9.27.2010

Bent By Bearing


My one surviving sunflower. Sunflowers are one of my favorites - their size alone makes them fascinating. I wish I could get a whole group of them to crowd in one corner of my garden, but the rabbits must be jealous. These giants stand so straight, straight, then droop almost as soon as they finally bloom out. The bloom head is so heavy!


Bearing all that fruit will bend you over, for sure! Holding up all those kernels to feed the wild things - a worthwhile job. Can you, like me, see a womanliness in this tall thin plant. Don't the petals seem to be bright hair hanging down around a face?


If you really want to, you can still get a good look at her face. Just slide underneath and enjoy the view!


9.22.2010

Whispered Wow


Homeschool science turns out right when ...
... you hear your son whispering, "Wow!" to himself.
(seashells dissolving in a vinegar solution and seashells in plain water)

9.20.2010

Look at That!


Just a gesture, the wave of a hand, the jerk of an arm, or even a chin thrust
"Look at that!"
It's easy to see, there it is in plain sight
"Oh, yeah!"

Maybe not so easy to see, hidden behind leafy branches, or obscured by billboard print
"Look, right there!"
More directive pointing, while the other hand goes to an elbow drawing you nearer
"Hmmm ... oh yes! There it is!"

Something almost impossible to see, but such a wonder, well worth the effort of the search
"Look riiiggghhht there! Beyond that, between those ..."
With cheeks paired now, eyes following the same arm length to the the end of an urgent finger
"Now I see it! wow!"

9.16.2010

Flying

So many great photos came out of our lake trip! All the kids, and some of the adults, leaped from the top of the boat into the water. I did so wish to ... but I didn't. Further confirmation of my years, as if the shape of my swimsuit wasn't enough to tell that story.
Why do swimsuits fit sooo much better when you're less than 25 years old?

Some captions for this photo - one of my favorites. Feel free to add on!

"In Flight"
"Midair Mistake"
"Rapture?"
"Watch out!"
"To infinity, and beyond!"

9.12.2010

Robber Fly

These dry fall-like days bring out the weirder insects. This robber fly was resting on the outside of the greenhouse, just above the hose caddy. It scared My Youngest away from his daily feed-the-dog job, enough for me to be called out to look. We took advantage of the moment and staged this photo of him grabbing it.
(Any volunteers to clean the greenhouse windows?)

But looking more closely - how cool is this guy?! From the back:
From the underside:
He's got a big ol' green fly. Just sucking that thing dry! If I had taken video, you'd be able to see his furry belly moving in and out, in and out.
There, the wonder of creation! I must admit, that's one small advantage of the home school - time to Stop and Wonder.

Dolly

This is the penalty item - my one and only (purchased) find at the 127 sale. Is this a scary little thing or what??? She's only about six inches tall, and those eerie baby blues open and close. Check out her rumpled party dress - just where has this Dolly been?

The family always spends a little time playing games while on our little Lake vacation. This time, with more people to join in, it seemed like the right time to up the stakes - winners get to gloat, as usual, and losers take home DOLLY.
To sleep with.

Dolly seems to have become a tradition! She made another appearance last month at the September family birthday gathering, and a new loser had to take her home. If she ever is awarded to me, she'll be sleeping outside in the trunk, poor girl!

9.08.2010

Junky Stuff - 127 Sale

Our Lake trip happened to fall on the same weekend as the 127 Corridor Sale. What a happy coincidence! So while my guys unpacked and made the first trek to the lake, I got to go browsing junk! I picked up a nice pile of items in this spot, but ended up giving it all back - junk should be priced as junk, I believe. I did buy one thing - a 'penalty item'. More on that later.

Sis-in-law was great to browse with - she's an enthusiastic buyer, right, sis? She scored the coolest old coffee pot, sort of like this one.

They don't show as well in this picture, but these electrical bits were so cool! I'm sure the old guy standing behind me was wishing I'd stop taking photos of his stuff and get out of the way.

We found this spectacular vine outside one of the old country stores. The owner called it Hummingbird Vine, but I've found it online as Cypress Vine. She gave us a couple of starts after she saw Sis-in-Law hunkered down trying to sneak some into her purse. She threw some seeds in too - what a generous lady!
(BTW, I was reminded that you're not supposed to thank someone for the gift of a plant, or it will die.)

Lastly.


9.01.2010

The Weeds Are Winning

My garden has gone a little wild this year. I've gotten involved in so many house things. Ever heard of the Fly Ladies? They teach you to organize your cleaning so you spend LOTS less time doing it. Yeah, I've got a big learning curve over here, so not as much time to spend outside. This picture says it all - I'll interpret for you:

Those longish canes are from a hardy hibiscus bush - that rogue vine climbing up them is called a Star of Yelta morning glory. Bought a packet of these and planted them years ago, and they pop up in the garden every year in the most unexpected (and unwelcome) places. Unlike Heavenly Blue morning glories, or Pearly Gates morning glories, two of my favorites, these have smallish blooms and fuzzy leaves and vines. And they are aggressive! Coming up by surprise, these can take over while you've got your head in the hall closet trying to figure out how so many coats could exist in such a small space. But what a lovely name --- Star of Yelta --- the name alone made me buy the packet of seeds!

And though they fall into the weed category for me, what lovely, velvety deep color!

(BTW - that tall plant with the yellow blooms? Another weed.)