Monday Meandering

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. ~Rabindranath Tagore

It's Monday, yay! It wasn't a bad weekend, not at all, but busy. I'm still behind, still scrambling to catch up. I really do think it's possible to do that, once I have a few days with no interruptions. My Saturday was mostly like that (after I got home from the dog park and helping my mom move some furniture) and it helped. DH and DD were boating so I had no drama, no interruptions. I was so relaxed and settled by the end of the day. I felt very zen.

It helped that I did some weeding. Really. I love to weed. It's one of those quiet, introspective times for me but still productive (I really like to be productive) and a time where, when I'm done, I can step back and see results. It's satisfying for me on so many levels.

Of course, nothing is ever perfect. I was chopping down some of my mini-iris greens that I have ringing my veggie garden, because they're blocking the sprinklers and nearly chopped off my thumb with the snippers. Oops. Oddly, it didn't really hurt (though it's tender now), so I finished the job with blood running down my hand, lol.

Still no monarch pillars or swallowtails (though I'm grateful about the swallowtails now as any caterpillars would be the kind to overwinter as pupae and I really don't feel like keeping them in my basement again). We DO have a ton of tussock moth pillars. They're so cute and fuzzy and I want to hug them (I don't ... really... I'm a little odd, but not totally crazy). Aren't they adorable?


They usually come in big batches until they get MUCH bigger and it's easy to find them because they totally decimate the leaves they're on.



Brandy asked why I thought we were not getting any pillars this year, and I'll be honest and say that I have no idea. Our winter wasn't the harshest we've had, the spring wasn't the hottest or wettest. Best guess? Butterfly numbers are down. I'm not a crazy uber-environmentalist, but even I can see that when we overuse pesticides, destroy habitat, etc., there will be negative results. The swallowtail typically eats people food plants (carrots, fennel, parsley, etc) so we kill them. The monarch eats a plant considered to be a "noxious weed". In Mexico, where they overwinter, their habitat is being destroyed, hundreds of acres at a time.

In truth, there may come a time we don't see the monarch or black swallowtail anymore. And that makes me sad. But the fact is: I've seen dozens and dozens of tiger swallowtails -- they're everywhere -- and the only difference between those and the black swallowtail is food. The tiger swallowtail eats tree leaves. So, I can't blame the dearth of the black swallowtail on the weather. They overwinter the same.

**sigh**

Tirade ended.

Today, my mom is taking my DD for most of the day. And I'm going to spend a least a little of that getting the new ending to my "Kitchen Matches" sequel written. I have the entire scene in my head, playing out like a movie, and I desperately need to get it down.

I also am planning on trying to visit you. At least as many of you as I can.

I miss you.

In any case, I hope you had a good weekend!

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You Read to Escape

You appreciate creativity and imagination in all aspects of life. You love a good fantasy. You can be passionate to the point of being possessive. It's hard to quell your flames. You see beauty everywhere, and you like to share your inner world with others. You love to get lost in someone else's head. You are truly curious about other people's dreams.

The Bookmark Test

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

All that from a bookmark ... and pretty close to correct.

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