I was not going to see white pelicans on this trip. But we found some!

And just a quick shot out the window as we crossed to the east side of the Mississippi "where we belong."

Staying with friends for the night. Didn't have to set up the tents!

Hiked 0.7 miles, some of it on the Ice Age Trail.

Miles hiked in 2025: 350.3

See Dignity of Earth and Sky

Whose Cute Little Tush?

I haven't shown you one of these for quite a while. They are rather permanent fixtures in my yard. Maggie (dog) was fast enough to catch them, so she kept the population down. I suspect the larger blue racers are also helping with that.

Well, of course, it's a thirteen-lined ground squirrel. Never knew anything about these cute critters until I moved to the Midwest. Although these and chipmunks are both in the Sciuridae family, ground squirrels have longer bodies. Some of their habits are different as well. At any rate, they are all very cute to watch as long as they don't eat my flower bulbs and roots.

And I'm happy to say that the birds have found the birdbath again this year. Terrible picture- the camera won't focus through the screen. But it's one of the finches- house or purple. There were three of them there at one time just a few minutes ago.

Today was too humid for me. I managed to work a little bit on several projects, but not a great deal was accomplished. It's cooling down now, perhaps I'll perk up for a final spurt of energy for the day. Or perhaps not.

See Look Who Woke Up See Birdbath Wars

Flicker Behavior

Flickers are woodpeckers that you usually see on the ground. Today, one landed on my deck railing and stayed there a while.

I'm not going to apologize for the less-than-crisp photos through a screen curtain, because I was just happy to catch such an interesting behavior.

At first it kept spreading one wing as if to dry it off. This makes sense, except there are no nearby puddles or bird baths (I didn't set mine out to just be empty while I was away).

You can see some yellow coloration on the wing. This is the eastern "yellow-shafted" flicker. The wing and tail feathers have bright yellow shafts.

Then it turned around and spread both wings. You can really see the yellow shafts in this view.

I can't find any specific answer on woodpeckers doing this. Territorial mating display is a possibility, although this bird didn't appear to be acting aggresive. Perhaps it was just sunbathing. It may have been sunning itself to help remove parasites. Thermoregulation is another possibility, but that's more common in water-fowl, and this was still morning when it wasn't super hot.

At any rate, I thought it was really interesting.

I kept my word and did very little that required energy today. I worked on the computer to collate data from the Adirondack trip.

See Flicker

Sad But Beautiful

Today's post is sad because this beautiful creature is dead. I found it in my yard. It was not beneath a window, and we have no cat or other predator pet. I see these birds so seldom, it was distressing to find a dead one.

Yes, it's an Indigo Bunting. They are such a stunning blue. The best you can do when you find some dead creature is to study it and increase your knowledge base. I'm not even very sad when it's something common, but this one hurts a bit.

In other news: I was going to check in my gear for the NY trip, but I ended up spending most of the day updating my author web site because it needs to be in tip-top shape for viewing- I'm hoping to get into a particular book vending event, and they need to see my web site. You can check it out at Books Leaving Footprints. The list of events I'll be at this summer is updated.

A little gardening happened too. A (very) little rain. Still hope for some decent precipitation overnight, but radar shows most of it sliding by.

See A Cruel Fate

Best Photos of July 2022

 Here are the best of the pictures I think I took from July 2022. This was from the big hike. I know that was forever ago, but I've always wanted to try to share the best from each month. I have a lot of bad ones from this month.

I am saying these pictures are "best," not because they necessarily tell the story best, but because I think they are simply the best actual photographs. I've left them full size, so you can click on them and see them larger. That always makes photos look better. Three are cropped a bit, and one had the color saturation increased a tad.

I got a lot of wildlife and flower pictures, but most are only of the quality you can use to ID things, not really nice pictures.

They are chronological from west to east.

This is the Lonetree Wildlife Management Area seen from the eastern end of the McClusky Canal. If that irrigation project had been finished this would all have been flooded. Now, it's a beautiful recreation area. (Some officials realized the irrigation project was headed for environmental disaster).

Next up is showy milkweed. I like that I got several stages of buds and blossoms

I can't really identify this golden dragonfly. I've seen lots of them in North Dakota over the years. I guessed another golden one as an immature saffron-winged meadowhawk, but the wings are different on this one.

Here we have a Western Grebe. Look closely. She has a baby on her back!

This is a worked field with something just coming up. I like the pattern.

There are two amazing railroad bridges across Lake Ashtabula which is a dammed area of the Sheyenne River. This is the Karnak Bridge.

I am forever trying to get good pictures of the White Pelicans. They are amazing birds, but very shy. I think this is my best success to date.

A hazy morning in the Sheyenne Valley.

And a brighter afternoon in the Sheyenne River Valley.

Finally, the Sheyenne flows through Fort Ransom State Park and gathers itself into a setting that looks almost eastern. But this was a very appealing scene to me.

And how did today go? Pretty well. I did some computer work, laundry, changed my bed and showered. I'm going to have to be careful to not do too much computer time. Hurts the eyes. I also walked around the house (just inside) for 15 minutes, but that's the most I've done for 10 days. Very encouraging.

See Best Photos from June 2022