Rurality

Capture

2008-07-20T21:25:00.001-05:00

I have a new computer that's taking a little getting used to. The pros are obvious: My m and n keys are no longer worn out, the case isn't cracked at the seams, and boy, is it zippy fast.

Really the only con is that many things work differently. As an official old person, I think I'm obliged to resist change. Or whine about it a little, at least.

Photoshop Elements will do so much more than my old mini-featured generic program. I couldn't resist the urge to make my bug photo look like a cartoon, as you see. But the features aren't intuitively obvious, and they're not much like the old Photoshop 3 I used to know.

You people with wide-screen computers were so sweet not to tell me how off-kilter I've been. I like my new screen, but some things (mainly my blog header) appear centered incorrectly. I haven't figured out how to fix that yet.

The screen is also very bright. So I may have trouble getting the photo levels right for a while.

I have a spiffy new Bluetooth mouse. No cords, it's great! But it has a bit of a tendency to drift to the left all on its own when I use my usual sofa-pillow-as-mousepad.

I will figure it all out eventually.

More Zinnias

2008-07-14T06:43:00.000-05:00

A mixture of Persian Carpet and
Old Mexico Zinnias (Zinnia haageana).

The catalog says that these make good cut flowers. And they do... but you'd better have a short vase. Most of the stems are only 3 - 4 inches long (8 - 10 cm).

I like these two types together. I had both last year, but made the mistake of planting them too close to something taller. They ended up in the shade half the day, and didn't produce well.

The catalog says 2" flowers (5 cm) and 2' plants (61 cm), but so far mine are about half of that.

Inconceivable!

2008-07-12T11:37:00.003-05:00

I told people that I'd spent most of last week sticking my head out the window, yelling, "Inconceivable!" Storm after storm passed by, edging just to the north or just to the south.

How this line missed us, I have no idea. Storms here generally march from left to right, or rather, west to east. We are in the area outlined by the white box, yet once again, we didn't get a drop of rain. Inconceivable!

Finally

2008-07-11T06:45:00.000-05:00

We planted the garden pretty late.

So all we're getting now, in the way of vegetables, are long, skinny things.

Japanese Eggplant, Zephyr Squash, Cucumbers. No tomatoes yet.

The little cucumber that could. We bought what turned out to be an amazingly good plant, I think from the local Ace Hardware. Never bitter, despite my horribly uneven watering. And really, really prolific! This amount is from one day. (One plant.) I see cucumber-pushing in my future.

-----

Don't forget the Friday Ark.

The size of things

2008-07-10T06:40:00.005-05:00

When we had 20+ chickens, it was often impossible to tell who was laying what. I never was sure which individual was laying the pinkies in the egg picture above (in the the new header)¹.

When you only have two chickens, it's easy to tell the difference in the eggs.

On the left is an egg from the Marans hen. They're supposed to be very dark eggs, but sometimes they turn out speckled. You don't find chickens advertised as laying spotted eggs, but most of our hatchery Marans did, from time to time.

On the right is an egg from the Easter Egger. They are usually green or blue. This one is such a pale green that it didn't come through well in the photo.

Common wisdom has it that chickens lay fewer, but larger, eggs as they age. I've found that to be true for all the types we've had except the Marans. Hers continue to be smallish, but she's laying more often now than ever. All our chickens' eggs have gotten lighter in color each successive season.

-----

¹That seems to be the picture that people remember most from the blog. (Every time I look at it, it bothers me that I didn't get them lined up a little straighter.) It was from my first month of blogging, so I suppose you could say it's been all downhill from there. Click here for the larger, right-side-up original version.

Surprise in the driveway

2008-07-09T07:25:00.000-05:00

Timber rattlesnake! Crotalus horridus.

A big one.

His tail was raised but he never rattled it.

He was beautiful.

And a little scary.

I really wasn't that close - this is max telephoto zooming.

I didn't realize that snakes had eyebrows.

They make him look agressive, even though he wasn't.

Do snakes bristle their scales? It seemed like he was doing that.

-----

They are sometimes called Canebreak rattlesnakes in south Alabama, but are apparently the same species.

There are six poisonous snakes in Alabama, but I've only encountered three of them. And this is only the third time I've ever seen a rattlesnake. (I've run across lots of Copperheads and Water Moccasins, a.k.a. Cottonmouths.)

I looked it up, and the eyebrow scale is called the supraocular scale.

Peppermint Stick Zinnia

2008-07-08T06:32:00.001-05:00

We were late in planting the garden, so even the quick-starters are just starting to be productive. Last year, I wasted a lot of money on exotic seeds that never germinated. Since I couldn't be sure if it was the seeds or it was me at fault, I decided to keep the flower experiments simple until I had a clue about what I was doing.

Zinnias are easy. Zinnias truly are "Flowers for Dummies". So I bought almost every Zinnia mix that Johnny's offers.

The Peppermint Stick is supposed to be a "fully double bloom".

They're not exactly turning out like that, though. (Compare with the image in that last link.)

Maybe they need more water. I kind of like them this way, though.

One of the "small percentage of solid colors" they warn you about.

This one's trying to go for "double" I guess. Sometimes one of the petals is a solid color like this. I found that if I cut them at this point, those inner petals never unfurl. They seem to stay frozen in time at the moment of cutting.

Like all the other Zinnias, they have excellent staying power as a cut flower.

How to make it rain

2008-07-07T06:31:00.002-05:00

Install drip irrigation.

Funny Bunny Sunday

2008-07-06T05:30:00.004-05:00

I dreamed that I took my favorite photo ever, and decided that the definitive title for it would be Funny Bunny Sunday. My husband pointed out (in the dream) that the picture was of our cat Ginger, and not a rabbit. "It'll still work," I said.

I sat with camera in hand for at least an hour, obsessed with recreating my dream. I waited for Ginger to do anything remotely funny-bunnyish. But mostly he was just interested in sleeping.

"You are not putting that on the internet."*

Kind of bunny.

Kind of funny.

Ginger loves to crawl up my husband's chest, arch his back high in the air, then settle very, very close to the face. I tease him. "That cat looooves you."

-----

*I was able to change his mind.

-----

P.S. I forgot to add a link to the Circus of the Spineless earlier. Sorry, Doug!

Beaker and TV

2008-07-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

Beaker has become pretty excited about television lately. Particularly about trying to out-voice it. If the TV's on, you can throw that "parakeets aren't loud birds" business out the window. It's a new habit, and I'm not sure what brought it on. Maybe he thinks we should read more.

Strange orange moth

2008-07-04T05:00:00.002-05:00

My husband photographed this gigantic orange moth on a recent business trip. Thankfully, something this odd is usually pretty easy to identify on the internet. It didn't take long to find out that this is a Regal Moth, also known as Royal Walnut Moth, Citheronia regalis.

It would be odd enough if it were the size of a normal moth. But according to Wikipedia, this is the biggest moth north of Mexico. (That's weight, not wing span, though that's not shabby either.) In this lighter wide-angle view, you can compare him to the door hardware to see how large he is.

This was on the door of the hotel, so maybe he's a watch-moth. I know several people who would hesitate to open that door!

-----

Updated:
This one was found in Virginia, but they are at home anywhere in the east, I believe.

Submitted to the Friday Ark.

Pre-teen spirit

2008-07-03T07:28:00.004-05:00

My cutie-pie niece, in the shirt she's not allowed to wear to school any more.

I can't remember if she was actually sent home, or just asked not to wear it again.

BestBug

2008-07-01T07:59:00.012-05:00

What strange little insects, that looked like miniature beetles with longish snouts. Turns out, that's more or less the definition of weevils.

These are in the subfamily Baridinae, probably Odontocorynus scutellumalbum. What a mouthful of a name! It may change though, because according to Wiki, "the higher classification of weevils is in a state of flux". I imagine it's an exciting time for entomologists.

Several were feeding on Rudbeckia. Not being familiar with weevils yet, I'd temporarily named the photo files "besbug" as shorthand for black-eyed-susan-bug. It started me thinking, what if people were as interested in insects as in electronics. When showing off your creepy-crawlies, you could tell your friends that you got a really good deal at BestBug.

Anyway, I found another one on a daisy.

I didn't notice until processing the photos back home, that there was something sinister lurking below.

Eek! I think that little weevil is in for a big surprise.

I wish I'd realized the whole picture when I was there. I wonder who came out alive. Who won Best Bug? In hopes of the preservation of local wildflowers, I think I'd have to root for the spider.

-----

Update:
In case you've got a dark computer screen, let me lighten that last picture up for you.

Eek!

Turtle identification made extremely difficult

2008-06-27T08:07:00.003-05:00

Jasmine was barking like crazy at something in the middle of the back yard.

It was a turtle, laying eggs in a not-so-secluded spot.

I shooed the dog away, took a few pictures, and left her to it.

I went out later to try to find the egg site, but couldn't relocate it.

It finally did dawn on me later, that some previous mystery sites (small wet shallow holes) were places where turtles had recently laid eggs. Aha! I felt so smart. I mentioned this to my husband, and he said something along the lines of, "Of course, didn't you know that already?" Well, maybe I just forgot.

Anyway, this happened a few weeks ago. I found the turtle pictures again when moving some photos off the camera's disk. So I set out to identify the turtle.

I found a couple of good ID sites. One is the Turtle Field Guide. But it asked a lot of questions that I didn't have the answers to.

Then there's the Turtle Identification Guide and Checklist. I like that one better, because you don't have to know each answer before moving on to the next question. Plus, there are the drawings, and satisfying little check boxes.

But I'm still not sure which turtle this is. That would have required
1) Washing the turtle off, to try to make out the pattern on her back a bit better, and
2) Turning her over, to examine the pattern on the bottom.

Doing either of those things would fall into the "harassing wildlife" category though, I think.

I checked as many boxes as I could, but still came up with 11 possibilities. I think she may be a Florida Cooter, Pseudemys floridana. Or she could be a slider... Maybe a painted turtle. But I'm leaning towards Cooter.

-----

Submitted to the Friday Ark.

More spiny caterpillars

2008-06-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

I had a difficult time identifying this caterpillar. It looked a lot like an American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis), but not exactly the same. I couldn't find anything else that it resembled any more, though.

It's been a big year, as far as spiny/bristly caterpillars go. On the driveway today I spotted a Yellow Bear. Also a tiny, tiny shrew or vole. And me without my camera.

Why don't we do it in the woods?

2008-06-24T08:14:00.000-05:00

Aha!

No wonder we weren't getting any eggs.

We had an idea that this was happening. We kept hearing that chicken-laying clucking noise far from the coop. That cliché you always hear about hen talk? Buck-buck-buck-buckAH! That's how it really sounds. I keep thinking that it's the poultry equivalent of "Ow! Ow! Ow! This really hurts!" But I'm probably just imagining things.

I'd tried to investigate earlier, but that thicket has a poison-ivy carpet and is packed with those mid-level leafy shrubs that ticks love. I had on shorts and no hat, and I'm a little wimpy about that kind of thing, so I didn't get far. Hubby found it later, underneath a brush pile, a lot closer to the edge of the field than I'd thought.

Hubby removed these eggs, and put fresh straw in the coop's laying areas. Success! The Easter Egger found it suitable and laid an egg there yesterday. Since she was the instigator of this little revolt, I'm hoping the Marans will follow suit.

June Garden Tour

2008-06-23T07:48:00.003-05:00

It's really too hot in June to be touring gardens in Alabama.

I didn't want to miss this one, though. I'd previously only seen it in the fall, and knew if would be great in full bloom.

Consider the lilies...

Consider the drumstick alliums too!

My calendula never looked this nice.

He said this was Brazilian verbena, but it must be a cultivated variety. The wild version here isn't nearly as full.

Still considering lilies...

I have no idea what most of these plants are called. Obviously this one is a hydrangea, but I don't know the type. (I can probably find out if you're curious about anything in particular.)

Love those coneflowers.

The gardener said he'd lost a lot during last year's drought, but the garden looked fantastic to me. We got a lot of good spring rain, but it has tapered off severely in the past month. I'm afraid we're in for another dry summer.

Green and black cicada

2008-06-20T07:21:00.001-05:00

Newly emerged Linne's Cicada, Tibicen linnei. Looking pretty spiffy, especially considering the dirt nap.

-----

I think that this is Linne's Cicada, but as you can see here, the Tibicen cicadas are very similar.

Go here to hear some of the songs.

-----

Submitted to the Friday Ark.

Luna Noctiluca

2008-06-19T07:40:00.002-05:00

The moon illusion doesn't work very well here.

We're in a valley, and Selene is already well on her journey before she rises over the mountain.

The clouds played hide-and-seek, and it was all quite lovely anyway.

The moment the first shiny diamond chip of a moon slipped over the top of the trees, it was as if a cue had been given, and coyotes began howling in the distance. Chillbumps and laughter!

I suspect the show continued all night, but we slept through it.

We woke just in time to see her making way for Eos and Helios, early this morning.

Solstice moon

2008-06-18T14:57:00.002-05:00

I almost forgot! It's the solstice moon tonight, the last full moon before the summer solstice. See if you can catch the moon illusion. Let me know.

Solstice Moon strikes me as a pretty good soap name, actually. (I'm always on the lookout for good soap names!)

Last fall I called one of my newer soaps Scorpio Moon. Supposedly, being born when the moon was in Scorpio means that you experience deep emotions.

I can't say I really believe in astrology though... Scorpio just sounds better than any of the other zodiacal signs when paired with moon!

Hummingbird vine

2008-06-18T07:02:00.000-05:00

My sister was sold this plant labeled as Hummingbird Vine.

I knew right away that it wasn't what most people call Hummingbird Vine. (That would be Cypress Vine, Ipomoea quamoclit, shown below.)

I suspect that what she bought was actually Campsis radicans, a.k.a. Trumpet Vine, Trumpet Creeper, or (my favorite) Cow Itch.

Looking around the internet, some people do apparently call the first plant Hummingbird Vine. But it's certainly not the preferred name. Not here, anyway.

I was all ready to blame Walmart or Lowe's for the mistake, and tell her to demand a refund. But it turns out she bought the plant from the Birmingham Botanical Garden's plant sale. (Whoops.)

Trumpet Vine is native here, but many people consider it invasive in the garden.

-----

Cypress vine photo by Janice Waltzer via Flickr.

Rush hour in Blount county

2008-06-17T07:24:00.003-05:00

Cute little guy, but he wouldn't let us anywhere near him. A little girl was making friends by throwing something edible at him, so we left them to it.

That is a belt around his neck, which I did think was a little strange.

-----

Updated: After a few emails, I can see that it is not obvious for people with those nifty little lightweight, but tiny-screened, laptops. That is a GOAT in the road!

By the way, you can always click on any of the pictures to make them larger.

Alabama Soap Meeting

2008-06-15T09:36:00.003-05:00

Darlene was selling Shea butter fresh from the calabash, so her hands were greasy.

Darlene: Just put it in my pocket.

Jen: What do you mean I have to get change?!

Sadly, I did not win the grand prize on either day. Friday's was a $250 gift certificate from Snowdrift Farm, and Saturday's was a "Tank" cutter donated by the soap meeting itself. DebbieT is demonstrating hers in the picture above.

Debbie also organized a business card swap, and made the cutest little card holders I've ever seen. Isn't she brilliant?

I think I changed a setting on the camera by mistake (I took Hubby's since it's small), so a lot of the photos didn't turn out well. All the ones I accidentally took of my feet were perfect, of course.

Mar crowned (and knighted!) our new President, Sandi, while our outgoing boss, Jen, was giddy with joy. She's been our President, our benevolent dictator, and fearless leader for the past 11 years, and has never steered us wrong.

We were so lucky to have Anne-Marie from Brambleberry as our main speaker. She taught us how to make massage candles, and also spoke on the topics of Goal Setting and Rules to Succeed in Business. She should know, because she had a company grossing over $1 million when she was only 25 years old! I believe that was about six years ago, and her success continues to build. She is smart, smart, smart, but also very personable, kind, and sharing.

Soap gathering

2008-06-12T06:59:00.002-05:00

This is how I spent the day yesterday: putting together the goody bags for the annual Alabama Soapmakers meeting.

To start, I make stacks of all the printed materials. Magazines and heavy catalogs go first, business cards and coupons on top.

Persnickety, me? All liquid and possibly-melty things must be segregated in ziplocks! (It's rare that something leaks, but you never know.)

This takes me all day.

My feet are really tired when it's done.

But it's worth it!

-----

Our 10th annual meeting is this weekend. Anne-Marie from Brambleberry is coming! I'm hoping some of her energy will rub off on me.

I wrote about our soap meeting once before here.

I'm so thankful to all our sponsors, who donated door prizes, samples, catalogs, coupons, and all manner of cool stuff. As Vendor Donations Coordinator, I've begged, pleaded, beseeched and harrassed them for the past three years. This year, the economy has sagged. I heard "no" (or silence) more than usual. I can relate -- everybody is pinching pennies. But I'm especially thankful to those vendors who came through for us this time.

Special care

2008-06-11T06:04:00.004-05:00

My sister's miniature rose.

My sister, demonstrating the special care needed for the rose (nothing).

-----

I can't remember if she didn't know the name, or if I just forgot to ask. Maybe she will email or comment and let me know.