Friday, August 1, 2014

Friday's Filler...........Forgot


I was so busy working on the fence yesterday that I forgot to take new photos.  I am going to share more of the same.  I don't think they are reposts.  I do have some time to go take a couple of new photos today.


I have dozens of shots of the swallowtail but only edited about six of them.  I pulled the best pictures that had different and interesting backgrounds.   This shot was a zoomed in shot from the butterfly being on a spirea bush.


The geraniums are doing so great with the cool evenings.  One blogger asked if this was normal temperatures for us.  I have to say that normal would be staying hot all night is normal.  Cooling down to 55 degrees is a blessing but not normal.  We need some rain to come soon.  I guess southern Iowa is receiving some rain.  I was out yesterday and it was overcast with large drops falling from the sky.  The drops landed about one every square foot.  It was strange to be out in that kind of rain.

My fence from recycle materials is looking good.  It is as good as you can get when you reuse materials. I was genuinely very frustrated with the process as I tried to make something out a bunch of nothing parts.  I will share a shot or two later.   I spent a lot of time trying to make level and straight out of all my existing elements of gate and 8 foot older section of fence.  Nothing is level or straight with the world but I have decided to just allow there to be an illusion of straight and level.  My blue gate with a roof has settled some and so it leans slightly making it hard to attach a fence to it perfectly.  The only way I could straighten the blue gate would be to dig it  all up and put it back in to the same location.  Maybe some other year will I do that project. 

By reconfiguring the fence into a different shape I added a 5 foot by 10 foot space to the backyard.  It could become partially flower garden but I know it to be a fact that Barney will control the area along part of the fence.  I may use shrubs and iris in part of it.  I saved an iris that was sitting in line with the fence placement yesterday.  While digging it up I noticed a grub like insect eating out the inside of one of the rhizome.  I don't know why that grossed me out but I hope I don't have any more of that to see.  I will replant the rest of the iris today or tomorrow in a new location. I hope the insect isn't going to attach the rest of my iris. 

Busy day today finishing up things on the fence and cleaning bird cages.  We also have a quick visit from our younger son and his wife this evening.  They are taking a side tracked journey down from Minneapolis, where they flew in, and have a couple of meals with us.  Supper tonight and brunch tomorrow and they will then head north to a friend's bbq in northern Iowa.  From there they will head up to Pokegama Lake in Minnesota to vacation for the week with our older son and wife and AJ and other family members. We have not seen them for a couple of years so it will be great to get together.  They are from Lamoine, Maine so Iowa is a stretch for them to visit as well as for us to go visit. We will be very glad to see them.

Thanks for stopping in today.  Have a great weekend!


5 comments:

Dolly said...

The butterfly photo is gorgeous.

Enjoy the visit....we are also hoping for a 2-years-absence visit soon. Hopefully we'll get 2 days out of the 4 it takes to come and go from Oklahoma to Tennessee!

Patsy said...

So glad you are having a good visit with your son. When my daughter visits she always has food request for us to make.

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

I hope you get the fence project figured out. Enjoy your visit!!

Anonymous said...

First of all, have a terrific visit.

I enjoyed your pretty photos, especially the butterfly.

Far Side of Fifty said...

It is an Iris borer..a pinkish beige worm? You need an insecticide if it is. It can wipe out all your Iris..I would get rid of that rhizome for sure. Good that you get to see the kids from Maine!! Lake P is a beautiful place to vacation! Glad to hear you got your fence all done..more patrol area for Barney:)