What is a Weed?

 This morning I was able to identify the mystery plant.  It seems my lack of attention to detail (otherwise known as-just take a quick picture and look it up later) didn't notice that it was actually two plants I was looking at instead of one.  One plant is wild lettuce and the other is a groundnut.  The groundnut is a vine that had wrapped itself around the wild lettuce.  If I can manage the time and energy I will need to start weeding out the weeds to cultivate the ones I want over those I don't.  Thus sort of answers the title question: A weed is any plant growing where you don't want it.  A rose bush could be a weed if it is in the pumpkin patch.  

The majority of things that I wanted to do today to get ready for work tomorrow got done.  I only got one mask made, but it is one more than I had.  Unfortunately I misplaced two of my masks, one that I wore yesterday and so might be in the car.  The other I haven't seen in quite a while.  I imagine that I will find it in a pocket of something all clean from being there when laundered.  

Today my happy is masks.  I have a plan to make a few more this week unless the school is providing them, then I will take a little lore time getting them made.  We had a visitor today who brought over some masks that a friend made for us to use for the event this weekend.  They came out beautiful!  I won't be showing pictures until the event, though.  

This plant is wild lettuce.

This plant is a type of groundnut that had wrapped itself around some wild lettuce.

Sunset.

More sunset.

The mask I made.
Mistakes were also made.

☮

Stay safe.

Penultimate Day of Summer Vacation

 It was a full day.  I did a little in the garden; K and I had a court and gave out two awards; I had a nice long walk with a friend; and then came home and rested!  As the summer comes to a close I am reminded of the things I wanted to do but didn't.  Mostly get out and hike more, I had places I wanted to see.  I was hoping to climb some more mountains, but also wanted to get to as many of the state's fire towers as I could.  Instead I got to spend time with the family, continue with the unpacking of stuff, garden, and took a trip to Texas.  All good things.

Today my happy is seeing other people happy.  The two award recipients both seemed to appreciate the award.  Overheard on the walk today was this excited comment from a child, "I caught a fish!"  

The trees we were gifted yesterday.

Pictures from the walk.

Blue Heron, I believe.

Wetlands.

Airport.

☮

Stay safe.

Spider pictures from the garden today.

Tomatoes

 It was a rainy Saturday.  Instead of working in the yard I worked with K to go through some of the boxes from the storage unit this morning.  This afternoon I painted more in my bedroom.  There are many stones on the walls now.  I'm hoping that I'll get the stones finished sometime this week.  I go back to work on Tuesday.  I still have masks to make so time management is a thing I need to remember how to do.  😉

I did walk through the garden once to check on the tomatoes.  For whatever reason, the black cherry tomatoes seem to be doing the best.  The animals seem not to choose them.  Many seeds were gifted us when we started the garden; the black cherry tomatoes are part of that group.  I have never had black tomatoes and am curious as to how the flavor will differ from other tomatoes.  According to somewhere on the internet, they should be black and just a little soft when ripe.  The tops have been black for a while, today some of the bottoms are almost black, too.  Soon they will be ready.

We were gifted some trees today.  I forgot to take pictures, but this is my happy for today.  I'm looking forward walking around with Z and K to find a place to plant them and seeing them grow. 

Tomatoes.

☮

Stay safe.

Mystery Plant

 This morning I did a few things in the garden, mowed the lawn, and pulled some weeds.  At some point in there I had a little bit to eat, but it was too little too late.  I had plans to play online with TF and right before that I had my vitamins.  The end result was that I had an upset stomach for most of the day.  I need to remember to not take my vitamins on an empty stomach, and to eat.  For the first time in a while I tried to log my food and thus calorie intake.  I fell short by about half as many calories as the program thinks I should have.  No wonder my stomach was upset, it was hungry.

There has been a plant that I haven't been able to identify, and still can't.  It has been budded for a while and finally has some blossoms but the app that I have been using is still giving me options that don't quite seem right.  So many different plants on this property and I have no idea what many of them are.  We haven't found all of the plant identification books that we have yet.  There are still boxes to go through from the move.  Perhaps I should have put more energy into unpacking rather than the outside.  I kind of like the outside though.  

I'm rambling.  My happy things for today are playing online with TF and getting a bunch of the lawn mowed.  

What is this plant?

The fence around the garden is short.
If I leave the gate open, deer and other animals come right in and help themselves.
If I close the gate, the deer jump the fence and come right in and
help themselves as well as leave footprints in the dirt.

And then they don't finish what they take! 

☮

Stay safe.

Baby!

This morning I chose to not go to the vegetable garden.  Instead K and I cleared out a bunch of weeds in the front yard. Later in the day I walked through the garden, noticed no new damage, and no ripe tomatoes.  Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'll go and kill bugs.  I took a quick walk around the property too.  I came across some animal skeletal remains.  No idea what, I didn't examine that closely.  I also startled a pair of unknown birds from their spot on the ground.  I don't know what kind of bird they were and was not able to get a picture as I didn't see them until they were flying away.  All I can say is bigger than a robin and mottled brown ish.

We managed our second surprise court and handed out another award.  This time there was a bonus and we got to see a baby!  Covid makes it impossible to hug anyone or hold the baby.  Just getting to see him, and the adults too, was great.  Traveling court is my happy for today (again).  Getting to see people, however briefly, is a good thing.

This is the random area that the birds flew from.

The beginnings of what turned into a colorful sunset,
but then I was driving.

☮

Wear a mask.

Link to pictures of the animal skeleton.

Train

 K and I had our first surprise-drive-by-court tonight.  We have a few more to go.  It was fun.  I mean, except the part where we had to wear masks and couldn't give dear friends hugs and such.  Sometimes I wonder if it will take longer to get used to not wearing a mask than it has to wearing one.  Any how, the receiver of the award was surprised and I think pleased.  Giving awards to people is one of the best parts about being Baroness.  It can also be the hardest.  Trying to decide who may be deserving of an award is the hardest-other than death.

My eyelids are drooping.  It has been a long day.  Giving out the award is a happy for today.  One other was the short walk I went on.  A week or so ago K and I found a walking bridge that was next to a railroad bridge that was next to a vehicle bridge.  Today I stopped there for a quick walk and happened to get there just in time to see a train.  K had wanted to walk over on the train bridge and I was like, "What if a train comes?" and so we didn't.  Now we know that the track is definitely in use so I am really glad we didn't use the train bridge. 

☮

Stay safe.

Food

 This is hopefully my last night on Benadryl.  The sting is looking somewhat better.  We had guests again today.  I didn't have Benedryl before they came but I still felt like I was in a bit of a stupor.  This is a week that we will be seeing people way more than usual.  Perhaps this will help me ease into going back to work next week.  Perhaps.

For dinner tonight K, Gideon, and I made pasta.  It tasted really good.  K had purchased a bunch of semolina flour when Four was here in the spring.  Four left before being able to use it though.  The first batch that we made used mostly egg yolks.  There was still a bunch of flour out though so I made some with the egg whites.  The pasta with just egg whites was a slightly different texture, but they were both tasty.  Making the pasta with the family is my happy for today.  Hopefully we will get better at making the pasta if we are able to practice more.

After much walking around in circles and jogging in place.

☮

Stay safe.

Yellow Jacket

 Friday I was stung by a yellow jacket.  I took benadryl that night.  Saturday it seemed okay in the morning so I didn't take more Benadryl.   That night the spot that had been maybe the size of a quarter had tripled in size.  So more Benadryl Saturday night and all day Sunday.  Having guests on Sunday helped keep me more alert.  Today I didn't have anything to keep me on my toes and I was in a Benadryl funk most of the day.   I did get into the garden for a short time and got some small chores done,  but little else.   My happy for today is that the Benadryl use seems to be paying off.  The area is less hot and less angry looking than it had been.  I really didn't want to go to the doctor for insect related problems again. My body just doesn't like getting bit.  

Turkeys

Pretty clouds and crescent moon.

Happy family.

The Dragonflies.

There's a storm a'comin'.

☮

Stay safe.

An Arrow

In January I had a nice conversation with a man making his own arrows at the Birka event.  He carves the wood into the shaft himself and carves out the nock and sews on feathers.  He has someone he knows make the arrowhead.  I feel like I made that sound simpler than it is.  Anyhow, we had a little bit of correspondence after that event as I was very impressed with the craftmanship he puts into making the arrows.  Today he and his sister visited.  He has been looking for chaga and I let him look on the property and to harvest some.  He plans to make a firestarter out of it.  We saw three deer while walking the property and looking for the chaga.  The deer looked nice and healthy as they ran through the trees away from us.  The garden has fed them well.

The man gifted me with one arrow that he made.  It is pretty.  I think he was planning to present it to me at an event, but there haven't been any.  Another day with company is my happy for the day.  I must admit that I am feeling a bit peopled out after this weekend, going back to work will be a challenge.

Woodpecker.

I see a skull like face near the middle of that cloud.

Double rainbow!

Part of the arrow.
My SCA coat of arms colors are blue, white and red.

☮

Stay safe.

Gathering

 Sometimes I wonder if I should have become a flight attendent or something because of all the pictures I take of the sky.  That is what I took pictures of today.  We had a gathering with all but one of the members of the SCA household today, and I have pictures of the sky.  Including those of us who live here, twelve people social distanced in the yard.  It was an odd experience.  Twelve people, distanced apart still seemed like a lot.  It was also so wonderful to see everyone.  During the summer we would usually see each other in some combination at least once a month.  During Pennsic many of us would camp together for a week or two.  Getting to visit with these friends is my happy for today.

☮

Social distance.

Turkeys

 This morning started with good intentions of getting much done outside.  Then a yellow jacket made themself known to me in a most uncomfortable way.  The little bugger had managed to climb into my shirt and stung me, I think, because I was moving in a way that started to squish it.  I am not allergic, but I did stop everthing to rest a bit and tend to the sting.  The Benadryl is what did me in and forced me to take a nap.  

Things did get accomplished, just not as much as I wanted.  Stuff in the apartment got rearranged so that there is a bit more room to move.  It is quite the staging and sorting area for my things.  Tomorrow it may get used for the facilities it contains instead of just a holding area.  Part of the lawn got mowed.  There is a pile of sticks and wood near to one of the fire pits.  Tomorrow more general cleaing and getting the yard ready before guests.  

My happy for today is that I have my nineth day in a row with at least 10,000 steps.  I had to get up and pace to get the last 600 or so, but that is alright.

A storm came through.
The clouds are like a fluffy ceiling.

☮

Wash your hands.

Happy Birthday, C.

Twenty-six year's ago today I gave birth to my youngest, C.  It seems like such a long time ago and then like yesterday.  We were living in Texas.  I don't want to count the amount of times I have moved since then, more than ten.  This latest move in April is most likely my last move; only time will tell.  C is still south with E at her family's place.  Sounds like they had a good day.

K, Gideon and I did some work on the yard today.  There was a plant that had been growing next to the driveway that I finally got around to identifying it.  I was pretty surprised to discover that it was ragweed.  Until today, I didn't know what it looked like.  It is a very common plant, and I am sure I have seen them plenty of times, just never taken the time to ID it.  Two areas with ragweed are now gone.  I may hunt down some more tomorrow.

In the middle of the day I took a rest.  It has been a while, so I set up the hammock seat I got in the spring and rested in it for almost an hour.  It was peaceful.  At one point there was a cat who passed by.  It didn't come over to say hello, just went on about its business hunting in the yard.  I'm pretty sure it is the same cat we saw a few weeks ago in the apple tree.  This had me wondering how far cats tend to roam from their home.  So I looked it up.  If you are also curious, here is a link to one possible study.  Relaxing in the hammock chair is my happy for today.

I accidentally picked this petunia yesterday.
It is slowly sinking and changing color as it does.

The cat cautiously prepares to cross in front of the crumbling deck.
No doubt there is a chipmunk cowering beneath the deck, waiting for the cat to leave.

☮

Stay safe.

People

 This morning my plan was to take a walk with a friend and do yard work in the afternoon.  This afternoon, it rained.  Thw rain also put a damper on burning the things I have been cutting down.  It may have been safer to burn in the rain (if it would light), but I didn't want to sit out in the rain.  Of course the rain didn't last long, but enough for me to have changed tasks.  Thankfully it was dry and sunny for gardening and walking.

K and I worked on getting things set up for the upcoming virtual event over Labor Day weekend.  This event is when many of our Champions have competitions to determine the Champions for the next year.  Circumstances being what they are, we asked all our Champions to remain until next year when we might be able to meet again in person.  We also let them know that they could step away if they wanted.   I surprised myself as I anxiously waited for each response.  Who would have real life things that would cause them to want to step down?  Well, none of them, they all agreed to stay.  This my happy for today.  The people are why I wanted to be Baroness.  The people are why I continue doing things within the SCA.  This pandemic has made it challenging for me to be as active as I would have liked, but so many people are still there stepping up and doing things that are inspiring.  People can be awesome.  

Not my mint, but it is being pollinated.

Rain is a'comin'.

"What light through yonder window breaks." (Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet)
This is a picture of my stuff that used to be in storage.
That window and the area by it used to be completely covered with boxes.
It was a very dark area.
The boxes are still overwhelming, but there is hope shining in through that window.

☮

Stay safe.

Apologies to MLA.

Performance

 A few years ago I performed a few times with a commedia dell'arte troupe.  This troupe, i Sebastiani, will be performing (virtually) at an online event we are having in September.  I checked in with them during their Zoom rehearsal tonight and was able to sub in for one of the actors who was absent.  There isn't an actual script, just an outline/scenario to follow.  Each actor comes up with what to say that will lead them from one part of the story to the next.  It took me a bit to get into the performance and remember what I should be doing.  I got to be a spurned lover.  I'm looking forward to watching them perform in a few weeks.  

Seeing them brought back some great memories of rehearsing and performing.  I made some classic mistakes tonight, mainly asking questions.  Asking a question is one of the things one shouldn't do in improv.  Since this from the middle ages we also shouldn't say things like okay or talk about cars.  Being part of this tonight and laughing at this peformance in the making is my happy for today.  

This gnarliness is on a tree that borders the garden.
Some of the bittersweet was removed today.
I'm not sure if it is too late for the trees or not.

🎭☮🎭

Stay safe.

Don't Stop Me

 My mornings have been spent in the garden, mostly trying to reduce the amount of plant consuming insects.  Today I found two potentially beneficial creatures for the garden, a ladybug and an orb spining spider.  Both of these feed on insects that could be harming the plants.  Outside the garden I almost weedwacked a praying mantis.  This would also be good in the garden but I didn't relocate.  Perhaps the tiny ecosystem in the garden is starting to be a little closer to balanced.

While we were making lunch today Z made some comment that completely escapes me at the moment.  Whatever it was it sparked both K and I to start singing Queen's Don't Stop Me Now.  We got through about a third of the song before the laughter started and eating lunch took over.  It is this kind of spontaneity that is my happy for today.

If you don't like spiders, don't look closely at the tomato plants.

Trying to decide if I wear the scarf well or not...

☮

Wash your hands.

Sunday Drivers

 When I was a kid, there would occasionally be comments about 'Sunday drivers.'  This was basically to say that someone was taking their time and looking at the scenery rather than zooming along the road to get somewhere.  K and Z have begun to take this to a different level with Gideon.  I got to come along today as they drove through the countryside to have 'deep talks.'  This started a few weeks ago when there was an important family discussion.  I was not included in that one and may not always be included and that is alright.  Today's topic was artificial intelligence.  It was a 'deep talk' and included philosophy.  What eight year old kid isn't curious about philosophy?  😉

We drove north, admiring the scenery, and stopped a few times.  Some of these stops were planned, some just to stretch the legs.  One such impromptu stop was at a large cemetery.  It was an interesting mix of very old and new.  The cemeteries I am more familiar with tend to have an older section and like a normal progression in time as the cemetery grows.  This was large with over 5000 graves and the times on the stones were all over the place.  I couldn't just go to the early 1800's section.  If I thought I had, I could walk a few rows and find more, with 1900's by their side.  No, we didn't walk the whole thing and count the stones.  There is an app, Find a Grave, that one can use to help people find grave sites for genealogy purposes.  The app is where I got the over 5000 number from.  This walk through the cemetery is my happy for today.

Because of the conversation, the song What I Am kept running through my head today.  That song sent me down a YouTube music rabbit hole that I may continue along to lull me to sleep.

Scenery along the way.

☮

Social Distance.

Short Bird Post

This morning a hummingbird did a flyby around me.  There were other things that happened today... garden work, watching the Coronation, a nap, and a nice walk; to name a few.  Gideon was great and thanked me for teaching his mom to make grilled cheese sandwiches so she could then teach him.  I got big hugs for that.  Yes, good things.  Gideon and that hummingbird are my happy things for today.  Do I know for sure what kind of hummingbird?  No, but odds are that it was a ruby-throated hummingbird.

Hummingbird Flyby

This is a bean from a plant that was thought to have died.
Then the weeds grew.
The plant was found and weeded and then deer gave it quite a trim.
Yet it still produced a bean.

Turkeys.

Wetland that I saw along my walk.
In the spring I may have called this a pond.

Sunset!

☮

Stay safe.