This and That: A Blog

Link for Shadow Shot Sunday Linking to The Weekend in Black and White  

 I know I often wonder where the month went, but August really did fly by!   The weather is cooler, with rain expected later this week.  That'll be a change!  Here are some things going on in the garden.   Morning Glories Dragon's Tongue Bush Beans A Recent Harvest Oddly, the usually productive Sungold is not producing many tomatoes this year.  Bonny Best  (a $3 yard sale purchase) is the winner in size, color, and taste.  Dazzler Penstemon Sunsparkler “ Dazzleberry ” Sedum Garlic Chives  I have some daylily divisions given to me by a friend that need to be planted today, either in the ground or in containers for later.  I need to rip out the old rockroses in the front yard (they've gotten too big and are ugly for most of the year), as well as some of the old curb iris that don't looks so nice anymore, which will give me more daylily room. Daylilies are such nice dependable, easy plants.  This will be once the weather ...

 Yesterday was the big indoor-outdoor flea market at the county fairgrounds. It was definitely not as good as last year .  It looked like a lot fewer sellers for one.  Worse, far fewer sellers of vintage mechandise.    Did see some fun things.  The restroom stall doors all had different quotes! A coffee truck had a beckoning ape. On second thought, it's probably Big Foot.  I only found two items (one was a set, so three if you want to be perfectly accurate).   Each dog has only one hole, and the hole in the bottom is smaller than most shakers.  I find this is totally normal.  Japanese shakers of the 40s and 50s sometimes had a single hole on top if they were to use with a specific spice, and were called "range shakers." Sure, having two with the same number of holes wouldn't help you know what spice they contained.  These are two individual range shakers, not a pair. The bottom holes were engineered for a specific closure, tiny...

 

  Skywatch Friday   Some recent sky views at the park.  Mickey and I have been taking quite a few walks* around 7:30am, before it gets hot.  Some mornings others have the same idea, some mornings it's Mickey's private park!  The splashpad gets crowded, but by later in the day it's too hot for even that and it's deserted again. Have a nice weekend.  *No walk for us this morning, the air quality is orange.  Not the worst, but not something I want to breath. It's smoke from a nearby fire. Not dangerously "nearby" for me, but there have been evacuations.

Already a month of 2026 is over. At least we've turned the corner on winter.  I hope.  February is still cold, and we've had some snow in late February in past years, including 2025. For now it's just been cold with frosty mornings.   There are signs of spring! The first wild violet.  The flowering quince is budding. So are the fruit trees. Bulbs are coming up, Weeds and black cumin are taking over.  Two weeks ago on Motley Monday I mentioned my brakes needed repair.  Fortunately that was just one rotted brake hose.  On the walk to pick up my vehicle I passed this former house.  I wonder how many houses, or units, will be built on this lot?  Some in the same neighborhood have quite a few squeezed in.  This street has quite a few old farm houses, so maybe this one needed expensive repairs.  The houses on my street are newer, 1960s. Mickey and I took advantage of sun, albeit cold sun, on the weekend to walk to the park.  He ...

 Mickey and I took a walk to the park on Sunday morning.  I found it miserable, but he enjoyed it.  It was foggy and damp and cold, and without gloves my hands felt like they were freezing.  Of course, they weren't. I did find some mushrooms to photograph! These were big ones.  The back view shows one newly emerged from the soil.  Some had dew drops on their caps. Later in the day (still foggy and damp and cold) I spotted this one all alone in the path of the herb garden.  December always means the bird's nest fungus appear!  These are the Common bird's nest.  I found Fluted ones in the park in September.  Under dew on spider's webs. Pixie cup lichen are also called trumpet lichen.  Here they are growing with moss, possible forked moss.  More mosses.  These are Red Shank mosses growing on pumice.  This one growing in a rock crack might be cushion moss. Hope your week has been going well.  Can you believe next We...