Wise Words On Sunday

 

Saturday's Critters #450

Today we are going to talk about my love for butterflies and my hobby of raising them.

From egg to caterpillar to butterfly, I love being involved in every stage of their life.

This summer it was kinda' strange...

I had no eggs or caterpillars on either my dill or parsley.

I have been raising caterpillars for years and that has never happened, I always have so many.

Now all of a sudden they have arrived.

The Black Swallowtail Butterflies are visiting my gardens and laying a lot of eggs.

Once the egg opens up and the caterpillars reach a certain size,

I bring them indoors into the netted cages I have which keeps them safe from birds and spiders.

Now the fun really begins.

I enjoy having them indoors and keeping them safe.

I have a lot of eggs and small caterpillars outdoors that I monitor every day.

Once they reach that perfect size, I will bring those inside.

If you look closely, 

in the center of this picture, you can see 2 eggs.

Small, white round eggs...

one day, these will be butterflies.

- you don't just wake up and become a butterfly ~ growth is a process -

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

Do You Watch Television??

 We watch television in the evening, not during the daytime, 

but we enjoy it at night.

We have all the channels, maybe 1000...Netflix and Prime Video too.

Lately, we are having trouble finding flicks we enjoy.

But I have a few I could watch 100 times and never tire of.

My favorite movie of all time is The Notebook, the best love story ever written.

Hachiko: A Dog's Story is a true story about a man's friendship with his dog.

Five Feet Apart was a favorite movie about two young cystic fibrosis patients falling in love.

The Fault in our Stars a coming of age romance film.

A Star Is Born, do you need a description? Has anyone not seen this fabulous movie?

21 Bridges

The Summer I Turned Pretty a series about growing up and falling in love.

We both loved Lincoln Lawyer both the older movie and the newer series.

The Tender Bar about a boy growing up on Long Island who is searching for a father figure.

Dallas Buyers Club, Failure To Launch & How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, all great

 Matthew McConaughey movies.

Something's Gotta Give, we just watched again for maybe the fifth time, such a great movie.

We both loved the series Yellowstone, Sweet Magnolias and we like 20/20 and Dateline.

We watched a cute movie last night, an older but really sweet and funny one,

The Goodbye Girl with Richard Dreyfuss

So how about you...what are you guys watching?

The Star Of The Gardens

It is the Hydrangeas turn to shine in the garden, and they are shining magnificently right now.

I always bring some indoors so I can enjoy them all day.

There are 2 here, one on either side of the fence by the gate, leading to the backyard.

This is my Endless Summer which produces blooms all summer long.

Peegee Hydrangea

The Hibiscus is also gorgeous right now.

I have two pretty Cone Flowers

and 2 gorgeous Butterfly Bushes, this one is Miss Molly.

- no rain ~ no flowers -

Top That Donuts

Hungry for breakfast? 

Would you enjoy a fresh, hot donut made right before your very eyes?

Top That Donuts, 1/4 mile from the Point Pleasant Inlet, serves em' up just that way.

And this sign out front about says it all...

We get them made and head straight to the inlet.

Death By Chocolate ~ 2 French Toast

You don't have to guess which is which.

The hubs likes the chocolate, we both like french toast...

I eat one, we split the other.

The inlet has cute round picnic tables.

On this day, July 15th, right before our heat wave started, it was cool enough for us to sit outside.

I saw two boats that I have never seen before...

Kim Ann II

Miss Taylor

TowBoats U.S. tows in the D & S Express the "Express" no more.

Nice Catch!!

How To Beat The Heat

 It was 100 degrees yesterday...

It has been 99 - 100 degrees for the last few days with heat indices at 105.

All you hear is the hummm of the air conditioner, 

it rarely shuts off, and I am so grateful to have central air conditioning

The pool water is 92 degrees, not very refreshing.

The hubs goes outside early to water the plants, we water every day so the grass and vegetables are fine.

Most lawns are brown due to the lack of rain and the heat, you can certainly tell which people water.

We often beat the heat indoors with air conditioning...

Saturday we went for a swim,

I think the water I shower in is cooler than the pool water.

We had fun, I swam many laps and we played corn hole, I won 12 - 8.

Sunday we went to a specialty food market, indoors, with air conditioning...

Delicious Orchard

I thought I would share some fun activities we do to beat the heat during this very hot summer.

1. Go for a swim in the ocean, lake...a friends pool or your pool

2. Have an indoor picnic

3. Catch a new movie in the theater

4. Visit your local library

5. Start a new craft, something you have never done before

6. Visit a museum

7. Plant an indoor garden and include some fresh herbs

8. Play board games

9. Start a puzzle and work on it every now and again

10. Visit an indoor specialty market

11. Try a new recipe that can be cooked on the stove top

12. Clean a closet or some dresser drawers

14. Wash your car

15. Go for a drive, your car has air conditioning

16. Enjoy a "special" ice cream treat, out

- the brave don't live forever but the cautious don't live at all - 

Wise Words On Sunday

Saturday's Critters #449

 Yesterday, 

I read an article that said that the Monarch Butterfly is now considered to be endangered.

An interesting article from The New York Times can be read here.

I also read another well written article from NBC News, you can find that here.

In short, the problem is said to be 

climate change, deforestestation, and pesticide use which is killing milkweed,

the plant that monarchs feed on.

The hubs and I drove to two garden centers to purchase some milkweed,

neither had any.

I am going to try to expand my "nursery" to Monarchs as soon as I can.

In these pictures, they are enjoying Lantana...

- you don't just wake up and become a butterfly ~ growth is a process -

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

A Walk On The Wild Side

 When my new deck was installed, my wildflower garden was dug up to accommodate the foundation.

I was heartbroken...those flowers had so much special meaning.

The seeds were purchased during trips we had taken and every couple of years I added new seeds to it.

It multiplied over the years on it's own too and it was quite beautiful the last year we had it.

This past spring, the hubs helped me to replant it, and I am thrilled with the outcome.

It is a little sparse this year, 

but I know each year it will grow thicker and more beautiful.

It is full of many different plants and a variety of colors.

Here are pictures of a few...

Indian Blanket Wildflower

Sulfur Cosmos

Black Eyed Susans

vs

Brown Eyed Susans

Flower of an Hour ~ Hibiscus

This plant flowers for one hour each day.

Garden Cosmos

We planted 3 packages of these seeds 

on the back side of the deck...

I made a small garden scrapbook, 

I will show that in a seperate post.

The garden stretches the entire length of the deck.

I see a lot of pretty wildflowers at Lake of the Lilies also.

Button Bush

Brown Eyed Susans

Next time I visit, I am going to focus on the wildflowers.

- wildflower...a brave bloom with the courage to grow anywhere, a symbol of wanderlust -