Going, going...

 
As the sands of time through the hourglass...er, uh, nevermind that B.S. Summer's gone, put up the storm windows, drag out the longjohns,and lay in a supply of firewood...nah! Autumn is on the way...3 months of glory...enjoy!

Week-end plans

Lunar Eclipse

about 5:00 am

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE

better late than never

love- MO

Swamped

 
When you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember your objective is to drain the swamp...When the kids went back to school my demented mind somehow figured "ah, free time to be creative and productive"...Fat chance! My boat is leaking and the gators are lurking. You might think I'd have learned by now but I guess I'm just a romantic and figure 'one of these days things will go as planned'. Creative projects on hold while grass is mowed, chores are done and everyday details are attended to. On the other hand, surrounded by a loving, caring family and having a choice in what I do makes it all worthwhile. Yes, even here in the swamp,the steaming, fetid, mosquito infested swamp, the scenery can still be beautiful. Thanks for listening to my rant...I'd better start bailing!

cross country meet

Happy returns

Another year, and I still have my old Pops. Happy birthday Hawk.

Hay is in the barn...

the boy is in the dorm. After weeks of worrying if we'd get our winter supply of hay while I had Kale here to help haul, we made it just under the wire. 300+ bales of bermuda picked up and mostly put up Thursday evening and Friday morning then helped haul K's stuff to Stillwater Saturday afternoon. Joy in having a job done, mixed feelings about the empty space in the house. The horses will eat this winter and we'll surely adapt,as everyone does, to the next phase.

Margret, you asked why KU lepidopterists would allow the ham-fisted public to slap tags on delicate monarchs. I have been told this:

1. Monarchs are surprisingly hardy. They have to be to endure their long journey.

2. While "the public" is welcome, KU takes it on faith that the only people who will drag themselves (and their kids) out of bed early on Saturday and be willing to wade through chest-high grass, are egghead butterly lovers anyway who will be gentle with them.

Speaking of eggheads, Amy was here just in time to witness the butterfly emerging from its chrysalis! Pretty cool - the swollen abdomen and wrinkly wings all turned into a sleek adult butterfly within minutes. Yes, tagging kits - a great idea.

We also played with a broken foosball table at the rec center. Yep, I can really show a teenager a good time.

Maybe Liz has to contend with a lot of college student drivers in her part of Norman, but all I can say is: watch those one way streets!

Project...again.

 

Project

 
A long overdue project begins... 20 years ago... and more!

Hello everyone!

Catch any meteors?

I happened to be up at 4:45 and caught 2...with my eyeballs. I am setting my alarm for 3am and nick and i are going to see what we can see.

Prairie Royalty comes to visit

Despite the threats to monarchs' migration habitats, for us this has been the summer of the caterpillar. We've now had four caterpillars in the house - one successfully reared in June (Ken), one found recently and now in chrysallis mode, and two just found today on the very milkweed stem we'd brought home to feed # 2! They are hungry little suckers!
Lawrence is lucky to be home to Monarch Watch, a conservation and education program whose greatest annual event is the tagging in September. Next month, a quarter of a million monarchs make a pit stop at the wetlands south of town en route to Mexico. One day is specifically designated for the public to come out, attempt to net and then put ID stickers on the little guys to track their migration to Mexico. It's a sight to see entire trees plastered with orange and black "leaves".

Frighteningly, a Google Images search for "monarch watch" yields mostly photos of Prince Charles. Ick!

Ah nuts . . .

There are some great big old pecan trees in our apartment complex and one by our back windows is falling apart this week.
I was told the trees are TOO loaded down with big pecans, because of the wet season. I don't know about that, but what I do know is those limbs make some racket when they are coming down. The "1" is the branch that came down this weekend, it's laying across the parking lot to the left. "2" is the branch that came part way down last night at 12:30 and "3" marks our kitchen windows.

Bragging rights

Go here and pick Teachers, then Fifth Grade. :)

http://www.norman.k12.ok.us/122/

Grateful harvest

Here is a photo of the five color chard I will be planting next weekend, hopefully with my sister in check (as she will probably not be camping, I am the # 2 option. Being number 2, you try harder.) I also hope to plant more spinach and maybe even some broccoli.
I bought the chard in Ames, Iowa, from the Seedsavers' Exchange, which is exactly as it sounds: a group dedicated to saving older, often colorful and more flavorful kinds of familiar veggies that just didn't make it in the larger market because they don't ship well, etc. (Compare home tomatoes with those mushballs in the grocery store). So I am eager to have this little fiesta growing in my own plot.

The photo won't load. Booo hiss! So, you'll have to use your vibrant imaginations, or look at

www.seedsavers.org/images/46_s.jpg

Meanwhile, a landslide of tomatoes coming in and we are picking as fast as we can, while under seige of mosquitoes galore.

Digitally challenged,

C.L.O.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Wasn't Fuzzy Waz He?

Of course the pic does not do it justice - but here it is.

Campground

The floodwaters have receded and our usual campground is dry but not yet open for camping according to the gatekeeper. The swimming beach is stil closed but not sure I'd want to swim anyway...the pit toilets were definitely flooded...Flushed?! We're in a bind for time and will probably not be able to camp til Labor Day weekend anyhow.

Recycle

Found some info after reading recycle article online. Good info in the FAQs. http://www.metrecycle.com/index.htm