Revenge of the Pillars

Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar. - Bradley Millar

So, it rained all day yesterday -- frequently POURING as if someone was dumping buckets down on us. I admit to being a bit worried about the new plants -- that's a lot of heavy water to be beating down on them -- but for the most part, they took it just fine. The petunias lost some flowers, the ageratum was pretty well squashed (but should bounce back), some of my taller tomatoes tipped over a bit. But the rain really helped the stuff I moved around to perk right up (I had some gallardia, echinacea and annual bachelor buttons that looked nearly dead after being moved).

The best part, though? It killed the humidity. Hallelujah. I walked out this morning to cool, CRISP air instead of the oppressiveness of the 90% humidity we've been having. Maybe I can finally take my frizz ball hair out of its pony tail without looking like Diana Ross on a bad hair day.

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We have a few new additions to Pillar Place. On Saturday, my SIL happened to be here when DD found a pillar. Despite telling her we were using the Greek alphabet to name them, she begged us to call it Hercules. So... we have a Hercules, lol. Yesterday, in between cloud bursts, DD went out hunting pillars (she was terrified they'd all be killed in the bad weather .... they weren't).

We now have Kappa, Lambda and Mu to go with the other ten, all of whom are happy, healthy and eating like pigs. In fact, Alpha has been put into The Box -- the one with sticks to make his pupa on.

I was watching a video on raising Black Swallowtail pillars yesterday and the guy makes these little pupa containers out of half a toilet paper roll and a paper towel. When the pillar "purges" which is rather icky, but indicates he is done eating and ready to make his pupa, this guy picks them up and plops them inside.

While I understand his motives (it sure makes life easier to keep them well contained) it seems sort of cruel... the pillars will "walk-about" for a day or more before making their pupa, and I have visions of the poor critter doing a thousand loops around the tiny paper holder.

I know, maybe that shouldn't bother me so much, but it does. So... mine will have The Box to use instead. Also, with The Box, I don't have to move the pupa once it's made.

As an aside, every time I name one of the pillars, I'm reminded of the movie "Revenge of the Nerds". Remember Omega Mu? Or Lambda Lambda Lambda?



LOL...

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You Are Circus Circus

You are fun loving and outrageous. You are always looking for the next good time, and you are easily entertained. You are daring and open minded. You'd run away with the circus if the offer was good enough... You are unpredictable and zany - no wonder people love to be around you so much. You're not just the life of the party. You bring the party with you!

What Las Vegas Casino Are You?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... no.

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I Want to Be a Weatherman

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. ~Patrick Young

Yesterday morning, the weather stated it would be cool -- about 65 degrees -- and overcast today with showers off and on. It also stated that the week would be fairly cool as well. Perfect weather for all the planting and transplanting I wanted to do.

So yesterday, I went to town. I moved a ton of plants. I put in all my annuals. I got baby lettuce plants from my SIL who was thinning hers and planted those. Some things looked a little wilty, some are delicate things that don't like to move, but it was okay because they'd have a nice, cool, wet day to settle in.

Late last night I checked the weather again, because we hadn't gotten the afternoon showers they'd predicted. And, lo and behold, they said things had changed. Today would be HOT (88 degrees) and partly cloudy with no showers expected.

Great.

THEN, this morning I checked the weather.

They're saying cloudy and 82 with no rain, but when I look at the radar -- THIS is what I see.



Now, I'm no weatherman, but I'm thinking that huge pile of yellow, orange and green heading toward New Hampshire means, yanno... RAIN.

I want their job. The one where you can be wrong more than half the time and still not be fired.

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You Are Serious

You are so wise it's intoxicating. People are blown away by the things you say. In life, you are happy to take the sweet with the sour. You wouldn't want to feel too much of one emotion. You are likely very literary and philosophical. You savor life, and you appreciate others who do as well. You are very cosmopolitan and urban. It drives you crazy when people have a limited or provincial perspective.

The Cocktail Test

Wait.. I AM so wise it's intoxicating. How did they know???

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Morning Light Show

There's always a period of curious fear between the first sweet-smelling breeze and the time when the rain comes cracking down. ~Don Delillo

Wow... huge storm blew through first thing this morning. LOUD thunder (woke up everyone in the house), hard rain... my internet was spotty, lights flickering.

But it's over now, at least for a bit. Radar shows another storm about an hour behind.

I spent yesterday moving plants. I swear, some day I'll be happy with how my flower gardens look. Maybe. I worked on my front garden, the one that cooks everything. I planted the daisy, moved chives from one side to the other, moved echinacea from the one side where it's big and thriving, to the other where it's still rather limping along. I moved gallardia from where it shouldn't be growing in my phlox, to the garden in the middle of my lawn...

I also finished putting down my newspaper and straw in the veggie garden. I actually need another bale of straw, but it's about 2/3 covered, so that's something. Every little bit helps -- weeding is a pain. I also discovered about ten "volunteer" tomatoes coming up, so I moved them in with the other billion tomato plants I have. With any luck, I'll actually have a decent crop of tomatoes this year. Last year was cool and wet, and they didn't do well. So far, we've been hot and dry and the garden is thriving.

So... this crazy rain today is actually quite welcome. I'm glad all the plants I moved are getting watered in and that it's not too sunny and hot. Looks like we're actually going to have a cool, overcast weekend.

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I had a dream last night that my neighbors at the end of the street had a farm behind their house: 10 horses (5 mares, 5 foals), 4 llamas, a pile of Nubian goats, tons of chickens... so funny. They are probably the folks least likely to ever have livestock. I often wonder what dreams mean. Though I remember turning to my DH in my dream and saying, "Look! THEY have chickens ... why can't we?"

LOL....

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You Are Sensible

You don't think there's a lot to being successful in life. You like to play by the rules. You are down to earth and practical. You have both feet firmly planted on the ground. People depend on you, and you like to be depended on. Having responsibilities gives you meaning in your life. The traditional things make you happy - friends, family, and work. You have a good life.

What One Word Describes You?

Uh... yep. That's me.

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Storm Warning

We have HUGE HUGE Thunderstorms rolling through RIGHT NOW.

Will be back later.

Pillar Place 2010 update

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. ~Maya Angelou

So, things in Pillar Place are moving along nicely. No deaths (yay!!) and everyone is growing rapidly. Alpha is getting HUGE and will probably go on his walkabout in the next week or so:


Iota, who was the next largest, shed his black skin and now looks like a grown up, even though he's only about an inch long:



All the rest are still teeny -- here's Gamma, to give you a general idea (their food is kept in votive holders to give you an idea of their size):



Do you see him? That little black line with the white line in the middle? They've about doubled in size -- which is why I was so amazed DD found them in the first place!

The milkweed is growing like crazy, and now has buds. It should be blooming soon, and then assuming the monarchs will be a bit early like the swallowtails were, we should start seeing monarch eggs in the next 2 - 3 weeks.

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You Are Cloudy

Like everyone else, you are human. You have your ups and downs. You try to be resilient and weather the storm. You usually can find a silver lining. You struggle to be happy, and so far you are winning the battle. Make room in your life for a little fun every day. It will do wonders!

Are You Sunny, Cloudy, or Stormy?

Mostly right...

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Thursday Thirteen: Books!!

See more Thursday Thirteen participants here

THIRTEEN BOOKS CURRENTLY IN MY HOUSE
(Some are "keepers", some are on my TBR list)

1. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

This YA book has been getting raves, including from people I know whose opinions I trust. So, I'm giving it a go. It's a TBR.

2. Photoshop for Dummies

My biz partner at Goddess Fish Promotions currently does 99.9% of the Photoshopping because she knows how. I don't like anyone being irreplaceable, though, so I'm trying to learn at least some of it so I can take up the slack when necessary. It's both a TBR and a Keeper.

3. Remember Me by Laura Moore

This is a keeper on my Nook. A reviewer whose opinion I greatly respect (she's tough and smart and very, very picky about what she likes) gave it a "Best Book" rating and then proceeded to email me and rave about it (the review is here, if you're interested). I was sold... and so was the book. I hopped on to the Nook and nabbed a copy. Now, if I could only find the time to read it!

4. Right Where I Need to Be by Wendi Zwaduk

Wendi is a friend of mine whose first book recently came out and I got me an autographed copy of it. It's on my TBR and my Keeper shelf (I have a special row just for signed books).

5. How To Sew a Button : and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew by Erin Bried

This author has a video on YouTube that actually managed to FINALLY show me how to fold a fitted sheet. I know, I know, not earthshattering, but I've been trying to learn for YEARS. So, yeah, this book is SO on my TBR shelf.

6. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

This was recommended to me by my SIL and it's a great concept -- making bread dough that's slightly wet and keeping it in your fridge for a couple of week, making it easy to grab some and cook it every day as needed. They have some pretty incredible tips for baking bread, a list of tools, additions to make your whole grain bread more palatable and so much more. It's a great book. I've read it once, but plan to do so again and again, because I know I missed stuff AND I want to absorb their wisdom. Because, who doesn't like fresh-baked bread?

7. WordPress for Dummies

I've been hearing things about Blogger... and while I've never had any trouble with them, I figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared. So, I'm going to learn WordPress, because it confused the pogees out of me.

8. Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson

I love this author. She's SO funny and talented and has never disappointed me and I can't WAIT to read this.

9. The Third Rose by Jean Hart Stewart

Goddess Fish Promotions recently did a tour for Jean, and her book sounds so good I had to get myself a copy! It's on my Nook and I can't wait to dive in.

10. The Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick

The next book in her Arcane Society series. I have it... it's calling... I just need to find the time.

11. Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

The latest in her "The Bride Quartet" series. I've really enjoyed these books, and while this one wasn't my favorite, it was still good and sits firmly on my keeper shelf.

12. Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie

Any list that includes keepers for me wouldn't be complete without this book. IMHO, this is the best book Jenny Crusie wrote ("Bet Me" is a close second) and I read it over and over whenever I need a giggle.

13. Be #1 on Google by Jon Smith

As part of my job as webmistress for The Long and the Short of It and Goddess Fish Promotions, I have to learn how to publicize us -- this book is a no-brainer for that, and I'm enjoying reading it!

What are some books that are keepers for YOU? And what's sitting on your TBR list?

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Nature and More Pillar Place

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho

I was a bit behind in my blog-hopping, so have been spending this morning trying to visit (haven't been to many blogs, but am doing my best to catch up), and I discovered something... I'm oddly intimidated by blogs that have LOTS of comments. If I get there and there are already 20+ comments, I don't want to leave one. I don't know if I feel like I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said, or if I feel invisible, or what, exactly.

:::scratches head:::

Maybe I need to see a shrink.

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It was an icky day yesterday. Kept *threatening* rain but did nothing until well after dinnertime. I planted some green bean seeds (finally) and DD planted her carrots, in the anticipation of nature giving them a thorough watering. By afternoon, we gave up and watered them ourselves...

I was chatting with Alpha (our black swallowtail caterpillar) about the fact he was all alone. Told him we were trying to find him some buddies, but hadn't yet. He's getting quite large, actually -- probably about an inch long now. I should take some pictures.

In any case, right before dinner, it was all black and icky again, so DD went out to take the cover off our composter so it could get watered, too. And on the way in, she checked the rue plants.

She made a haul of pillars. She must have eagle eyes to have found the ones she did, because I'm pretty certain that they had JUST hatched. I mean, literally were coming out of their egg as she found them. They were as small as I've ever seen and some were looking a little damp.

I'll admit, one she found on a different bunch of plants, and s/he was probably a couple days old -- still black, but fairly big (yanno, like 1/4" long).

But the others? They're *maybe* 1/8" long and the width of a straight pin.

We've opted to stick with the Greek alphabet in naming them, so we now have:

Alpha (Whom you've already "met")
Beta
Gamma
Delta
Epsilon
Zeta
Eta
Theta
Iota (this is the somewhat larger one)

I'm concerned that all the newbies may not make it. They were still alive and kicking last night, so here's hoping.

In monarch news ... I was watching "Life" yesterday -- one I'd TiVo'd on Insects and I saw the saddest thing: the monarch pillars will frequently drown in the milkweed sap. Apparently, if they bite the vein when they are first born, the amount of sticky, milky sap that comes out can overwhelm them, trap them and kill them. It's the plant's defense. They stated that only 1/3 of monarch babies survive this. Considering that monarchs are already endangered, it broke my heart.

The good news is that when we break off the leaf and bring in the egg, it stops sap production, so this will never happen to those pillars who are hand-raised.

Still, the problem we are having is that fewer butterflies are getting up here to lay eggs. Last year, we only successfully raised ONE monarch. How sad is that?

Nature can be very cruel.

It can also be very beautiful. Look what we saw over the top of our trees last night:




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Yesterday, more than one of you asked what DD thought of the picture. Ever since she looked at my wedding photos and said, "Mommy, you used to be beautiful!" I haven't asked her opinion...

Just saying.

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You Are What

You are a very smart person, and you are happiest when you're learning something new. You're interested in so many things, and you feel like there's always more to discover. You're very curious. You believe that knowledge is empowerment. You do your best not to be ignorant about anything. You are well read and continually adding to your database of information. You never stop learning.

Are You Who, What, Where, or Why?

Mostly right.

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