Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Hello August



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July consistently gave us hot, hazy evenings. What will August bring? More of the same, I'm sure, but hotter than hell, so they predict. I'm not quite fully cooked but August will take care of that!

Another day has passed without an idea for a post. Boredom strikes again and this trend is turning into a bad habit. Think Mary, Think! Hello? Where are you? In lieu of a lot of meaningless chatter (typical on this blog), I’ll share some photos I’ve taken during the past week and add a few brief comments. If you like photos, stay with me. If not, hit your back button.




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I screwed up, allowed the fence to get in the way, and consider this to be an example of poor photography. I love this shot anyway. Female Cardinals are so strikingly elegant!




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A few brief downpours and my hand watering have kept the flowers and shrubs from dying so we planted some hibiscus along the fence near the pond. They’ll wrap themselves around the rails and turn into a solid mass of eye candy for the hummingbirds.




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Speaking of hummingbirds, they put me in a trance. I have never witnessed such frenzy! Ten to fourteen at a time chitter-chatter and hover in front of my face which makes me instinctively duck for cover. I sit for long periods and watch the magic.




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Where are the males? Can someone tell me why I've only seen females in the last week or two?




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A new visitor came to call while I was washing dishes so I went outside to introduced myself and to also make sure his intentions were good, as he was actually trespassing on our property. The pond had him mesmerized and he said, “It’s breathtaking!” I wanted to ask him if he has a blog. What nine-year-old boy refers to nature as being “breathtaking”?




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Chloe and Bella made a new friend. I'd hire him to play with them but it's too hot for their running for more than ten minutes.




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The dragonfly population is growing. After taking about fifteen photos, I found a decent one. It looks like a Common Whitetail without the white tail.




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A very cute and clever smart-ass. I grit my teeth and laugh at the same time at this brazen little creature.




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The Pokeberries are ripening and the patch has grown to about eight feet round. At least something is growing well... They are new this year.




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My lifeless Canna plants are looking a little better. The beetles are still tormenting, though.




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Does anyone want some free pond plants? I need to thin the celery every day. I'm not complaining but I'd like to have room to sit on the edge and cool my bare feet.

On to the "Dog Days":



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"I'm... too sexy for my toys...too sexy..." Mr. Biggins. What a man!




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Do Boston Terriers need teeth to carry things? Don't think so...




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Eeeeeks! Poor thing. That face... Chloe’s face is one only a Mother could love.

Tomorrow I will THINK.



38 comments:

Unknown said...

Mary, your "thoughtless" posts are better than most people's well thought out posts. Just keep doing what works!

Love that last shot of Chloe. Silly girl. And, your hummingbird shots. WOW!

Mary said...

Mary as always fab photos. I hope it cools down a little for you. Our weather has improved but not hot.

KGMom said...

No need to think, my dear. Just treat us to lovely photos--female cardinal is a beauty--and doggie stuff.
I like your new visitor. I love interacting with the kids in my neighborhood. I always figure I can help instill some values in them to care for nature.

Anonymous said...

Mary, keep posting these fabulous pics and tell us a little about them - that'll keep us :-) I love your shots of dragonfly. I've only seen two or so upclose and personal-like.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Dear May- Don't sweat the post topics. I'm happy with your photo posts,your rambling posts and your story posts! I just love to come here and listen to you chat.
I love your dogs and I LOVE Bella's smooshy face!

Chrissie said...

It is a great post, Mary :-)

Julie Zickefoose said...

Science Chimp Attack! Eee! Eee!

Mandevilla, not hibiscus
Juvenile male cardinal not female (see the darkish bill and red coming in on the breast?)
Female twelve-spotted skimmer (one hatched in our pond, too!)
Chloe is beautiful to me, not just to her mether. I don't care what kind of face she makes.
If you're so boring how come I check your blog fanatically? Are you impugning my taste? Our taste? Your bloggirls are offended.

Science Chimp, signing off

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Uh-oh May, you've been "Chimped"!!

Someone in my house (who shall remain un-named) was peeking over my shoulder when I was looking at Bella's smooshy face, and said "Hey- that dog looks like you! Your eyes disappear when you smile too!"

I guess that's why I'm particularly fond of Bella...!

Mary said...

Oh, God. I've been Chimped. Love it. Lessons gratefully learned. I thought there were small juveniles out there... Thanks to the Chimp. Donna found a T-shirt for her.

Mary said...

Lynne, you are not alone. My eyes disappear, too! I try not to smile much. Chorkle!

Mary said...

Ooops. I'm sorry I misspelled your name, Linne. Hmmmm. Did I misspell "misspell"? No. Thanks to my dear friend, Merriam Webster. Did I misspell Merriam?

Mary said...

Science Chimp, well then, where are the adult males?

Susan Gets Native said...

The Chimp beat me to the cardinal thingy.
I like being Chimped. We all have things to learn, no matter who we are, and how lucky are we to have our own pet Science Chimp at hand?
It took me forever to type those sentences. I took some Advil PM and my fingers won't listen to my brain.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

May and Susan- I think we're all a bit punchy tonight. :)
Good night!

dmmgmfm said...

This weekend I was at a car show that featured a lot of vendors. Some of them had photographs and I am absolutely serious, they were selling photos of birds for $50-100 and they weren't nearly as good as yours.

Hugs,
Laurie

LostRoses said...

You crack me up, Mary, and your photos are grand, even if you did get "chimped" over them!

Mary C said...

Pokeberries? Are they for the birds to eat after they ripen? Mary, I love your cannas (even if the Japanese beetles get to them, they still are lovely). And your pond - it is so peaceful looking - I'm sure it feels and sounds just as peaceful when you sit outside. Great "non-thinking" post!

Julie Zickefoose said...

Oh my goodness. So what I'm doing is now called chimping? Eeee! Know that I can't help myself. It's my monkey.

There are plenty of males in your hummingbird pack, Mar, but they're all baby males. The adult males move south a lot earlier than the females and young. If you look closely at your birds, you'll see the signs of their youth on them. Young males have dark greenish feathers streaking their gorgets. Young females are just a whole lot smoother and sleeker than adult females, and may show a little buff edging on the green back feathers. Both male and female juveniles can have a rufous wash on the flanks.

Y'all get chimped, I get Doc'ed. No one escapes in Blogland.

Laura Stamps said...

Hello, from South Carolina! I just found your blog. Yes, it is hot and steamy down here. We have been "cooking" since May. Fortunately, the big garden bugs are gone for the year, so now we can enjoy the flowers until November. Love your photos!

dguzman said...

I second what Liza said above--always great to wander around the backyard with you. And wow, you got chimped! Cool. (great example of verbing (my word), Lynne!)

I'm OVER this heat. Even here in Central PA, it's in the 90s--"a topical, tropical heat wave" for here. Bring on the fall!

thailandchani said...

How could I not like these pictures? :)


Peace,

~chani

Mary said...

Liza, thanks. Chloe sure has a mug, doesn't she?

Mary - I hope you have sun!

Donna, I miss kids and love to entertain them.

Nikkipolani, I find dragonflies to be much easier to photograph than flitty birds.

Chris, thanks.

Julie, I love the CHIMP! Especially surprise attacks :o)

Susan, I think you were referring to the "hummingbird" thingy. It's that Advil PM...

Laurie, I think I have about two photos I'm proud of... Thanks.

Lost Roses, thanks - I'm glad you laugh.

Mary C - If birds eat too many pokeberries, they can become intoxicated and lay around in a stupor.

Laura, thanks for visiting! I heard SC was very buggy for a while, good for the purple martins. Yes, we're still cooking.

Delia, I remember whining about the cold so much and now I'm whining about the heat. I'm never satisfied.

Chani, I choose random photos and hope for the best. I like this set, too.

Dorothy said...

Mary....As usual, your blog and photos are beautiful, educational,
funny, and incredible. Every time I pick up my camera I think "how does Mary do it?????" Even when you aren't (what you call) "thinking" you are amusing and always a high point of my day!

Q said...

Dear Mary,
You gift us! Each post you do is so fun. Thank you. Never boring!
I enjoy all your comments too. I learn so much from Julie and Susan. I laugh and I rejoice.
This neighborhood is a grand place to walk.
Thank you.
I find I read your post two sometimes three times just for the laughs.
Sherry

Anonymous said...

Mary, I have been perusing your blog for some time now, and love your beautiful pictures, which really show your love of birds, flowers, your dogs...

Our ministry is having our September 2007 conference in Charlotte. Here is a link http://www.peacemaker.net/site/c.aqKFLTOBIpH/b.2073071/k.1CF8/2007_Peacemaker_Conference.html to that info for you or anyone that you know that might be interested. Unless the weather changes dramatically in September, I will plan on packing light... Sharon

Naturegirl said...

Your post was a delight and YES
Breathtaking photos!! It was nice to see a future ~Nature boy~ his parents did something wonderful in teaching this young man to love nature!!!

Oh my your dragon fly and squirrel images...did my guys fly over to your house!!! Mother nature made a connection for us!!

OK what's the formula for having so-o-o-o-o many hummers feed at one time!!! Where do you hang the feeders and....
is your syrup 3-1 sugar? We are struggling to get them stopping by...one-4 and many times they won't sip???? I do keep the feeders
filled fresh and cleaned???
Puzzled.. NG

possumlady said...

Great photos as always! Your pokeberry is farther along ripening then mine. I have large shrubs just poking out of everywhere (is that where they got their name?!). I don't worry about them being poisonous and the mockingbirds and catbirds adore the berries. I used to just pull them out until I took a tour of a wildlife rehab center and they had sprigs of the berries in the cages with the birds.

I hear you regarding August. Upper 90s here through all of next week with the lows in the muggy upper 70s. Yuck.

Mary said...

Naturegirl, the nectar is 4 parts water, 1 part sugar, boiled, then cooled. I make enough to last a week. My feeders are mounted close to the house, away from winds, and the north/northeast side is good to keep the nectar from boiling in hot sun. I wish you dozens of hummers!

Cathy said...

Geeze, Mary! If this is your idea of a failed post . . . . Geeze!

1. Could that be a young female cardinal? (Her beak is dark - not orange)

2. How many hummingbirds!? Lucky!

3. Pretty amazing little boy.

4. How could one NOT love that face?

Jayne said...

You know Mary.. you don't have to "think" at all. Your posts are always guaranteed to make me smile regardless what you post about! Love all these photos!

Peg Silloway said...

Count me as another who is mesmerized by your photos, regardless of whether you "think" about your blogs. You do think...in images. I discovered your blog from comments on Julie's (a.k.a. Science Chimp) - so glad I found both!

sonia a. mascaro said...

Great photos, Mary! Love so much the smile of Chloe! Just lovely!

RuthieJ said...

Hi Mary,
I'm going to repeat what everyone else has said...love your posts and love your pictures, even when you think you don't have anything to say. Just keep doin' whatcher doin' and we'll be happy.

Susan Gets Native said...

Q learns from me?
Well, Gee.

I'm a poet....and didn't know it.
I really like Advil PM.

Larry said...

Funny dog captions again-I love it!
You cover a lot in your posts-I really enjoy them.

Alyssa said...

Hi Mary - I like your short "chatter" filled posts 'cause they are fun to read. I don't have a lot of time to spend on blogs but your pictures and commentary are interesting and entertaining. Don't be so hard on yourself - we aren't expecting hard hitting journalism - just fun and good pics.

Oh, I do love that little dog face. She has such a huge smile!! My favorite photo is the Boston holding the hula hoop with her tongue. Quite talented.

I know he's a sweetie, but Mr Biggins looks scary! He would scare me if I saw him running around on his own.

Do you eat the poke berries? They surely are pretty and juicy.

Have a great weekend and keep posting the "meaningless chatter"!!

Sherry said...

Love the dog photos, and the hummer pics are great!

It's always a pleasure to read your posts, Mary, and to see all your beautiful photos. I enjoy visiting here often.

NM High School Sports News said...

All GREAT photos! I especially love the dragonfly (since I don't see too many here) and the female cardinal! Thanks for inviting us to your yard!

Ron