So...my day....ended better than it began. This morning we discovered that the Robin's nest had been predated and one of the three chicks was killed. Sigh. We just hope the predator doesn't return for the others. They have another 5 days or so before they can fledge. But then! I spotted a Monarch Butterfly in the pollinator garden and zipped outside with my camera. The Butterfly was something of a poser, so I got to photograph her laying eggs. There must be something over 20 in all so far! I brought another in, and one of the eggs already inside hatched. So now we have 3 tiny caterpillars and three eggs inside and so many that I'm watching outside. When they begin to turn black (actually, clear), I will bring them inside. They stay inside until they're big enough to find easily each day. Then they will go into a larger habitat that we keep on the screened back porch, where the caterpillars can experience the rhythm of day and night and warm and cool. After all that, I did some oil painting for 3 or 4 hours. It makes me so happy from inside out when I paint. I'm working on a painting of the back yard of Youngest's first house. I already did the front view of the house, and I want to have them framed in the same frame back to back, if it can be done.
So sorry to hear about the baby robin, but glad the day got better.
Will try to write a longer comment about "daily life" stuff this evening. We actually have pleasant weather today, and I owe Archer something fun after subjecting him to a vet visit yesterday. (Just a "well dog" visit with updated immunizations, but he has pretty strong feelings about the vet.)
Eager to hear about Archer's day! I hope you both had some fun. Spinnaker absolutely hates vet visits now (with good reason), and has some bloodwork coming up week after next. I'm going to see if we can roll her annual exam into it too (usually September) so she only has to go once.
Today I got a haircut, then had lunch with a dear friend at a rural cafe that is under new ownership. It's now a wonderful mix of deli, cafe, gift shop, ice cream shop and the place to pick up pre-made dinner. And it's all organic!
Fun Trivia has a newish quiz format where you pick the X number of correct answers out of a pool. My current project in that format is "International Cats," with CAT in fifteen languages and five red herrings. I found what seemed like fifteen interesting languages, but then got to thinking, always a bad sign. Was my list too heavy on Indo-European languages? Probably, though I deliberately sought out Maori, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Arabic, Zulu and Navajo. The Japanese is NEKO - that is so cute! Anyway, I started thinking about language families, and decided to investigate. Did you know there are thought to be between one hundred forty and one hundred fifty separate language families, not counting sign languages, pidgins and creoles? Also, it is estimated that there are some one hundred twenty-nine language isolates, with Basque being the best known. It's going to take some time to get back to my kitties, but the subject of language families is really interesting.
Wow, that really is amazing! I'd love to see the list of all the names for cat! What is the Maori name? A friend of mine is a priest in New Zealand, and she knows some Maori.
I took Archer to a dog park where he played with about six other dogs and used the agility equipment. The *best* dog park is a half an hour away from our house, and we take him every weekend as long as the weather allows. He has even made some dog friends there. :)
So...my day....ended better than it began.
ReplyDeleteThis morning we discovered that the Robin's nest had been predated and one of the three chicks was killed. Sigh.
We just hope the predator doesn't return for the others. They have another 5 days or so before they can fledge.
But then! I spotted a Monarch Butterfly in the pollinator garden and zipped outside with my camera. The Butterfly was something of a poser, so I got to photograph her laying eggs. There must be something over 20 in all so far! I brought another in, and one of the eggs already inside hatched. So now we have 3 tiny caterpillars and three eggs inside and so many that I'm watching outside. When they begin to turn black (actually, clear), I will bring them inside. They stay inside until they're big enough to find easily each day. Then they will go into a larger habitat that we keep on the screened back porch, where the caterpillars can experience the rhythm of day and night and warm and cool.
After all that, I did some oil painting for 3 or 4 hours. It makes me so happy from inside out when I paint. I'm working on a painting of the back yard of Youngest's first house. I already did the front view of the house, and I want to have them framed in the same frame back to back, if it can be done.
So sorry to hear about the baby robin, but glad the day got better.
ReplyDeleteWill try to write a longer comment about "daily life" stuff this evening. We actually have pleasant weather today, and I owe Archer something fun after subjecting him to a vet visit yesterday. (Just a "well dog" visit with updated immunizations, but he has pretty strong feelings about the vet.)
Eager to hear about Archer's day! I hope you both had some fun. Spinnaker absolutely hates vet visits now (with good reason), and has some bloodwork coming up week after next. I'm going to see if we can roll her annual exam into it too (usually September) so she only has to go once.
DeleteMy favorite from today: "Mitch McConnell is on Eternity Leave". Susan
ReplyDelete🤣👍
DeleteOh, thank you, Susan. I needed that!
DeleteToday I got a haircut, then had lunch with a dear friend at a rural cafe that is under new ownership. It's now a wonderful mix of deli, cafe, gift shop, ice cream shop and the place to pick up pre-made dinner. And it's all organic!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I *love* that photo!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cat. It was such a pretty walk.
DeleteFun Trivia has a newish quiz format where you pick the X number of correct answers out of a pool. My current project in that format is "International Cats," with CAT in fifteen languages and five red herrings. I found what seemed like fifteen interesting languages, but then got to thinking, always a bad sign. Was my list too heavy on Indo-European languages? Probably, though I deliberately sought out Maori, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Arabic, Zulu and Navajo. The Japanese is NEKO - that is so cute! Anyway, I started thinking about language families, and decided to investigate. Did you know there are thought to be between one hundred forty and one hundred fifty separate language families, not counting sign languages, pidgins and creoles? Also, it is estimated that there are some one hundred twenty-nine language isolates, with Basque being the best known. It's going to take some time to get back to my kitties, but the subject of language families is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteWow, that really is amazing! I'd love to see the list of all the names for cat! What is the Maori name? A friend of mine is a priest in New Zealand, and she knows some Maori.
DeleteNgeru is cat in Maori
Delete👍
DeleteI'm imagining my friend saying it with a NZ accent!
I took Archer to a dog park where he played with about six other dogs and used the agility equipment. The *best* dog park is a half an hour away from our house, and we take him every weekend as long as the weather allows. He has even made some dog friends there. :)
ReplyDeleteSweet! Send me a photo of Archer and we'll feature him for a day...!
Delete