A Second Look--August 7, 2013

We've had a lot of rain off and on so I didn't get to do a good look at the lower part of the yard like I hoped. However, there was still plenty to see close to the house. The tiger lilies are gone and many of the butterflies have left with them, but not all. I haven't seen the monarch caterpillars for a couple of weeks, so I hope they have gone off to build a chrysalis. I've looked in the area a little, but there are enough shrubs, trees, and weeds around they could be anywhere. It seems as if the tussock caterpillar numbers are on the rise and they have been joined by milkweed bugs that are starting to hatch. I will say that the milkweed plants host a lot of interesting activity.

On the bird front, the other three sparrow eggs have not hatched and after a couple weeks, probably aren't going to. The lone baby is continuing to develop and has gotten some real feathers while the bluebird mother is still sitting on her eggs.  It seems like there is more activity at the feeder with both kinds and numbers of birds. However, I'm never quite sure if the numbers are increasing or I'm just watching at the right time.

Unfortunately, I have seen one house finch with conjunctivitis. This is a well known problem in the finch population and affects approximately 5-10% of them. What this means to me is that I need to clean my bird feeder with bleach to cut down on chance of spread. This is something that is recommended to be done every two weeks, but it doesn't happen that often here.

Here are some of the things I saw this week during a Second Look.

The surprise lilies came up this week. They are called surprise lilies because their leaves come up and die months before the flowers emerge.

This is the last variety of hosta to bloom this summer.

It's hard to make everything out in this messy sparrows nest, but notice the unhatched eggs and the feathers forming on the one baby.

These will turn into orange and black milkweed bugs.

Skipper Butterfly on Black-Eyed Susan

The downy woodpecker is one of the birds I'm seeing in greater numbers at the feeder. The red patch on the back of the head is the tell-tale sign that this one is a male.

Part of our shade garden with Japanese painted fern, hydrangea, lambs ear, and nettle. You can't see the  large hosta framing the sides (pictured above) or the teaberry growing underneath.

Freezer Jam

I love the taste of freezer jam because of how fresh the fruit tastes. I made some recently and it lasted exactly two days before I pulled it out of the freezer to eat. So much for fresh fruit taste in the middle of the upcoming winter. :)
 

If you haven't made freezer jam, give it a try because it is very easy. There is usually a recipe on the pectin box or try allrecipes for a recipe and technique.

Today...

Today I am going to be full of energy.

Sometimes the amount of energy I feel is a mindset. Today I am going to imagine I have all of the energy of these waves and have a very productive day.

____________________________

Thankful Sunday--August 4, 2013

I am thankful that Lucy's head wasn't really caught between these two posts.

Cats don't usually get themselves into situations that they can't get out of. But you never know. Especially with Lucy. She had to twist her head a bit, but she was able to extract herself just fine.

My Blogging Approach

Some of the everyday things I have blogged about.

Before I started this blog, I thought about stories I wanted to tell. They were stories about personal struggles and triumphs. They were funny stories and serious stories. However after two years, I haven't told one of those stories here. That is because they involve details about other people who didn't ask to be part of my blog. They were about friends and family who would rather not have some important parts of their life shared in a very public way. So, I have tried to respect that. 

Therefore, you may know what my family had to eat last week and that we went on a hike, but you won't know the individual struggles we are having--the ones that make us angry with each other and the ones that make us cry for both sadness and joy. You may know that we got a good deal on a garden tool but you won't know how that savings fits into our overall budget. It's not that I think that others shouldn't share these things on their blogs. In fact, some of the most meaningful and inspirational stories come from reading about others personal journeys.

 As time has gone on, I have thought of my blogging community more like a family. I am ready to share more personal things like the death of my father, but others still are not ready for me to bare all. I ask permission if a post involves anyone other than myself before I publish it even though we all have an alias. You may have noticed that most of my pictures don't show faces or show them only from a distance. If you see a whole person, the picture is quite old or a stranger I have gotten permission from. Some place names are real and some are not. If you read much, you should know what area of the USA I live in, but not much more than that.
  
"With this blog, I am trying to take time to notice everyday things around me with both appreciation and curiosity."  That was one of my early statements about the purpose of this blog and I think Live and Learn-Toss and Turn has helped me to do that. I do know that this blog has made me a happier person overall. I spend more time appreciating the outdoors around me with A Second Look. I take time to be reminded of the simple things I'm thankful for with Thankful Sundays. I remember fondly Wally and Theo's early years with Ponderings and Boy vs. Girl. I am eating healthier and more frugally with Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions. And the list goes on. 

Upon reflection, I declare my blogging approach a success for me. For now, I will share some of my personal stories with just my family and then enjoy reading yours.