Posted on June 27, 2020June 25, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Special Event

I’ve Been a Little Busy

You see it started like this at League for Animal Welfare in Batavia. They try to give the dogs unique names so if you call in for records years later they can find the dog. They named her Shelia, which we all knew does not fit her.

She is a four year old very small beagle who likely was captive in a puppy mill before she escaped. She has had at least 2 litters of puppies. The vet at LFAW had to pull many of her teeth as they were worn down or rotted from chewing at the cage, trying to escape. She was found in Louis County, Kentucky at a kill shelter and transferred up here for adoption.

The above photos are our first visit. She was just as friendly on our second visit. By our third visit I was hooked as she sat on my lap for a long time. When the trainer put her in a harness to fit it for her ride home she stood stock still. Bob said, “Look! We trained her to stay!” I mean she would not move a muscle.

We brought her home in the car with Lizzie last Tuesday afternoon in same harness. She has been in shock. Getting to know us and trying to warm up to Bob. It is obvious that she was likely mistreated by a man. First night she slept in her new kennel all night without a sound! Yeah! I was not certain I would get any sleep at all that first night.

She likes out doors better than in. Sits and stares at the street or about the yard. Had not had a wild fling yet, but they warned us she is likely a runner. Suggested we not put her in a fenced yard as she would likely try to dig her way out. Good thing, because our yard is much too hilly to fence!

First hours home. Giving Lizzie kisses after Lizzie LET her drink form her water glass. Rotten Grandgirl!

For now, we do not have a name. The candidates are Sweetie (because everyone says she is so sweet) or Lucky (because we are her family and we are glad to have her). She does not know a name.

Stories will follow as she relaxes and we find out what she is really like!

Posted on June 26, 2020June 25, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Nature

Recovery Now

May 13th I posted about Hard Frost damage to our Yellow Poplar tree

Just look at it now!

Yep! Same tree! No, it did not bloom this year.

And the young Ginkgo tree that looked as if it was near death, Now restored …

Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:19 (NIV 2011)

Posted on June 19, 2020June 19, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Nature

Riding Around

And remembered seeing this once before, but could not place it.

Can you guess what it is?

Lovely, but what is it?

Red clover, used by farmers to fix or replenish nitrogen in the soil! And it is pretty, too! Then I remembered, we saw this on our trip around the country last year. Here is more information about the uses for red clover https://gardenandhappy.com/red-clover-plant-one-of-the-most-beneficial-nitrogen-depositors-ever/

Keep your eyes peeled for those Treasures in Plain Sght!

Posted on June 18, 2020June 16, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Memories, Nature

Surprise!

I was headed downstairs the other day. I saw something on the carpet at the base of the stairs. I figured it was a piece of glitter or a shiny piece off my jeans pocket. When I got to the landing I bent to pick it up. Was very startled to wind up picking up a lightning bug. It was no longer moving, but still glowing. Must have come in on the bottom of a shoe, I mused, and then floods of memories.

I have fond memories from childhood of hunting and catching lightning bugs. First we would pound holes into the lid of a jar. (Lids were metal then before plastics took over manufacturing and metal became rare.) We would capture the bugs in our hand and then put them in a mayonnaise jar. Yep, a glass jar we were allowed to run around with! The more you caught the harder it was to get it in the jar without releasing the others or squashing it in an effort to close the lid quickly. If I was particularly lucky, I was allowed to keep the jar in my bedroom over night. Nothing quite like the magic of falling asleep to blinking fireflies!

**Only God could think up something this amazing!**

This year in mid-spring when I saw one in the daytime on the window screen I couldn’t wait to tell Bob. He said he had seen one, too. The first brood was in early May, but they never last long. Now in Mid-June we are in the type that live about 2 months.

Amusing that we see these in the middle of the night. (No, I have not ‘stayed out late’ and tried to catch any in years.) Bob and I both wear Fitbit step counters. They also monitor our sleep. He says that sometimes when I roll over in the night mine lights up. Or if he gets up and returns to bed his lights up. Says it is like having giant fireflies in the bedroom.

As a real child, growing up allowed to explore the natural world as far as our yard and one or two others, some kid (probably one of the boys from down the street that we played “War” with), taught me that if you step on a lightning bug on the sidewalk and smear it, it will glow. Turns out we were triggering the chemical reaction that the bugs produced in life to create their bio-luminescence. If you want more information click on this link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/fireflies/

So thank you little beetle for bringing me such joy for my entire lifetime. I was amazed when nephews and nieces visited from California and they had never seen fireflies.

Posted on June 13, 2020June 12, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Nature

Cincinnati Nature Center

We took a walk at the Nature Center June 12. Absolutely gorgeous weather! Cool, not too humid and sunny.

At one pond pond this red wing black bird was singing for all it was worth. Bob took this video for me. What a delight!

Posted on June 6, 2020June 1, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Covid 19, Memories, Special Event

Grandgirl #1

Our first grandchild, Lizzie, graduates today. The child was born September 2001, on our wedding anniversary and a few weeks after the terrorist bombings of New York City, attempt at Washington and crash into the Pentagon. School was closed and began on-line classes in March this year. Her Senior prom was cancelled due to Covid-19. She had already purchased her dress.

Now it is time for graduation and it too will be peculiar. The school decided to have each graduate walk across the stage to get their diploma. BUT there will only be one family in the auditorium at a time. The staff will be there from 8:30 to 9:30PM, or some such. Long day for them. Lizzie’s time is scheduled for 10:30 AM. At first they were limiting attendance to four people per student. That meant Bob and I would have to decide which one of us was attending. Then they changed it to seven people per student. Whew! now we both get to attend.

This child has always been shy and does NOT like to have her photo taken. Recently, she did like her new shirt and let me get this photo.

Her baptism with Camp Counselors (Pop in the blue shirt in background!)

This sweet girl won three academic awards her senior year. The program was on YouTube with teachers and administrators making the announcements, before no in house audience. Two years in a row she won an award in American Sign Language. She will enroll in the local branch of University of Cincinnati this autumn. The world is in store for a great young lady!!

As a volleyball player she is ALWAYS in motion!

Go 32!

Please pray for her future! I often sang this to her when she was very young. If I am not mistaken the “I love you” at the end is done in American Sign Language!

Posted on June 5, 2020June 1, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Nature

Out My Office Window

Bachelor Buttons reseeded themselves again and have been gigantic this year of mild weather. In the yard recently I captured a shot of this guy.

As I type this I can hear his honeybee cousin out the open window on the same group of flowers!

I think the heat and rain have about finished the poppies. And then, they keep blooming! I may try to thin them and move them about when they go dormant. Then again, I hesitate for fear I will damage or kill one!

Planted this cheery yellow perennial a couple years ago. It is flourishing this spring. Would have to go out to the garden and get the tag to know it’s name. I keep forgetting it. I can use it in cut flower arrangements as long as it keeps access to the sun.

Purple Salvia and Lemondrop Oenothera – no wonder I can’t remember it!

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS: Bob has hidden some sunflower plants just next to the poppies. Perhaps we will have groups of birds at the window in those sunflowers if the deer do not eat off the flower heads before they bloom!

Posted on May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 in Amazing Creations, Nature

New to Us!

The Nature Conservancy has a preserve called Edge of Appalachia. It is co-owned and operated with Cincinnati Museum Center. The property is in Adams county and is one of the most biodiverse natural areas in the region. We had never been there until recently.

We hiked the Lynx Prairie Preserve Trails. (We actually missed a tiny portion as the rain began to threaten us.) I was delighted to find some flowers I had not seen before and one I see rarely.

As we entered the trail this beauty greeted us. At first I thought it might be an Indian Paint Brush. Turns out it is also known as Scarlet Painted-Cup.

Wildflowers in color by Arthur Stupka says, “The true flowers are greenish-yellow and practically concealed by vermilion or scarlet tinged upper leaves.”

WHAAAT? I am not even looking at the flower? These are the first ones we saw on this walk and I thought perhaps someone had long ago dropped a few seeds in this areas. Nope. They are wild and we proceeded to see scads of them as we walked further! They do not remind me of the same flower we saw in the Southwestern States.

This beauty got a crummy name: “Common Lousewort.” It is also known by a much nicer name, “wood-betony.” So peculiar! I think it is lovely. The flowers can be yellow, white or the red ones we saw.

The trail was 1.3 miles (three interconnecting loop trails.) Described as easy. I want to return there. Wondering if the partial loop we skipped had Lady Slipper’s? Pink, yellow or white? I’m game!

Tomorrow I will show my two FAVORITES from this hike!