In Clover

In Clover

Verdant green grass dotted with swathes of clover

Blossoms of white

Some purple tinges at the edges

Bees a-buzzing dipping in the nectar found within the flower petal folds

An intoxicating aroma

Air perfumed by the scent wafting up from dozens upon dozens of blossoms

No French perfumer could compete with this

No mere man

No mere woman

Nature's evocative allurement

Drawing us in as the scent reaches our nostrils

A simple walk through the grass

What is that scent?

Nature's perfume

Bees' addiction

Can't keep away as a lover needs to feel their beloved

Hold them close

Kiss them

Touch their bodies in all ways

So the bees can't fight it

So seductive this clover

Dotted through the grass in waves of white

Intoxicating, beguiling seduction

Clover

We're all in Clover

Do you smell it?

Do you know it?

Do you feel it?

In Clover

Lay in the grass and let the perfume encompass you

Lover touches you

Kisses shared, taken

In Clover

Scent reaching into brain stem

Primal sense

Reckoning all of our shared past

The smells of our forebears

The knowledge deep in the hind brain

Smell It!

And the bees taste it, knowing to sip is to live

Sip it up

Drink in

All senses touched as a lover

To taste

To smell

To feel

To hear

To see

See the white dotted grass

Know it

In Clover

We Know the Things That Really Matter... Right?

~Adbusters

Still Mad...

Hello cyber-friends.  I haven't been here in almost a year, because I've been so disillusioned. 

On a positive domestic note, we successfully kept a Top Bar hive of bees in our backyard and harvested a scant two quarts of honey.  I was only stung 4 times as we were harvesting it.  And then I put raw honey on my stings to heal them!  Honey: the cause and cure of my woe.  Hopefully, the bees will overwinter fine and then we'll have an active hive in the spring.

I'm mad at Obama.  Governing-Obama is different than Campaigning-Obama.  He could have done so much more!  Well, not now.  But, he could have, when we had a majority.  I think his mistake was in appealing to the Republicans' sense of decency and shared humanity...


...which the Tea Partiers have driven out of the Republican party (I think Republicans have almost always seen Democrats and anything to the left as something "Other", but it's never been this extreme)  Obama can't do anything now with Republicans controlling things and answering to the most hate-filled ideology and policy decisions of the Tea Party.  Stupid fucks.

You know what's uplifting though?  Occupy Wall St.  They're mad as hell and they're not going to take it any more!  If I wasn't a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, I'd be down there tout de suite.

I'm mad as hell now too and have been. So, I will be posting much more here, as often as I can--if only to feel like I might be speaking to people who also care and are mad as hell now.  You are out there, right?

You 1% people?  You can read here too, if you want.  If you feel like slumming it.  It will be a lark!

NOTE:  I intend to swear a lot in some of my posts.  I think some things call for it and it is most appropriate to say "Fuck!".  I don't use that kind of language around my kids.  However, when they grow to adulthood, if we haven't overturned the 1%, and my kids have no job prospects and have a mountain of student debt, and Flying Spaghetti Monster forbid they are sick with no health insurance I fully expect them to say "Fuck!" to the appropriate people, because that will be the correct word to say.

Future adult children of mine, you will have my permission.  Plus, you know, you're adults at that point, so you don't really need my permission.  Carry on!

The Sky

My husband had a wonderful class in college called The Sky which explored naked eye observations of the sky and its machinations. Guess who now knows what a waxing gibbous moon is--yes, that's right, my kids! My husband has been relaying all sorts of sky information to the kids with very clear explanations and drawings on our fabulous giant dry erase board that my husband snagged from work when they were throwing it out.

Actually, we've both been showing the kids all sorts of things now that the board is hanging on the kitchen wall. The kids are also drawing various things up there and it has dramatically changed how we homeschool around here. Who knew such a simple thing could have such a huge effect? And yet, sometimes the right tools make a difference in whatever you're doing. It's there and everyone in this house is now drawn to it.


Last night, my son was looking at the sky with my husband through binoculars and they both saw all sorts of features on the moon. To the east was Jupiter, and then east of that was Uranus. My son is 12... Yes, there are certain jokes that seem to always come up with regard to that particular planet, but we didn't care. He was seeing our universe and understanding it a little bit more.

Today, I saw a story on Huffington Post about a dad and his son who sent a weather balloon into space with an insulated, protective foam wrap around a video recorder and made a film of the balloon ascending 20 miles up into the sky. Inside the foam was an i-phone which acted as a GPS so that they could then retrieve it once the balloon popped and the parachute allowed it to come safely back to earth.

Amazing and fun!

When's the last time you looked up at the sky with wonder and curiosity and interest? You should look up. It's awesome up there! And, if you're 12, it can inspire some hilarity. If you know what I mean...

Houston, We Have a Problem

Me: What's the difference between a meteor and a meteorite? The meteor is glowing in the sky and the meteorite is the rock once it's landed? Is that right?

Husband: Yes. And if it lands on the other side, it's a meteorleft...

Big yucks.

Poppies!

My daughter planted seeds back in the spring. In our living room, we had a table top full of seedlings in egg cartons and black plastic trays. The seedlings were full of hope and energy--so earnest. Snow was still on the ground, but inside our house they were pushing their way up through the loose soil and leaning into the light.

And from these hairy, drooping looking plants came...

Poppies!

Poppies and more poppies!

Aren't they beautiful? Nice job daughter. Thanks for growing these and tending them and planting some of them into pots near your shed/wood shack/playhouse doorway--pretty!

Ants Begone! Diatomaceous Earth...

We have ants! As my kids sit here and watch Born Free, I realize that I want all of us in Nature to live in harmony and to truly be free. But, that unfortunately doesn't really apply to uninvited guests like big, black, fast, scuttling ants in my kitchen. Sorry, but it doesn't.

They arrived a few days ago and seem to have settled in, establishing all sorts of scented paths so their buddies can find their way and also move in and have a party in my cupboards and across my floor.

(Pictured above, an ant in Mexico--beautiful and not in my kitchen...)

My husband and I stomp on them when we're in the kitchen, which is not really an organized form of pest control, but it is effective for the ones under our heels. My son hates this.

He earnestly questions whether we think that the ants know that they're in our house and if they mean to bother us. It's all about intent for him. And, I do see the justice in that. It's not their fault and I wish them no harm, in principle. If they could just go away, I would be fine with that. But, since my son is right--they don't know that they're in our house, they won't feel the territorial pressure and go away from our turf. If I could mark our territory to make them back off I would. But the only scents I have are old perfume that I no longer wear, and lovely essential oils-- lavender, tangerine, clove, tea tree, eucalyptus-- that I use medicinally. That won't work.

I have, however, found something that seems to be working. I have liberally sprinkled Diatomaceous Earth all around our kitchen baseboards. Diatomaceous Earth is a powder comprised of ground up fossilized sea creatures. It feels like flour to the touch, but is quite abrasive and when pests walk through it or have it sprinkled on them, it cuts their skin or exoskeleton. After that, they succumb to extreme dehydration and die.

Sounds awful doesn't it?

Besides being effective, which is apparent today in my relatively ant--free kitchen, it is completely safe and non toxic. You don't want to breathe it in as you sprinkle it, as it can irritate, but other than that it is harmless unless you are measured in millimeters and then it is biological warfare.

Lightning Bug/Firefly/Glowworm/Icky Bug Poll Results

In the poll, "What do you call a lampyridae?" I gave the choices, "Lightning Bug", "Firefly", "Glow worm" or "Icky, icky bug". I am pleased to report that no one found them to be icky. Lightning Bug received 2 votes. Firefly received 6 votes, Glow worm got none.

Rock the vote everyone!

A Lightning Bug by Any Other Name

Last night, I was outside on my back porch and I saw a lightning bug glow for a moment in the branches of our maple tree. A few seconds later I saw it glow again several feet to the right. I looked lower at the grass and did not see a female response. Sorry, Charlie.

The scientific term for them is lampyridae. I never knew this and only just now found out. I grew up calling them lightning bugs or fireflies. We loved seeing them on a hot summer's night and tried to catch as many as we could and stick them in jars and see them glow for a while and then we would release them. They would slowly walk up to the highest point, stick out their wings, pause for a moment, and then fly up and away.

My sister D. lived in Seattle for a while and told me once how she was talking with someone and she brought up fireflies and they had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Isn't that amazing? They don't have fireflies or lightning bugs in Seattle. It wouldn't feel like Summer without them.

I wonder what they have there that I have no idea of--I bet tons.

New poll up to the left: what do you call lampyridae?

Have you seen one yet?

The Sparrows Have Left Our Birdhouse

With the drama of the robins, who had built their nest on top of a birdhouse right at our living room window, the sparrow family in our birdhouse on our maple tree was almost completely ignored. I would notice them as I came and went through the porch. The male would stand guard and the female would go in and out of the birdhouse on the tree. But, I was so intrigued with the robins that I found myself photographing them and looking at them a lot. The sparrows got short shrift.

The male twittered at us incessantly. He wanted us gone and he meant it--he was angry. We ignored him and carried on with our lives and never got too close to their birdhouse.

It's only recently that I realize that the many sparrows we saw come and go must have included some of the young that had fledged. Yea!

The male on a branch keeping watch.

Checking in, making sure everything is OK.

Keeping watch, as always.

I need to gather more photos of the 8 ft. trebuchet that my husband and son made together... yes, you heard me, I said an 8 ft. trebuchet. It's sitting in front of our shed in our backyard. They made it! And, they intend to fire it!! They're going to shoot off some tennis balls, or nerf balls or some other not-too-painful projectiles and see how far they can make them fly through our park. Practice runs have been disappointing. They've only heaved things into our elderly neighbor's yard. Conversation about increasing the counter weight and shortening the rope... or, should they lengthen the rope?

And, I should really go do the dishes and put in a load of laundry.

I don't feel like doing anything domestic. I'd much rather watch the birds come and go and get angry and twitter at us and feed their young and shepherd them away on their maiden flights.

I could watch animals being domestic forever.

Sunday Bunny

There we all were: my husband, our friend Neo-agrarian and me with my flute. They were playing guitar and hammer dulcimer...

and Neo-agrarian pointed out a bunny to me in our back yard. I put down the flute and took some pictures.

Looking at a dandelion--eat it, bunny!

It ate it! Nice work, bunny. Just help yourself.

Looking for more dandelions.

Starting to notice me, kind of.

On alert, about to run away.

And then he/she did run away. It was such a sweet, earnest little creature--nibbling gently on dandelions and not on my prairie plants I have in the corner of my yard. Although, I do notice the tell tale sign of angled clean cuts on some of the stems--evidence of rabbit bites. Darn it!

Just stick to the dandelions, please. Thank you bunnies. You're welcome back any time.

Word Play

Yesterday, my kids collected a variety of leaves for their new inchworm to eat. I googled it, and found out that the inchworm is a caterpillar of the geometer moth. Really, I should say one of the 26,000 geometer moth species--it's a large family.

How great is that that the inchworm becomes the geometer moth? Makes sense doesn't it? It wouldn't become the I-hate-math moth would it?

After much handling and crawling up and down my kids' arms--and may I say here how impressed I am with the delicate little inchworm's determination? The kids' arms are thoroughly measured now--the kids put the inchworm in a bug hut. (Do you have one of those? If not, get one or make one. If you have one, your kids might see insects in a different light and not respond with the typical *shriek* "an insect--ewwwwww!" grossed out vitriol that lots of kids give to the sight of a bug.)

Bugs, insects, spiders are all fascinating. It's wonderful to let your kids discover that.

It will be exciting if the inchworm becomes a geometer moth. We'll let you know what happens.

The Birds Have Flown the Coop, Final Robin Update

This is a long overdue post about the robins that built a nest right on our living room window. The kids and my husband and I have been watching them over the past few weeks and seeing how the chicks were cared for and how they developed.

In my last post, I showed you the nest filled with four eggs:

I know that I saw at least three chicks being fed by both the mom and dad. Finally, I saw that all four had hatched out.

The parents were always around, coming and going to keep their growing brood fed. They were also very protective. I photographed them quite a bit, and I tried to be as unobtrusive as I could. I didn't want to freak out the parents. But, every once in a while, I was just too close for comfort and the mom or dad would try to dive bomb me. They would fly in my general direction any way with a mean look on their face. I can't blame them.

They also repeatedly chased squirrels out of the yard. Squirrels that, to me with my unaware human eyes, didn't seem to be doing anything egregious.

Here, you can see one of the chick's heads peeping out over the edge of the nest. They're still so little a this point.

They were fed constantly. And, when they weren't being fed, they were being sat on and kept warm.

Somehow, all four birds got fed, even with bigger ones trying to get a bigger share. Egalitarian birds, eh? How humane of them...

No!! Don't go!

Feed me, Seymour!

The birds grew with the constant care from the parents.

Look at the downy feathers on the tops of their heads. They're starting to get pin feathers too.

They're a bit bigger here.

At constant watch.

Hi guys!

There's your dad or mom right above you.

Look how big they are! How can you all squeeze into that nest/mud cup?

Notice the orange on the breast.

A few days after I took that photo, we noticed that one of the chicks was gone. And then another, later on the same day. And, by nightfall they had all left the nest. All that remained was an empty nest with some poop...

I took the nest down...

and threw it into the compost bin.

A nice ending to the beautifully constructed nest the robins lovingly built for their brood.

Good luck, little robins! We're glad we knew you when.

Update on Robins: II

I looked in the nest many, many days ago. First, I saw one egg. And then, two days later I saw two eggs. Several days after that, I saw four eggs.

At least three of these eggs have now hatched, and the parents are trading off feeding them. The male flies to the nest with food hanging from his mouth, and the female leaps out of the nest to go look for food.

Round and round they go--seemingly non-stop in their effort to nourish their young. I can empathize...

They're good parents and very protective. Today, I saw the mama chase a squirrel through the fence and into the neighbor's yard. The squirrel hadn't done anything wrong, but maybe the mama could detect a certain nefariousness in the squirrel's countenance that my human eyes are too dull to pick up on. Or, she's just making sure. Either way, don't mess with this robin family.

More to come soon...

Beauty at My Feet

All I have to do is look down:

Lungwort

Dandelion

Dandelion puff...

Dandelion puff shedding seeds to make more dandelions...

Hosta, because I live in the suburbs and it's a law...

Vinca or Periwinkle

Fern. The heads are already uncurled.

Lily of the Valley--their perfume is strong and lovely.

Violet

What do you see where you are? What is in bloom at your feet? What will come into bloom soon?