Zentangle® – July 2017

31 days in July and 31 Zentangles. I enjoy the Zen time while I am making each one and then the choosing the tiles for the monthly blog post…it is a pleasure to look at everything I created in the month and marvel at the joy I always feel in the process and the product. Maybe Zentangles are like little celebrations that get better with accumulation and a little savoring. Most of the tiles in July were the square ones…and the golden cardboard from canned Seltzer water.

The business cards were the ‘quick’ ones I did when I just wanted a little break – make a Zentangle – then go back to whatever was dominating the day.

--

The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Birding through a window – July 2017

I didn’t do much birding through the window in July because I wasn’t home enough….but there was a startling visit by an American goldfinch. It flew right up to the window and perched on the frame and – seemingly – looking directly at me! I was fortunate to have my camera near the keyboard of my computer so I moved as little possible to pick it up and take some pictures! Birding through the window is always opportunistic but this month it seemed to be even more than usual. I haven’t noticed the bird returning so it must have satisfied whatever prompted it to look through my window.

Adventures with CSA Veggies – July 2016

By the beginning of July, I was becoming overwhelmed with vegetables from our weekly medium share from Gorman Farms Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). I was not eating all the veggies each week in June and the crispers were never empty. I was thrilled to have guests right after the 4^th of July; I sent home all the excess with them – filling the ice chest they had brought for the purpose.

I have strategies to keep veggies for a little longer: basil in a glass of water on the counter and

Greens (like carrot tops) in bins that I save from salad greens purchased in the winter.

Now when I see the board, I’m already thinking about what I’ll make. I’ve enjoyed make dark red (chocolate) pudding with beets and zucchini (summer squash since I pick the other colors than dark green if given a choice) bread already. Something as simple as slices of cucumbers and turnips with hummus makes a great summer snack (or meal).

We haven’t gotten tomatoes yet (maybe next week), but I was in the mood for something tomato yesterday and made an excellent soup with leeks, potatoes, summer squash, basil and carrot tops….in a spicy ‘spaghetti’ sauce. Yum!

I still may have to shred some of the summer squash to freeze for fall and winter baking before I pick up next week’s share!

Moving In

I took some pictures of the new apartment before the containers arrived in State College. My daughter had a rocker recliner and some kitchen stuff that she brought in her car from Pittsburgh (for at least the next year, her job is in State College and her husband’s is in Pittsburgh so they will learn the highway between their two apartments very well). She already had Internet service working. Things were empty and quiet. 

The sunroom that overlooks a meadow and trees (and some other apartments) was to become her office.

And then the unloading began. I tried to fold the furniture blankets as the furniture was moved in; a pile of them and old sheets we had used for padding around larger picture frames quickly accumulated.

Sometimes the box labeling enabled to movers to put it close to where it needed to be unpacked – like in the kitchen.

There was one box that that we laughed about – no label at all.

My husband arrived shortly after the unloading was done; he quickly the bedframe together. The pile of furniture blankets went into the back of his car to be stored in our basement until they are needed again.

My daughter commented that she is already thinking of this apartment as a retreat compared to the very urban Pittsburgh apartment. The State College apartment had good sound proofing and the apartment complex has forest all around it. The nearby trees are mostly various kinds of oaks but there are understory trees too (maybe some sassafras!). And there is a ground hog (or two) that wanders around on the mowed area between her apartment and the meadow; she’s already named the ground hog ‘Chuck.’

Out and About Close to Home

I took a late afternoon walk through our neighborhood recently. When I got to the pond, I didn’t see our resident green heron but there was a lot of bird noises. I thought maybe it was the birds finding good roosts for the night…then I saw the reason: a red-tailed hawk in the pine tree near the pond…surveying the place.

He was still for a few minutes then started looking around more…then flew away and the area got quieter almost immediately and I headed home.

As I walked up to our house, I noticed that the bush near our garage needed trimming. This would be the second time for this year. The next morning I went out to trim it – remembering to take the ‘before’ picture. It started out looking like a porcupine…then became a bush with a mohawk trim…

Then an asymmetrical bush. I cut some branches from the inside because I want it even shorter. The step stool I have that is easiest for me to carry around to trim bushes does not give me quite enough height to reach the top easily. Note that I used a lot of different tools: electric hedge trimmers, long handled pruners, and saw. I will do more with the pruners and saw to make the bush shorter!

Herons at the Neighborhood Pond

Our neighborhood pond is still an eyesore – cleaned out with a bulldozer in late spring, most of the vegetation gone, and covered with algae. But it is full of frogs which can sometimes be spotted if you hear plops as they move through the shallows. It’s made the pond a good place for a green heron which I have seen so frequently that it must be a near permanent resident. I always enjoy photographing green herons because they have so many ‘looks.’ Sometimes they look chunky and not much like a heron. Other times the feathers on top of their head stand almost straight up…a bird with a mohawk! Other times their neck elongates but looks very thick and strange for a heron. But sometimes they hold themselves in a pose that looks like most of the other herons (the very last image in the slide show below.

I spotted a Great Blue Heron in the pond last week. It doesn’t have adult plumage and the bill is two-toned so it probably is one that hatched this spring. It has a white spot under its eye which I noticed in several images; maybe that makes it unique. It found a meal near the pond drain but swallowed it before I could see what it was – maybe a frog…or a small fish.

Even though the pond has no visual appeal on its own, I like the birds that are there!

Moving in Containers – Part 3

I posted about the containers being loaded up in Tucson more than a month ago (part 1 and part 2). A couple of weeks ago, the 1^st container packed up in Tucson was delivered to the Pittsburgh apartment. Instead of an apartment parking lot, the container had to be parked on an urban street. Fortunately, there was a parking space right in front of the apartment building. It was a harder job to unload because there were steps up to the building and then the apartment was on the second floor once the movers were inside (so 2 floors of steps). There was some grumbling about the stairs. And it took them a little longer to do the unloading than it had when the container was loaded.

Everything inside the container was in good shape – no breakage. Some of the boxes were crushed enough that they will just be recycled rather than reused. There are still two containers that we delivered in a few weeks to their apartment in State College...but so far – moving in containers has been a positive experience in terms of service and cost.

Ten Little Celebrations – June 2017

As I look back over the month, I realize that there was a lot to celebrate.

Home. At the beginning of the month I had just returned home from helping my daughter move from Arizona to Pennsylvania. As usual – returning home was celebrated. I like to travel but coming home again always feels wonderful.

3 box turtles. I didn’t do a lot of hiking in June but was thrilled that it seemed like there were a lot of box turtles around…and I celebrated seeing so many. There were two along the path between Mt. Pleasant and the Patapsco River and the third was in the cemetery at Belmont.

Receiving the Carol Filipczak Award from Howard County Conservancy. Celebrating recognition for volunteering that is love.

Daughter on the east coast. Having my daughter living in the same time zone (rather than in Arizona) is something I am celebrating this month.

Kenilworth Gardens. Lotus, waterlilies, dragonflies, turtles, birds, magnolias…so much to celebrate.

Milkweed flowers. I had so many milkweeds come up in my front flowerbed that I had to cut some of them down….but I cut the globes of flowers first and enjoyed them in a stir fry (after boiling them twice to remove the toxins). Celebrating the taste of wild food!

Peach preserves. Not sure why – but I couldn’t resist it in the grocery store and I am celebrating the decision. I’ve spread it on toast and whisked it into a homemade salad dressing. Yum!

Volunteering at Wings of Fancy. Having butterflies flying around while I’m volunteering at Brookside Gardens…a constant celebration. So beautiful.

CSA. I’m celebrating the fresh veggies from the Gorman Farm Community Supported Agriculture. It’s easy to eat enough veggies when they taste so good!

Photography with summer campers. I am already celebrating the photography with summer campers that I’m doing for the 3^rd time this summer. I’m in the prep stages but am anticipating the flurry of having 15 or so campers (at one time…a total of 5 groups eventually) all enthusiastic about photographing the natural world around them is going to be one of the highlights of the summer.

Birding through a window – June 2017

My favorite birding-through-a-window episode was a gray catbird at the bird bath just outside our front door. It happened in mid-afternoon on the first of the month. At first, I thought the bird had come for a drink…but it jumped in a used the bath! It seems like I am seeing catbirds more frequently this year – or maybe I am just more aware of their sounds and am looking for them when I hear them.

There are the usual birds around our house as well: the grackle,

The robin,

The dove (precariously perched on our anemometer),

Finches (gold finches and house finches both),

And blue jays.

Cat with a Lion Cut

Our cat (Boromir) has long hair with a thick undercoat. It got increasingly matted after he had jaw surgery several years ago. My husband tried to cut some of the mats but there were an increasing number that were so close to the cat’s skin that they could not be cut with scissors. My daughter suggested we take him to a groomer for a Lion Cut so when she visited us last week, that became one of the ‘to do’ items.  My husband was very anxious since the cat is older, less active, and might react badly to the adventure.

In the end, it was less traumatic for the cat than for my husband. At the groomers, it appeared that half the cat was left on the table! When they got home, he came right out of the carrier and sat on his scratching platform (and he does look a little like a lion with all the fur left on his head and the tuft on the end of his tail,

Got a snack (his lower legs and feet still have the long hair…so he looks like he is wearing boots), and

Watched some television.

We’ve noticed that he has become more active since he got the Lion Cut so the mats in his fur must have been uncomfortable when he moved around. He goes up and down the stairs much more frequently now. He seems to like his new look (and feel).

Our Yard – June 2017

There were a lot of rainy days in May and June – so far – has been relatively cool here in Maryland. The plants seem to be thrilled. I’ve already trimmed the bush beside our garage and it already needs to be trimmed again. My husband parks his car on that side of the garage and is keen for me to do the job ASAP.

The milkweed in the front flowerbed looks great – and there don’t appear to be any more caterpillars on it. Pooh!

I might cut down the plants toward the front of the bed so that the ‘predator’ lights will be more visible to the deer. So far the gizmo has kept them from eating the day lily buds.

The trees are still getting a lot of new leaves. The new maple leaves start out tinged with red.

The tulip poplar leaves are miniature (somewhat streamlined) versions of the larger leaves. Most of the flowers are fading now and the seed mods are forming.

Our oak tree is trimmed up so high (it’s close to the street and the country trimmed it high enough that fire trucks would not be damaged if they needed to come down our street) that I decided to take a picture of a leave that had fallen. The tree has grown a lot since we moved into our house 20 years ago and I like the shade it provides to the front of the house on summer mornings.

Celebrating the CSA Season

The season for our local Community Supported Agriculture (Gorman Farms) has begun! I selected to pick up my share on the first day available each week and went during the first hour of opening. A lot of other people did the same. Cars were coming and going almost constantly while I was there – not crowded but a steady flow.

I cleaned out the crispers in my refrigerator before I went and was glad I did. There is a lot of green with a few hints of red: lettuce, chard, garlic scapes, tatsoi, pac choi, scallions, kale, and oregano. I chose an extra head of lettuce as my overage item this week since I decided to just enjoy big salads – maybe take off a pound or two while eating the bounty of early summer lettuce.

I saved bins from buying salad greens during winter so I have plenty to use for storing the cleaned lettuces from the CSA for at least a week.

The first meal was a big ‘garden’ salad.

The second meal will be scrambled eggs with garlic scapes – one of my favorite meals after the first CSA distribution of the season. This is my 4^th year for enjoying CSA produce and garlic scapes are one the favorite ‘new’ foods the CSA has provided.

Road Trip from Tucson – Part 2

After a good night’s rest in Carrollton, Texas we headed out for two long days of driving to get to Laurel, Maryland. Our first stop was still in Texas: a Love’s in Mt. Vernon, Texas. We both got morning caffeine: coffee for my daughter and a soft drink for me.

The next stop was a McDonald’s in Hope, Arkansas. I remembered to send a text to my husband that we were on the road. We bought French Fries and Chicken Nuggets which I ate while driving. I eat the French fries first from the container on my lap. Then my daughter hands me my portion of the McNuggets.

The next stop was a McDonalds in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. We felt a little guilty because we didn’t buy anything; just used the facilities and continued our drive.

I was in the passenger seat when we were crossing the Mississippi River to Memphis so was able to take some pictures.

We stopped at a very understaffed Exxon travel station in Arlington Tennessee. I bought another soft drink to keep me going.

The only real rest stop of the day was in Benton County Tennessee.

We got to our stop for the night, an EconoLodge in Lebanon, Tennessee, and managed to park in the shade while we ate dinner (so the tarantula and spider stayed cool enough) and were back to the hotel about sunset.

We had a large breakfast so didn’t stop until lunch time (it came a little earlier because of the time zone change). It was a McDonalds but I got a salad this time. I drove while my daughter ate.

We made a stop at a Sheetz for gasoline…and another soft drink for me.

I started eating my lunch and then took some pictures of the greenery in eastern Tennessee throught the windshield.

The next stop was the only rest stop of the day – in Virginia. There was a dogwood near the building’s entrance with fading blooms.

We were close enough to home that we went for 3 hours without another stop. The car was power washed by some rain showers along the way. The road was drying by the time we got home. We staggered out of the car. The tarantula was out of it burrow and seemed glad the vibrations were finally stopping.

It was good to be home again!

Moving in Containers – Part 2

I posted about the loading of the first container last week. That one will be delivered to Pittsburgh in mid- June and I’ll continue this series with that delivery. The rest of the shippable items in my daughter and son-on-law’s two bedroom Tucson apartment was loaded into two containers late last week. We had underestimated the amount of time it would take to pack boxes and ready furniture to go into the container. The time crunch was made worse when we found out the containers would be loaded in the morning rather than the afternoon. We got very little sleep! I loaded boxes of the same size in piles – putting them there while I packed them rather than moving then afterward.

The morning of the move, we put the queen-sized mattress in a mattress bag and then boxed it. The box springs just got a plastic bag. Maneuvering the big items into covers and boxes takes a lot of stretching and contortion….exhausting work. We marked the box that we’d purchased for the box springs as ‘do no move’ but there ended up being room in a container for the box so we didn’t have to put it in the re-cycle dumpster.

The kitchen was place we put things that were not going into the containers (i.e. no food or liquids).

The two containers arrive just after 9 AM with three men to load them. It took them 1 hour and 15 minutes to load them.

After they left – the hard part of throwing away pantry items and compacting as much as we could to take in the car. We put furniture items my daughter did not want to move near the dumpsters at the apartment and they were gone within a few hours – to a new home. I’m still working on what a learned from the experience --- preparing to write it down --- since when I move from my current house, it will probably be in containers.

Ten Little Celebrations – May 2017

May was a busier month than April and the change from cold to warm weather still provides a lot of variety…plenty to celebrate.

“Focus on Butterflies” session at Brookside Gardens. Our experience with a photography specific time in the Brookside conservatory with butterflies was very enjoyable. I’m still celebrating the images I managed to capture.

Conowingo. Every time we go it is a celebration that Bald Eagles have recovered from their near extinction from pesticides. We see so many at Conowingo --- along with Great Blue Herons and cormorants.

Hiking with second graders. I thoroughly enjoy the ‘Science of Soil’ hikes with second graders. It seems like every group is excited about the topic…and being outdoors in general!

Two pre-school Nature Tales field trips in one day. Even though it rained all day – both the morning and afternoon group of pre-schoolers enjoyed their field trip. My segment (which I repeated 5 times!) was about trees and butterflies. Their celebration of walking to the nature center in the rain with their boots and rain gear was contagious!

TSA Pre. Every time I see that my boarding pass has ‘TSA Pre’ results in a little celebration. It is such a relief to not have to pack so I can get my laptop and quart sized Ziploc out easily…or wear slip on shoes that can come off…and back on easily.

Family. This month I saw more of my mother’s side of the family than I have in a long time. They are getting older so every time I see them together, it’s cause for celebration.

A lull before a flurry of busy days. With all the travel going on in the last half of the month, I celebrated a day that was a calm beforehand.

Setting up the Monarch Nursery. I thought my strategy to bring Monarch Butterfly caterpillars inside so that I could gradually take the milkweed plants out of the front flowerbed was a good one – and I celebrated when I found most of what I needed in the basement. My first caterpillar seemed to be doing well…but I put him back outside on the milkweed when I left on my travels. I’ll start a nursery again when I am going to be around to give them fresh leaves every day or so.

Wood Ducks as the Neighborhood Pond. Our neighborhood looked so terrible after they cleaned it out….but the wood ducks came anyway. I celebrated their visit.

Skirts. I’ve gotten skirts out again and am celebrating how great they are to wear when the weather is warmer.

Through Window Photography Frustration – May 2017

I’ve already posted about the Great Crested Flycatcher I photographed through my office window earlier this month. Others I saw were ones I’d seen many time before: blue jays, chipping sparrows, nuthatches, goldfinches, house finches, crows, robins, grackles, cowbirds. But this month – there was one I saw and identified….but didn’t get a good photograph: a scarlet tanager. The best photograph I got shows it hiding behind sycamore leaves. Aargh!

Moving in Containers – Part 1

I am helping my daughter and son-in-law move from Arizona to Pennsylvania in U-Haul containers. The move was happening in two stages. Part of the packing for the first stage was done before I arrived last Tuesday and we packed up the rest before the team arrived with the container that they would load. I was glad that the futon was already in a mattress box (although I’ll have to help box queen size bed for the second stage of the move.

It only took them about an hour because we were packed and ready for them. I took a series of pictures to document the loading progress. It was a very full container!

After they left, we had plenty of room to pack up the rest of the apartment. Two containers arrive later today…and I’ll post about what happened with that loading.

So far – I like this kind of moving better than the full-service moves. It is easier to schedule loading…and delivery on the other end too. If this move continues to go well, I’ll probably choose to move in containers next time I move.

Great Crested Flycatcher

There was a bird sitting on the support of the old weather instruments at my house a few days ago. It was something different than I had ever seen before. I took quite a few pictures through my office window hoping they would be good enough to identify it.

I used the Merlin app to help me identify it (size between a sparrow and a robin, colors yellow, brown and white, and on a fence or wire). And then browsed through the possibilities to figure out what it was. It was easy! Maybe next time I will try providing the picture to Merlin and letting it give me fewer possibilities.

I hope the Great Crested Flycatcher decides that the support is a good place to perch looking for insects. It seemed to spot something but then flew away at the same time some house finches few away from the bird bath that is located below. It would be an interesting bird to watch hunting insects all summer!

Monarch Caterpillars Saga II

It was about 40 degrees on the morning I went out to look for the caterpillars again and decide which milkweed plant to cut (the one with the most caterpillars was my criteria). I didn’t find any caterpillars! I decided to wait a few hours for the temperature to climb a little. By early afternoon it was in the 50s and I found a caterpillar on one of the plants.

It was near the base of one of the leaves, close the stem. I couldn’t tell that it had munched nearby but the caterpillars do go through cycles of eating voraciously and then resting as they develop…and it had been cold during the night.

I carried the fish tank out to the front flower bed. I’d found a glass flower arranger that I planned to use to hold the stalks of milkweed upright and their ends in water.

The stalk turned out to be a little bigger than the hole so I trimmed it around the edges enough for it to fit. Then I took the whole thing back inside and covered it with netting.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the caterpillar becomes active and thrives in my Monarch Caterpillar nursery.

Monarch Caterpillars Saga I

Last weekend, my husband commented that we had milkweed coming up in our front flowerbed (milkweed plants circled in white in the picture below) and I needed to cut it down. Once milkweed is established it comes up year after year from the roots.

I decided to check for Monarch caterpillars on the plants first. Sure enough – I found caterpillars. The first one I found was tiny. I almost didn’t see it. It was less than a quarter of an inch long!

The other two were a little further along. The yellow, black and white stripes typical of Monarch caterpillars were more evident.

I decided I would try raising the caterpillars in an old fish tank that was previously gathering dust in our basement. I’ve cleaned it up and purchased the netting to cover the top. My next post will be about my adventure cutting the milkweed with the caterpillars on it and setting up my Monarch caterpillar nursery. I have plenty of milkweed to nourish the caterpillars until they make their chrysalis. When they hatch – I’ll release the butterflies near a good patch of milkweed so they can lay more eggs and continue their northward journey.