Greens and Browns

My flower garden hasn't looked this good for several years...

I blame our moody weather...it's either too wet or too dry.

Greens and browns set the scenes here this time of year.

Some trees are heavily draped with wild grapes vines...

and after the deer eat the lower leaves of a walnut tree...

a few green walnuts always hang low and exposed.

This time of year the sunrays find the hammock!

...and the brown Carolina Wren finds the sun.

Brown and Green again....

I found this 'Giant' Praying Mantis in the field....

and a little greenish tree frog has been living in a birdhouse on the porch

....for a week now!

More green and brown (plus a little white) fungi and seed heads.

The little deer family still visit often....

they even use the path through the tall browning grass of the field.

Enlarge the photo and you can see their footprints on the dewy path.

I followed them....but they quickly disappeared.

The Bluebirds are always surveying the field and are turning browner too.

I always pass the staring eyes of Mr. Oak Tree on my way to the field.

I walk behind him if I'm going to the swing under the Walnut tree.

It's green views from that swing this time of year...

No colorful flowers in the garden in the far distant left...

or Lily-of-the-Valley under the lower right tree. 

One cloudy day a large brown buck meandered through

 the Blackberry Lily....while eating a few seeds.

Close behind was a slightly smaller friend!

The males never stay long.

The garden needs some cutting and cleaning.

Herhusband has been cutting and cleaning up trees out back.

I managed to capture one tree in it's fall....He claims to have purposely

made it land on the stump!

Herhusband cleaned the outside of my computer room windows.

You can see the blue of the ladder he needed to use.

They're too high up for me to do...my part is the windows inside

Laundry I do on my own...it hangs outside on the days that are dry.

There 'is' a little blue amongst the green and brown.

Alivia walked down one day with yellow in her hair...

another day she wore pink hearts while riding her purple bike.

Her blue eyes and rosy cheeks brighten my day often!

At least I have a few colorful meals to post...

but actually I do see a lot of brown and green mixed in with the...

salads, baked chicken, stuffed zucchini, potato salad, ravioli,

mushroom soup, veg. soup, parmesan couscous & fish.

Desserts were blueberry crisp, banana walnut cake,

orange-chocolate chip-cranberry bread, peaches,

Greek yogurt with blueberry bread and sugar melon.

It's been raining here for a few days now.

It's been awhile since I saw the sun...

and the last time it wasn't very bright.

Maybe tomorrow I'll wake to a Sunshine Day!

 Bye For Now

~♥ Wanda ♥~

Till Next Time

Usually it's two fawns that visit together....

this one was alone one day....content and healthy!

This morning the whole family arrived...

after not having been seen for a week or more. 

Whenever we thin or remove storm damaged trees...

they always show up to feast on the leaves.

So many times this has happened...

Deer seem to sense when trees have been cut.

My senses aren't as good...

when taking photos of the Hibiscus...the bug went unnoticed.

 I would have taken a photo of him too.

He's better hidden in the top right photo of the same flower. 

At a distance...I did see two Hummingbirds on the Bee Balm.

A Lunar Moth showed up at my window about 10:30 one night.

A better photo could have been taken...if I had just gone outside.  

The next day...a juvenile Robin was below that same window....

but the turtle... 

....I saw on one of my walks in the woods.

This ? was found after a walk...in my drive.

Would anyone know what it is?

Leathery outside....firm but porous inside...

with a slight purplish moistness.

The center did not appear to be a seed.

It shrunk and dried up very hard after a few days.

These are the last flowers of the season to bloom. 

The Surprise Lilies seem to hang on the longest.

Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers are hanging on too...

but Alivia had to hold unto her playdough person's head.

Green and red appeared in meals at noon....mostly pasta...

couscous and salad dishes. Cornbread was made with sweet

onions, chili powder, shredded cheese and chilies.

Field walks are taken before noon on most days.

See the Praying Mantis? 

The dark purple is Ironweed in the field's Mountain Mint.

The lighter is Bellflower in the surrounding woods.

Vervain......Mistflower

Smooth Hedge Nettle with bugs......Ironweed

On days of eating desserts...such as

 Blueberry Scones with either syrup or Blueberry Butter...

or maybe Spice Cake drizzled with molasses...

well on days like these.... 

...more strenuous walks are taken to the creek...

where Black Walnuts have started to fall on the path.

On this day...one lone flower was found near the water.

Interesting rocks or glass always catch my eye.

Along with blogging...it's something I like to do.

I like the making and receiving of mail art too.

This is a collage of one mail made and one received.

So when I'm not walking...cooking...blogging...collaging...

 or making mail art....you will most likely find me....

Dusting!

~ Till Next Time ~

~♥ Wanda ♥~

Grethe @Thyra correctly identified the mystery photo for me!

It's a type of oak gall...one I wasn't familiar with!

Thanks Grethe!

Humidity Filled Days

The humidity level in the air has been oppressive....

as full as this Balloon Flower bud appears.

Somedays it's like looking through a haze....

photos of the garden can take on a painted quality.

The woods have benefitted from all the moisture.....

...and the deer have found puddles to play in..... 

~all photos enlarge~

...much like three of my grandsons back in 2003!

Excess moisture brings down trees....in the present and past. 

The flowers need lots of moisture to do their best...

these pink and white ones cast a coolness to the garden....

but the reality is....

the hot firery look of these more closely represents our....

extremely hot and humid days. 

The hammock hasn't seen much activity from me....

the heat and humidity keep me away.

....Alivia and her friend visit it with frozen fruit bars though!

The frozen treat keeps her cool with cousin Katie too.

The humidity doesn't keep Alivia off her bike...

or the juvenile Bluebirds from revisiting their nest...

or the Tiger Swallowtails from the Coneflowers....

baby raccoons from a tree...or a fox from roaming free...

...but it does cause a heavy grapevine...

to bring down limbs from the soft-wood tulip tree.

One afternoon....out by the wooden swing....we noticed

turkey vultures were sitting like bookends on the fence posts.

Seeing something small and brown on the ground...

caused concern to rise for the fawns.

It turned out to be a dead chicken....

I guess....either dropped by a hawk or left by a fox.

Usually out by the wooden swing under the walnut tree....

we see more serene scenes.

It seems to be a favorite early morning spot for the fawns.

They also visit the tall grass of the field....

even make their way onto one of the paths. 

The birdhouse in the field now stands empty.

The five baby Tree Swallows have left their nest.

There are small wildflowers in the tall grass of the field though...

...along with the Virginia Mountain Mint...

....which is a favorite of the Honeybees!

You can see how busy they are.

I've been just as busy with a Mail Art Workshop....

at our local library....during the Summer Reading Program.

....the theme this year was Experience The World.

There were areas of display for different countries.

This was a lovely display for Japan.

I exchange mail art with friends here, in Australia & the UK....

so that fit right in. I displayed examples of mail received 

and demonstrated the making of it.  It was a good day!

My garden these days is mostly GREEN.

The tomatoes are slow to ripen....but

cucumbers, green onions and basil are plentiful!

Some of that green appears in most meals!

The tomatoes still have to come from the store....

along with a healthy array of fruits for dessert.

Alivia talks me into dressing up the bananas with

fudge sauce and whipped cream though.

I can't blame her....I love dark chocolate too!

There has been a break in the humidity....

just like the Balloon Flower that opened....

last evening the clouds did too....bringing rain and cooler air.

This is some of my Mail Art I've made this past year....

and happily mailed off to friends near and far. 

Just like Blogging.....it's a fun and rewarding thing to do!

So thankful for that.....on Humidity Filled Days!

~♥~ Wanda ~♥~