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.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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!

It's Here! It's Here!

What an odd day.  Got to watch one of my favorite mini-series from the BBC again (well, most of it . . . at least the parts that are swoon worthy), get some snoozin' and snugglin' in with the beasties,  AND get some um, unusual pics.  Most importantly though, this is my "official" 100th blog post.  In honor of that milestone, I'd like to have a raffle for my wonderful readers!


The raffle is a Rafflecopter giveaway and there are just a few things you'll need to do to earn your entries.  Yes, you can get more than one entry per person.  The raffle will be open until Saturday night, and I will announce the winner on Sunday.  You can leave a couple of comments on today's blog (What kind of photo should I feature on my 200th post? and/or Of the blog posts you've read, which is your favorite?) and become a follower of my blog (there are TWO entries for that option!).
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yes, I know some of you are anxious to know what I'm raffling off . . . and one of the things near and dear to my heart would be Duck Tape duct tape!  The winner will receive not one, but TWO rolls of patterned Duck Tape, pictured below.

Now for some fun and unusual pics from a fun and unusual day!

It's such hard work to get in a good nap when Mom's always taking pictures of Bandit.  Pinkerton at least usually hides when he's napping.

Tried to get a pic of the verbena the other night, but it just didn't work out.  Tonight it did!

I'm having a hard time finding the right angle to show what I've been trying to create with the trumpet vine behind the bench . . .  If you can see the blue rope, that's what needs to be replaced with a trellis.

Butterfly bushes, above and below; the other one I have hasn't started blooming yet!

I found a very large pot of mother hen and chicks one day at Meijer's.  There are a bunch of them in the pot, and they are loving this hot weather we've been having!  I'm glad THEY are.

This looks VERY different from the sunflower pics I posted previously!  This is the stage it's now in, and I'm hoping to beat the squirrels to some of the seeds.

I caught one of the hummingbirds tonight (on camera)!  I think this is an immature male, but I KNOW I saw a mature male at the feeder earlier.  I'm pretty sure these are different birds from last year because they're very shy around me.  They were pretty good tonight (this one), but the female flew off right away; last year it was the female that stuck around.

Nice shot of the hummingbird feeder!  The little green blob was NOT cooperating while near the feeders.  He was gone in a flash . . .

That's it for the 100th post!  Hope you leave a comment or two and become a follower for your chances to win some of my favorite Duck Tape!!  There are a LOT of uses for it (some fun, and there is always the possibility for nefarious use).

Trumped Up?

Yup, another HOT and humid day in SW Ohio.  As long as I remember to take my sinus "cocktail" on a regular basis, I can handle it.  I still don't like it, but I can handle it!

I decided it was finally time to at least release a few pictures of my attempts to get the trumpet vine growing over the unused clothesline.  The part that's been most successful has of course, been a volunteer plant or two that came up around the post and I've gotten it to vine around the pole and some of it is now (with some help) winding around the clothesline.  I need a trellis or something a little more sturdy than my initial attempts to get the plant behind the clothesline to cooperate more readily.  BUT, if it works this year, next year may be a whole lot easier.  A girl can dream, can't she?

The shot above is a couple of the trumpet vines which have been "encouraged" to wind around the pole for the clothesline; that was relatively easy!

This shot shows where some of the vines have gotten very long and are able to drape over the clothesline and start wrapping around the line.  These are the plants at the pole.

Different angle of the same idea . . .

Above and below are shots of my attempts so far to have the trumpet vine plant behind the clothesline drape over the clothesline.  My plan would work better if the plant were about 2 feet closer to the clothesline . . . right now I have some rope holding up part of the branches/vines; next year it will have to be some sort of trellis.

You can see where the vines are coming from the back, but they had quite a ways to grow to get to that middle line.  The vines twining in the front are from the plants at the post.  I will try to get a picture from the patio tomorrow so you can hopefully get a better idea of what I'm going for.

I was heading back to the house when I decided to see what I could grab on some of the other plants.  I really like the begonias, and they seem to like this hot weather.

I took several shots of the mandevilla - love the bright color, and that it's a vining plant.

Obviously, I like plants that vine and plants that have red blooms!  Honestly, I prefer purple, but I'm planting what I can to attract more hummingbirds.  It must be working because as I turned around from taking pics of the trumpet vine project, there were two hummingbirds fighting over the feeders.  Sadly, they chased each other off and I wasn't able to get a single attempt at a shot.  ARGH.

Well, in keeping with the "red" part of the theme tonight, I will quote Scarlett O'Hara:  "Tomorrow is another day."  That's another opportunity to get some pics of the hummingbirds (maybe after I re-fill the feeders!) and/or anything else that catches my eye.

100?????

No, I am not finally revealing my exact age, nor is this post about temperatures in SW Ohio . . . I'm celebrating that I have managed to photograph & post 100 separate times since the end of March.  So, for my wonderful followers, I will be having a raffle!

The raffle begins on Sunday, August 5th and runs through Saturday, August 8th.  The raffle will be  a Rafflecopter giveaway.  This post doesn't count as one of the 100 though - I'm trying to make sure the link works properly before the raffle starts!

And what might I be raffling off?  One person will be the oh so very lucky winner of TWO rolls of printed Duck Tape duct tape . . . I will announce on Sunday in that day's post (along w/ a picture) which particular rolls they will be.

Stay tuned for more information!!

Bug Days of Summer

Yes, I know that August is typically referred to as the Dog Days of summer, but I've been seein' a lot of bugs lately!

I was back at one of my favorite places today while I was waiting to hear that Mom was back home and ready for me to come out and visit.  Some of you who are from the Huber Heights, Ohio area may recognize the location from one of the pictures, but it's not the most obvious view.  I'll let you know at the end of the post.  OK, so I was back at this place and over by the pond and along the trail, there were quite a few bugs to keep me company!  One particular flying demon kept buzzing my head, but I didn't even get a good look at it.

Yeah, still obsessing on the clouds.  But aren't they pretty?  C'mon, admit it!

The pond has a lot more algae on it than I remember for this time of the year, but there's also a lot less of the pond than I remember!  That couldn't be due to it being such a hot summer, could it?

Looking toward the fishing pier . . . most of the fishing being done wasn't from the pier, but beyond it, right at the bank.

I have absolutely no clue what this critter is, but he almost literally dropped in on my walk; just a couple of inches from where I was standing.  I thought it only polite to spend a minute or two with him and share him with y'all.

I promise, I only took 2 cloud shots today.  No more after this one!

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!  I've not been fortunate enough before to catch two different  types of butterflies so close together.  I wish the blue one had stayed around a little longer though.

I don't know what kind of berries these are, but I sure didn't see much of any kind of flower or berry.  Another product of the hot summer I'm assuming.

I almost missed this guy, but the web was glistening.  I like how you can't really see the web, but the debris that's trapped in it makes your mind know it's there.

And of course, if there are bugs by a pond, there will most likely be frogs.  I caught this one after he'd jumped a couple of times.  Find him hiding?

It was another hot day, but fortunately, no headache today.  That meant I was able to make the most of a short visit to Carriage Hill for my photo opportunities today.  Haven't decided where to go tomorrow . . . maybe back to the Butterfly House at Cox Arboretum?  I'm thinking that's a good possibility.  But, now it's time to head outside to mow the front yard.  I think I'm really only mowing the weeds since it's been so hot, but it still needs to be done, darn it!  I wonder if I could get away with having a goat and letting it groom the lawn for me??