~rebounded & grounded~

(trying to get back in the swing of things, i thought i'd start with...)

this week's Thematic Photographic 214 

suggested by carmi's written, inc...is...

grounded.

on the ground.

in the ground.

me, grounded.

'grounded' forever...unless it gets caught up in a breeze. 

another 'grounded' forever...snake bones

an 'earth star' fungi...popping up & out of the ground

on the ground...a humongous mushroom patch...
seen at one of my client's apartment building.
that's my foot for comparison! 

found sticking out of the ground...out back, among the pine trees.
an old turpentine clay pot from the early 1900's.

(this link is a local Turpentine Industry Landmark, right up the road from where i live)

this is a Worm Lizard burrowing back into the dirt. they live underground.

AND lastly...

besides the moon & stars, the sunrise & sunset, candles & incense...

my forever growing collection of stones, gems & feathers...

grounds me.

just a sampling...

((i have lots of catching up to do...with a lot of stuff...not just blog reading.

if you happen to be one of those kind souls who took the time to leave me your

encouraging words of support following my previous MILO post...

i thank you. 

your thoughts, your own personal stories, your words of comfort...

means more to me than you know.  thank you.  i'll be seeing you over the next few days.))

stay cool.  be safe.

laura

wandering the well-worn paths...

this weekend we needed to take a break

from

working on the bathroom, laundry, raking winter's leaves, trimming dead limbs,

and all the other chores that fill up your time...when you're off work.

so while the burn barrel was smoldering

we put on our boots and headed out back...

wandering the well-worn paths.

well-worn by us...and all the other little critters that share the land.

milo follows us on our hikes...

making her way through the underbrush and climbing the downed trees.

at the edge of the wooded area we spotted the strangest

and coolest

looking caterpillar!

Catocala Badia

look at those cute little legs!!  and little pincers on it's tail end!

(underside) Catocala Badia

i had no idea the name of this caterpillar.

after looking online and through my Butterfly field guide...i was unsuccessful at ID'ing it.

it was time to send the pic's to my friend on FB who is a Moth expert.

*Genus: Catocala.  an Underwing moth!!*

time to carry a big stick...

to keep from walking face first into spiderwebs.

Crab spider

the woods out back are a mix of Pines, Oaks, Maples...

ferns, thorny blackberries, Virginia Willow, Fetterbush...

and so many other trees and plants that i wish i could name, but i can't.

i spotted this fuzzy caterpillar dangling from a fern.

 a not so lucky Tussock moth caterpillar

upon closer examination...it was being eaten by some smaller bugs.

the forest floor is so packed with peat moss that it's spongy.

peat moss, tree roots, downed trees and lots of thorny brambles...

makes for a sometimes difficult trek.

a jelly-like fungus on a downed tree limb

a huge yellow mushroom. at least a foot across!

sam spotted this nest, hanging from a limb on a small tree...about 5 feet off the ground.

peeking inside...one small lightly spotted egg.

we walked back out there just before dusk...hoping to see the mother bird.

we hid behind some trees...across the clearing...but it started to get too dark to see...

so we headed home.

i looked in my bird book, and think it might be a White-eyed Vireo.

they build these hanging type nests, 1-8 ft above ground...

and they like to hang out in thick brushy tangles, forest undergrowth and blackberry thickets.

grasshopper nymph...i think...anyone know for sure?

>>>i've said before...i'm not an expert at IDing stuff...

but biobabbler  thinks this little guy might be a katydid nymph...

not a grasshopper.  sounds good to me!!  thanks! :)

Polyphemus moth cocoon

in this same clearing where we saw the nest...we also saw some poop.

scat.  full of fur...and some small bones.

i may collect owl pellets...and dissect them for bones...

but the owl pellets are coughed up...that's ok.

i don't collect ANYTHING that comes out the OTHER end...

whether it has bones in it or not!!

i just take pictures.

possibly Coyote...or maybe Gray Fox scat.

in the early 1900's...in this area...in these woods...

they collected sap from the pine trees...for the turpentine industry.

we've come across the clay collecting pots while wandering the woods before.

i get SO excited when i see a portion of a clay pot sticking out from under the leaves and peat.

i spotted another one!

it's pretty rare to find one UNbroken.

i've even glued a couple of them back together...when all the pieces can be found.

not so lucky with this one. but we collected what we could unearth.

i'll put the larger piece in one of the flower beds.

(i did a post in Aug. of 2010 about these pots : ...into the woods )

we spotted a couple of areas where the deer bed down...

where the thickets are smashed down...and smoothed out.

other evidence of the deer...

White-tailed deer pelleted scat

we hear...and see...woodpeckers all the time.

the Pileated, Red-bellied, Red-headed...

but once in a while...we'll spot this little guy.

sorry for the blurry picture.

male Downy Woodpecker.

part of a snake skin on the ground

small pile o' mushrooms

the hummingbirds are back!

we've heard them buzzing around...and seen them dive bombing each other

for nectar competition.

i haven't taken any pic's yet, but i will.

the dragonflies are showing their cute little faces too!

this is the FIRST one i've seen this year!

more fungi 

well, it's ALWAYS nice to take a break from life's hectic times.

getting outside...breathing the fresh air...smelling the scent of nature...

swatting the mosquitoes, plucking off ticks, getting bit by yellow flies.

no, really...it's worth it.

i could EASILY give up everything. no phone. no computer.

sell the trailer. sell everything.

but then what?  it's not really feasible.

not nowadays.

you still have to have $$.

so i guess it's just a waiting game.
i hope social security still exists by the time we can retire.
i also hope i live that long.

Nature is the great nurse for tired minds. Let her have her way with you, and all will be well.  

~Herbert Pryke 

TWO Phaon Crescent butterflies on the tiny flowers of a Fleabane weed.

stay cool & be safe.
laura

*see you in blogland as i catch up during the week*

lizard junkie...and other addictions

i had been planning on doing a post on lizards...

since they're the little critters i'm seeing the most of lately.

yeah, you could call me a lizard junkie.

but i'm more than that!

i'm addicted to feathers, rocks, bones, old glass bottles,

the woods...artifacts...sunrises, sunsets...anything turtle...or wolf...

so, i guess i'm a...nature junkie.

i carry around my camera (canon powershot SX120)...

constantly trying to creep up on critters...which is a little hard to do right now,

with all the crunchy leaves under foot.

but if i see something that catches my eye...inspires me...

bugs, fungus, the moon, morning dew, bark, weathered wood, flowers, feathers,

intricate leaf designs...critters, big and small...

i not only take a snapshot in my mind...but with the camera.

anyway, getting back to what i was saying in the beginning...

i had been thinking of just doing a LIZARD post...

BUT...as the days slip by...

there's more going on...than just lizards!

the weather's been so nice. 

during the week i spent time raking the leaves out of the flower gardens.

...kind of a futile chore.

as soon as i rake...more leaves flutter down from the trees.

i did some weeding...and cutting back  of  some  plants

that survived the winter.

OH! and the azaleas are starting to bloom!

i picked up a few pansies and begonias that were on sale...

wanting to add a little color to the gardens!

oOo

while digging a hole, my trowel hit something...

it sounded like glass. i carefully started moving the dirt out of the way...

like an archaeologist...not wanting to damage whatever it was down there.

it was an old soda bottle. 'Like' diet soda from the early 1960's!

i took a before and after picture.

(before: just after i dug it up!  after: carefully rinsed it off!)

hmmmm. never heard of Like soda. looked it up.

Wiki says: "Diet 7 Up: Originally introduced in 1963 as Like 

(not to be confused with 7 Up’s Like Cola from the 1980s), 

it was discontinued in 1969 due to the U.S. government ban of cyclamate sweetener."

it was pretty cool...finding that bottle while digging in the garden!

i wonder what else is down there!  

 you might remember...i've mentioned before...that we've found MANY OLD

bottles around here...on our property...and across the street in the field.

here's just SOME of what we've found...

we've also dug up these old clay turpentine pots in the woods out back...

left over from when they used to collect sap from the pine trees.

these pots have one hole near the top where they would nail them

to the pine trees and make diagonal cuts in  the tree so the sap would drain into them!

i did an entire post about these pots. click here to go there)

oOo

saturday...sam and i decided to head to a local park with a 

not-too-long trail that runs along Hogtown Creek.

it's a nice wooded area with wildflower gardens

and trails that take you through 22 acres of upland forest.

not bad for an 'in the city' park.

the wildflowers aren't blooming yet...but the Camelias are!

here's a Damselfly we spotted.

we veered off the path...down to the creek...and saw this at the water's edge.

an old pop top. i wonder if it's still worth  25¢!

and here's an awesome Blue-tailed Skink we saw.

"Let nature take you on its journey."

~Jamake Highwater 

oOo

back home...i'm getting inspired...creative.

i mentioned how i was going to start working on those deer jawbones...

so i picked out a few...and started to think about drawing on them

rather than the pressed flower decorating i've done in the past.

i started to fool around...doodle...ancient cave designs...symbols...hieroglyphics...

...still...trying to decide...what feels right...i like the snake...

i still have to spray coat them...which takes a couple of days...

letting them dry 24 hours between coats.

then i'll make simple leather lace hangers for them with wooden beads.

will show the finished pieces next time...

oh! and i made a "ForestWalkArt" deer skull...

(with art pens, pressed flowers, butterfly wings...

when i'm finished with it, i might use this as my new 'profile pic')

ok...so i'm home...doing some art stuff...

and taking a break now and then to wander...

lichen on a downed...dead...tree.

(lizard fix!)

wow! (underside of an) awesome mushroom growing on another downed, dead tree.

well...enough for now...eh?

it's sunday.

rain showers have come and gone.

sam's outside getting the grill ready to smoke a ham.

i'll probably go outside and wander out back...

maybe get lucky enough to get a couple of butterfly pic's.

maybe dig around looking for more old bottles...buried treasure...

i also need to finish up the jawbones...get them on etsy...

vacuum...mop the kitchen...

i also need to get some work stuff ready...wash sheets...print forms...

confirm appointments.

this week's a little busy...and i'll find out tomorrow if i have a couple of new clients! :D

so, without taking up too much more of your time...

(i know, there's a lot to see out here...in cyberspace! 

we can wander around the world...go places we may never get to in person.)

so, i know...it's about time to move on...

(sneaked in one more...)

stay cool.

have a nice journey.

laura  :]

"You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star."    

~Friedrich Nietzsche