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.

Pondering and Rumination

I'm still "hmmm-ing" over last night's closing thought.  Why do I have so much patience (comparatively speaking) when it comes to doing something I enjoy, but so very little at other times?  I've been pondering that off and on today.

Yes, more cloud shots.  They added to my ponderings as well!  Not only was the sky FULL of clouds of all types (nice, pretty, fluffy clouds as well as the darker, threatening weather clouds), they were also moving pretty quickly, and were often accented nicely when the sun was out.

I loved the pic above for the extreme contrast of the darker clouds at the top and bottom with the bright fluffy clouds and spot of blue sky shining through.

These clouds are such a mix of the darker and brighter clouds that I can't really put a finger on why I like it.  I just know I do . . .

I loved the way this succulent spiraled as it grew.  Not all of them did, which is why this one was so much more interesting to me.

I went back to Cox Arboretum, planning to visit the Butterfly House.  I learned today to make sure I'm there no later than 3 p.m. because they close the Butterfly House at 4:00.  I got there at 4:30.  I did get to see a LOT of butterflies from the outside though!  The shots look a little cloudy because there's a screen between the camera and the butterflies.

It was amazing to see all of these butterflies congregating.  I'm looking forward to going back (maybe tomorrow) to see it all from the inside.

The goldfinches were very close, and numerous.  They were very busy feeding on the flora, and although I tried to be VERY quiet and move slowly, they'd fly off when I crossed that line I couldn't see!

See!  I thought it was a cool shot, even if it isn't focused on the bird.  Not one I'd brag about, but will try to replicate (but focused on the bird)!

I also got to see a few butterflies outside of the Butterfly House.  I don't know if they are escapees from there, or if they hope to join their winged friends on the inside.  But it is nice to see them "on the outside."

I have no idea what either of the plants above and below are, but found both of them intriguing.

Teeny little moth!  He likes the purple flowers, too.

And a couple more cloud pictures to finish up with.  I was on my way back to the car at this point, and it started sprinkling before I made it.  It wasn't bad at all, and I had the camera bag, so all important stuff was kept safe and dry.

Now I'll circle back to the thought at the beginning of the post (and the end of yesterday's post) AND try to tie in my cloud ponderings and various other ruminations for the day.

WHY do I have so much more patience for the things I enjoy than for things that have to be done? I would strongly suspect that enjoying doing something means we like to prolong it; therefore we don't mind taking longer to get more enjoyment out of the experience.  I would also strongly suspect that those things we have to do are more like chores, and not as enjoyable, so we want them to be over as quickly as possible.

That minor piece of introspection I'll buy into.  It makes sense.  BUT, what about those things that really get under our skin and it's not a chore or something that HAS to be done?  Why do I lose patience driving on the highway in the left hand lane and the person in front of me is barely doing the speed limit and won't move over?  Why do I get frustrated in the grocery line when the person in front of me leaves their cart between us until after they pay (it's an efficiency thing; if they would push their cart in front of them, when their items clear the belt, I can place my items and we can keep everyone moving along and happy)?

And WHY do I keep hearing Jan Brady saying, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia."?  No, it's not jealousy.  It's far more insidious than that.  I don't want to admit what it is, but stating it will give it less hold over me, right?

It's plain old selfishness.  Wanting to put myself before everyone else.  What I want is more important than what is going on with anyone else.  Wow.  That's pathetic, but it doesn't have to be permanent.  Hopefully now I'll be a little more objective in the situation and think of those clouds and whether I'm the threatening weather of selfishness or the light and fluffy patience.  And every cloud I see will be a reminder (especially when I'm driving!).  :-D