Sinus/Allergy Fog

Once again I've succumbed to that affliction known to many in the Miami Valley of SW Ohio - the sinus/allergy fog.  No, it's not a fog you see in the weather, but the fog you feel when you have a sinus headache brought on by allergies and/or changes in weather fronts.  The fog is that slightly out of it feeling when you can't fully concentrate on much and just want to close your eyes and do nothing more than breathe.

I woke up with a pretty bad headache this morning and stayed in bed after taking 3 Extra Strength Exedrins.  That was followed by 2 Benadryl when I finally got up.  Now I need to take another dose of the sinus "cocktail" that works for me.  I have a lot of tasks to get out of the way, and have no desire to do any of them; unfortunately I can't procrastinate much longer.  So, before I HAVE to start, I'm going to use some of my photos to at least improve my mood.

How can you see a hummingbird and not be amazed, or smile?

These plants were HUGE.  When the sun was shining directly on them, they were pretty darn bright, too.

I liked the shadow from the pergola nearby.

Just thought it was interesting - different textures and shapes.

If the sun hadn't been so bright, I might have missed the moth . . .

I don't know what this is, but I liked the sun and shadow, as well as the spikey-ness.

Some of my favorite of the wedding the Other Joy and I shot a few weeks ago!  Finally sharing them with the public.

Guess who he just got a look at in her wedding gown?

Beautiful bride; beautiful dress.

Happy Dance!  Love the pastor's enjoyment of her joyful expression.

The newlyweds.

And the wedding party having some fun w/ the photographers.

Well, the mood IS a little better now, and I believe dinner is ready.  Then it's off to finish up some laundry.  I'm hoping the sinus stuff clears up for tomorrow; otherwise it's going to be a long and tiresome day it WILL be a better day and it will be FUN.

Fall In Summer or Fallen Summer?

The last couple of days have been SO nice temperature wise that it feels more like late September than mid-August!  That brings my weird thought process to wonder if we're experiencing fall in summer, or a fallen summer.

I've made my decision, complete with explanation.  What's yours?

It's been great to be outside again without too much worry regarding headaches or sinus/allergy attacks.  I've had the A/C turned off the last two days, and the windows open.  So nice to have fresh air.  The cooler temps also mean I can stay out longer and get more pictures at any given time!  Today, after a planning meeting for our high school graduation reunion, I stopped at Wegerzyn Gardens to see what interesting things were going on there.  I found a few, then a few more, and well, it kind of snowballed!  Couple of hundred shots later, I left.

I'm not sure what many of the plants are, unfortunately.  I believe the shot above is an hibiscus.

I could swear some of these logs were "wearing" the desert camouflage!  It just looks fake.  I couldn't get close enough to tell for sure, but I hope it's the real deal, not camouflage added to it.

Almost missed this little critter undulating along the rail.  He sure added some color to the drab surroundings.

I wish I knew what this plant was - it was beautiful.

Pretty sure this is a dahlia . . .

I liked the shape of the leaf, the way it curved . . .

I've never grown one, but I assume this is an eggplant.  Some of the more mature plants looked like eggplants that I've seen before . . .

I absolutely LOVED the way the light played on the plants today, especially in this shot where you can see the shadow of leaves of other plants from the backside of this leaf.

I don't have a clue what this plant is, but it reminded me more of pieces of the coral reef than a plant!

Pretty sure this is another type of honeysuckle (not the kind I have trying to take over the yard).  I couldn't tell you if there was a scent to it or not . . . there were several scents vying for attention, and this was kind of high up.

I was thinking this was a clematis, but I can't find what type it is if indeed it is clematis.  I just loved the complexity of the flower, along with the colors and shapes.

It is kind of silly, but I liked the spiral of this tendril.  Just cute and unexpected.

It won't be long and the hibiscus will be blooming en masse at Wegerzyn Gardens.  So many of the plants, and so many buds getting ready to bust open.

And this was taken tonight in my back yard.  The little guy was playing shy and wouldn't stick around when I was outside.  I did manage to get a few other shots, but I liked this one - his feet are still sort of hanging on, but the wings are already moving.

It's kind of funny (in an ironic way) that when I stop at one of the MetroParks or wildlife refuge centers without much thought as to what I might find, I end up finding a LOT of shots.  When I go hoping to catch certain types of shots, I'm almost always disappointed.  But, that does help me to try to keep an open mind and be flexible about things - you never know when something fantastic will be available, or when you'll be almost overwhelmed with fantastic opportunities.

Lovin' Bloom

Yes, the title is intentionally grammatically incorrect.  It's also a bit of a pun.  In my little world (which you are now visiting), a pun trumps grammatical incorrectness.  Usually we hear the phrase "Love in bloom."  Well, I'm loving the blooms in my backyard (and what that brings along with it), so if I figure my love is in bloom for the blooms . . . and lovin' bloom is much more poetical than bloomin' love!

Yes, you will be subjected to some photos from the good ol' SW Ohio backyard.  Actually, I poached a couple of shots into a neighbor's yard.  They have enough bird feeders that I would bet they go through 40 lbs. of bird feed at least every other day.  They also have squirrel feeders, and are the same neighbors that feed the feral cats (and for you newer readers, they also trap new feral cats, have them neutered/spayed, and checked by the vet before releasing them).

It's been a muggy day, raining off and on, or threatening to at times.  It's been cooler than normal, which is a welcome relief, and the rain is desperately needed.  I figured my best opportunity to photograph much of anything in any form of comfort would be to hit the back yard again.  I wasn't disappointed.

I didn't realize how hardy verbena was or I might have planted some before this year!  I love the color, and it's handling the dry summer very well.  If only it were a perennial.

I don't have a clue what this is, but it has popped up next to the clothesline post with the trumpet vine vining around it.  Since I've had several suet feeders hanging nearby, I'm assuming it's a volunteer plant from one of the seeds from one of the suets.  Heaven only knows which one!

I'm more in love with the mandevilla than I am the verbena.  Part of that might be that it's a perennial, but it's also offset by the fact that it probably won't make it through the winter unless I dig it up and bring it inside in a pot.

I love the look of this piece of clematis that had died.  It has an ethereal quality to it.

I am anxiously awaiting the blooming of this daisy plant.  It's growing like crazy, but I haven't seen the first bloom on it yet this summer.  I don't remember if it's a late summer bloomer, but I'm hoping that's the reason for no blooms as of yet!

This is the pic where I "poached" my neighbor's yard.  Can you blame me?  How gorgeous are these birds??

I know this has to be a weed, but I found it absolutely fascinating!  Once again, it was a situation where I didn't see half of the detail when I took the shot, and was thrilled to see it "up close" on the computer.

And I waited outside again for one of the hummingbirds.  I guess if I want to catch a photo of the mature male hummingbird, I'll need to be out there around 11:00 a.m.  That seems to be when he likes to show up.  And I know it's a male because of the bright red gorget . . . it's a good thing that I've been inside when I've seen him because I have a tendency to gasp at how brilliant his colors are!

This is what the sky has looked like an awful lot today.  Either this, or bright sun.

I'm assuming this is one of the goldfinches preening, but it just looked so odd from where I was standing that I had to get a shot.

I think the hummingbirds are getting used to hearing the shutter on the camera - they don't fly off when they hear it, but they do stop feeding and sometimes hover instead of perching.  I'll just have to make sure I'm out at their feeding times to get them adjusted to hearing it.

I'm enjoying the challenge (and discipline required) of getting shots of the hummingbirds.  I haven't had to wait very long for one to show up (I try to be outside at least 10 minutes before the time they showed up yesterday, if that makes sense!) but I really have to remember to use the bug repellent!  I'm also going to have to get the camp chair out of the trunk of the car because it would be nicer to be at least a little more comfortable while waiting for them to arrive.

It's more than a bit ironic that I'll wait an hour or so to try to take a picture of a hummingbird, but can't stand it when I'm stuck behind someone driving under the speed limit, or someone who doesn't have their act together in the checkout lane at the store.  Hmmm . . .

And since you've made it this far, I'll give you another chance to enter the raffle for my 100th post.
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Sweet Success

Although it doesn't appear that ANYONE is interested in my little raffle (I get to keep the Duck Tape!!  I win!!!!), today has been pretty much filled with sweet success!

I had a phone call this morning that started the day off nicely - scheduling a job interview for tomorrow afternoon!  I had interviewed at the company before, but they decided on another applicant; they told me they'd keep my resume' on file, yadda yadda.  I must have made a good impression on the HR person because she's the one who called me now that they have another opening.  Yeah!!!!

After visiting Mom and working on a jigsaw puzzle with her for almost an hour (it's been a while since I've seen her interested in that), I had just enough time to type up minutes from a class reunion planning meeting and get them sent out before meeting friends for dinner at Milano's.

When I got home, I had time to sit out back with the camera watching for the hummingbirds to visit.  That turned into having time to stand out back because they didn't like where I was sitting (any slight movement and they would fly off).  But, I finally got to see some of the goldfinches (and caught them digitally) and listen to them serenade me as well.

I did see several goldfinches (both male and female), just about the time I was beginning to think I wasn't going to see many this year!  This has been a sparse viewing year on the goldfinches, so I was thrilled to be seeing them.

I'm still trying to get a good angle to show what I'm trying to do with the trumpet vine behind this bench (above).  It's a little hard to see the clothes line, but it gives a better idea of how far back the trumpet vine is from the clothesline.  I'm starting to look for a trellis so I can get rid of that blue rope (but it's working for now).

The shots above and below give a better idea of just how far the vines have to grow to reach the clothesline.  BUT, now that they've made it that far, I'm thinking the trellis will be sturdier, and hopefully add a little visual interest.

Still a work in progress . . . I'm hoping that next year the butterfly bushes will really take off as well as the trumpet vine creating the "bower" at the clothesline.  It would be nice if another volunteer trumpet vine would appear at the other clothesline post, but I may have to relocate one if it doesn't.  I really like the look of the one vining around the post.

I was DETERMINED to catch a shot or two of a hummingbird tonight.  I have seen several different times throughout the day when I've been at the kitchen sink, but those would have been crappy pictures, and if I'd grabbed the camera and run outside, it would have scared them away.  So, keeping an eye on the time and trying to remember some of the times I'd seen one at the feeders, I was ready to be outside for an hour to catch a shot.

I was thrilled when I was able to catch these shots, especially since I only had to wait about 25-30 minutes.

One of my favorite songs from teenage years is by Seals and Crofts:

Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away.  Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away.
In you I've found a fragrance.  I'll love you 'til I die.
I just love you, love you, love you.  I don't even know the reason why.
Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away.  Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away.
The sweetness of your nectar has drawn me like a fly.
I just love you, love you, love you.  I don't even know the reason why.  Now,
Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away. Hummingbird don't fly away fly away.

I love to watch the hummingbirds, and feel honored to have them coming to the feeders regularly.

What a great way to start the week.  So much sweet success (and on a Monday, no less).  It's gonna be a FABULOUS August!