Gracious. Has it really been almost three weeks since my last post? I apologize.
I can only offer a weak defense. More vegetables screaming to be picked and shared and cooked and eaten. More pendulous ripe and juicy fruit that can’t wait, begging to be picked and put in salads and cakes and cobblers. More guests making that last summer trip to the mountains. And my children are both home for an all-too-short visit, and I want to make the most of it.
Also…alas…more yellow-jacket stings. This time, one on my right hand and five more on my left ankle. Did you know that yellow-jackets, unlike honeybees, can sting over and over again? Yes, indeed they can. Especially when trapped in one’s pants leg. And did you know that fifty-one-year-old women can sometimes run very, very fast? Yes. Indeed they can.
So, again I ask your indulgence if I simply post some photos of my life for the past three weeks. I promise to return soon to writing, once the garden finally surrenders to cooler weather and I once again have time for dreamy reflection. Meanwhile, here’s more of my ordinary life on the Doublewide Ranch:
Morning glories suspended from jeweled spider web strands
Tangled webs wildly woven
Shimmery junebugs on hydrangea
More rainbows in the valley
More baby birds—-here a Carolina Wren;
Here, an Eastern Bluebird.
Yet another shot of the hummingbird moth on petunias
While a real hummingbird indignantly stakes her claim.
August 12, 2009 at 12:34 pm |
I, too, know about yellow jackets (and just how fast a 58-year-old woman can move). Guess how?
My sympathies.
August 12, 2009 at 2:14 pm |
I love, love, love your pictures. So looking forward to dreamy reflection.
August 12, 2009 at 6:02 pm |
Haven’t been stung by a yellowjacket for about 58 years, but I remember clearly sticking my hand into a nest of them under a picnic table and oh, you poor thing! Even in Paradise…..
I, too, am looking forward to your next post, as always.
August 12, 2009 at 6:24 pm |
Yay! I am so glad to hear about forthcoming posts. Those spider webs are just magic. May you have had your summer of strings so you can enjoy many more free from attacking bees.
August 12, 2009 at 6:55 pm |
When I was a child I got in a yellow jacket’s nest and was stung from head to toe. I break out in goose bumps when I see one even now. I bet this 63 year old would surprise a stranger but my children all know how fast I can run when a wasp gets after me. They think it is hilarious! I am glad you are enjoying your summer with your family. Your photos are beautiful as usual but I think the first one is just awesome.
August 12, 2009 at 6:57 pm |
Hooray Beth… You’re back!!!! I’ve missed your great posts—but do understand how summer can get very very busy.
Sorry about your bee stings… That’s scary!!!!
We used to have junebugs in my hometown in Virginia. I haven’t seen them since I left home in the ’60′s. There were OODLES of them flying around the yard. Luckily though, they don’t sting people.
Stay away from the bees..
Hugs,
Betsy
August 12, 2009 at 8:48 pm |
I’ve never been stun my a bee or a wasp or anything else for that matter. Lucky me! But if I’m ever going to get stung, it’s going to be this summer. Our home is surrounded by wasps and since I’m always out there working around the garden – usually just a foot or two away from some nest – I’m afraid that sooner or later one of them is going to think I’m ‘too close for comfort’!
Love your photos Beth! Those baby birds are absolutely adorable; they pull on my heart strings. And I love those hummingbird moths. They’re one of those amazing things in nature.
August 12, 2009 at 11:35 pm |
Stunning photos, as usual. I love the birds, and the colors of the hummingbird shots, and the contrasting textures of the iridescent beetle on the downy white buds. And that second photo: that is the spider web shot to end all spider web shots. It reads like a beautiful abstract painting. I adore it.
Most of all, I adore God’s handiwork, and I’m so thankful to be here with y’all to enjoy it. I love to see it translated through your eyes and camera lens.
August 13, 2009 at 6:35 am |
Don’t have to explain to me! My blog’s gotten to be mostly photos with writing here and there…these are some nice shots Beth!
August 13, 2009 at 7:49 am |
No indulgences needed here. Love your photos. They speak of summer very eloquently.
August 14, 2009 at 6:25 am |
Sounds like a busy time around the ranch, Beth! :c) No worries, we’ll be right here when things settle down. Love, love, love that first photo girl! Made me gasp! Take care and enjoy the bounty of your harvest.
August 14, 2009 at 2:16 pm |
Lovely shots, as always. Hope you recover quickly from the bee stings.
August 15, 2009 at 8:07 pm |
Wonderful photographs. I especially love the baby birds.
Yep, I know from experience. Actually, I know how fast I can pull the car over to the side of the road, get out, and take off my dress to shake the bee from it.
August 16, 2009 at 8:11 pm |
Sorry to read about the yellow jackets! I guess you don’t have any skunks that you can lure within striking distance of the nest? Or maybe you haven’t found out where the nest is?
I sure know what summer does to blog posting – it is so miserably hot down here that I just have no energy at all. Not even to think! I’m already looking forward to my next trip up to cooler climes!
August 16, 2009 at 9:01 pm |
Hi Beth, no need to apologize. My post have been scant lately as well. We all know how summertime is a busy time. But I’m looking forward to the cooler days and more time for the blogs. Love your pictures….as usual.
August 17, 2009 at 11:56 am |
That first photo is just exquisite! I don’t know if you’ve mentioned before the name of your homestead, but the title you gave it made me smile.
August 17, 2009 at 9:57 pm |
Oh my goodness, look at that picture of the flower and the web! It looks like pearls! That’s amazing Beth.
Enjoy summer and your family. Don’t be pressured by the blog. Before we know it, it will be over!
November 23, 2009 at 4:44 pm |
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