Weird Image Wednesday [180905]

Animal Dexterity

Lone assailant or teamwork? I don’t think the hummingbirds did this.

At least the raccoon(s) was/were polite enough to carefully leave the bottom of the feeder sitting on the railing instead of callously tossing it aside. I’m very curious about the mechanics of this operation—whether it was the work of one dexterous individual carefully unscrewing the base at the limits or their reach, or whether there was some kind of support from a friend (hanging on? standing on shoulders?) to make the work easier.

Falling Into Summer

Even though we didn’t get the rain, things have cooled down and the air feels wonderful this morning.

Yesterday I felt a little hint of fall in the air as clouds rolled in and the temperature stayed lower than usual.

Today, with the clear clean sky and the birds singing, it feels more like spring or maybe what a summer morning would feel like someplace where the season is not so cruel. I hear there are such places, but my experience with them is so distant that I question my memory and their very existence.

Days like yesterday give me a little hope to help me make it through the month that starts tomorrow. August, the long hot month, makes me wonder what we are in for, having had such a merciless July. Then, of course there’s September too because I’ve learned that around here it’s a good idea to not expect too much of autumn until October.

At least I now have that little bit of hope and believe once again that fall does exist.

Weird Image Wednesday [170927]

Cat Lines

Omar in the window

 

Feeling Friday

Friday evening and the white-winged dove makes its plaintive cry somewhere nearby. Sometimes they are relentless, going on and on like a lonely vendor in an out of the way stall at closing time, crying out to passers by as it tries to make a few more sales before having to go home to a hungry family.

This is that Friday time. This is that time—that expectant time that feels so full of possibilities, so full of freedom. This is that time—that time that never quite was and never is, always nostalgic without having any definable basis in past events. This is that time—filled with falsehoods and nothing solid, yet always feeling wonderful just the same. It’s that Friday evening feeling and the plaintive cry of the white-winged dove fits it perfectly.

Sunset on a Friday evening

Weird Image Wednesday [160615]

Cousin Compost

Sometimes I feel like I’m going to break down.

Around here everyone (thing) is part of the family!

Little square pops in my yard

The Spring morning sunlight has my yard popping with color

Please be sure to mouse over the photos to get the full effect — I love my theme but until the photos become active they are somewhat muted.

On clear mornings I enjoy watching the sun shine through the small bright leaves on this althea in my backyard.

I would have never planted this ornamental plum myself (it was here when I moved in), but I have grown to love the variety of colors that it can appear based on lighting, season and time of day.

Here’s a closeup of one of the althea leaves. Even the background has popping spheres of color!

What Texas Spring photo series would be complete without these. They may be used in photos a lot but the color really is beautiful.

These dianthus (pinks) overwinter well and bloom profusely season after season. They are an incredibly dependable source of color.

We planted this coral honeysuckle several years ago and every year it gets more full of blooms – with minimal care on our part.

Even Omar wanted to get in on the act and popped up on the yard cart for a little morning sun and meditation.

 

Having fun with shadows & light

Chasing shadows and light can be great exercise

The shutters and multi-paned windows in our house often create some interesting shadows and beams of light on our floors and walls. The best times are early in the morning and late in the day. I have learned to run for my camera as soon as I notice something interesting because things change fast and and if I don’t act fast the effect that inspired me can quickly disappear.

Spent some time yesterday morning staring at the floor…

Many of our windows have some pretty old glass which can create some mysterious and interesting lighting effects.

and yesterday evening staring at the wall.

 

 

Here’s what warm light looked like

Yesterday…

The first rays of warm morning sunshine make these young leaves sparkle.

and today

Viewing the results of this morning’s hailstorm from a warmly lit room.

Lines of light painted by the sun

These long shadows caused by early morning sunlight disappeared pretty fast.

It’s Alive!

This artichoke plant is taking over the whole bed in which it was planted.

I planted a tiny artichoke plant last fall and now I’m starting to wish I had planted it somewhere else. It’s only mid March and the plant is already huge. Shooting this plant from above led to some fun working with the shadows.

Cabbage, cabbage where’s my cabbage?

Can you find the tiny cabbage in the shadow of the out of bounds artichoke? This plant might be shading the whole house by the time summer rolls around.

Who dares to venture into the ancient dark forest of artichoke?

Up close it makes me think of some kind of prehistoric plant.