To bee or not to bee

I saw these little yellow flowers while on a walk with George this evening before dinner. I think I surprised the bee.
I just want to be in my happy place (see below). With no worries. Wouldn't that be sweet? Sweeter than honey, I'd say.

My Happy Place

Where do YOU go when you need to visit your happy place? I close my eyes, or better yet, look at my photo files at my pictures of Ocracoke Island in North Carolina. This is A view of Silver Lake Harbor. Directly across from us is the old Coastguard building. And beyond that is nothing but water. This is where I live in my dreams.

Someone got flowers

But it wasn't me. Ah, well. A co-worker suggested I take a photo, though. I'd brought my camera to school to take pictures of an important event, but alas, when I arrived at school, I realized I had my macro lens on the camera! Oh, well. The school camera came in handy for the event and I took this shot with my macro lens. I couldn't go home empty-handed now, could I?

Skywatch Friday: Glowing

Sunset last weekend on the horse farm where I live in Southeastern, PA. To visit skies from all around the globe, go to the Sky Watch site. You'll be happy you did!

Also, if you'd care to enter to enter my Halloween Give-Away, visit my other blog here.

I have GOT to start screening my guests

Get it? Screening? Oy.
I don't know who this fella is, but he's got some sort of stinger on his butt and he looks pretty mean. However, I felt myself mesmerized by the intracacy of his wings.

Ready for lift-off

The next suede jacket that I buy will be in this color. I love it.
And yes, in case you haven't already noticed, I have a penchant for capturing these photogenic fungi. Say that three times real fast.

Today's Flowers: Hello, mum

No other plant says "fall" like chrysanthemum flowers. Don't they look cheerful?


To view beautiful flowers from many different vantage points around the globe, visit Today's Flowers.

I wear my hair this way for a reason

It's because I like it. And it's very becoming. And that's that.

Tiny Dancer

Tiny bloom from one of the spider plants that I have on my front porch. It's about the size of my thumbnail.
Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone.

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
~ Elton John

Skywatch Friday: Morning skies

This photo was taken from my car window during the drive to work one day this week. When I walked out my front door that morning, the sky was pink, so I ran back inside and grabbed the camera just in case I came across a nice shot during the 45-minute ride. This was taken in Cecil County, Maryland.
To view skies from all over the globe, visit Skywatch Friday.

Puff the magic mushroom

I think I had a hat like this at one time.
This is a huge mushroom and I know, I know. I posted one yesterday. But I live just outside of the Mushroom Capital of the World and they grow big here, I guess.
When I touched the edges, I expected it to fold in where the "tucks" are, but it was solid.
To give you an idea of their size, I've posted a picture of George here, checking them out.

A fungus among us

I take a lot of mushroom photographs, mainly because I think they're interesting. But I think this one is beautiful. Yes, you can call me crazy, but take a close look at this. This is a mushroom whose cap has turned all the way upwards, revealing the intricate underside. It won't last long this way, I'd venture to guess. And I'm lucky to have seen it today.

I hear you knocking . . .

This Hairy woodpecker, who could actually be a Downy, was caught on camera when I heard him knocking around on the dead part of the dogwood tree out front. The difference between the Hairy and the Downy is a matter of about 3 inches, with the Hairy being the larger of the two at around 9 inches in length.
Ok. That's the end of today's lesson.

Today's Flowers: Queen for a day

I've decided to join in the fun at Today's Flowers, where every Monday (er, Sunday evening) we can view flower contributions from bloggers around the globe. It's sort of like Skywatch Friday, only it's with flowers rather than skies. And you should all know by now that flowers are some of my favorite subjects.
This is Queen Anne's Lace taken with my macro lens. They look happy to me.

Blue plate special

Anther different one. This is a macro photo of a begonia that I used a brush stroke filter on. It's called dark stroke and was done in Photoshop CS2. I'm posting it on Paintbox Pictures today, as well. I just wanted to do something different.

Misty Moisty Morning

One misty moisty morning,
when cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man
Clothed all in leather.

He began to compliment
And I began to grin --
"Well how do you do" and "How do you do"
And "How do you do" again . . .

~ from an old English nursery rhyme

Skywatch Friday: Moon rising

I am always so late in posting my Skywatch Pictures. But c'est la vie. To view beautiful skies from around our world, please visit the Skywatch Friday site. Have a wonderful Friday, everyone. And let's pray for the safety of those who have had to evacuate their homes around the Gulf Coast of this country.

Make a wish

Go ahead and blow gently. I hope all your wishes come true.

Cry Baby

Is it just me? Because I really think these little calibrachoa blooms look like they're screamin' for their mama?.

Oh, I can hear them now . . . "Mama! He's poking me." "She's teasing me." "He won't stop looking at me! Mama!!!" I'm sure they're normally well-behaved, however.

Ok, now I've got Janis Joplin's song from the Pearl album stuck in my head. I can just hear her now singing Cry Baby.

Golden glow

As summer wanes, goldenrod plants usher in the fall. I've always loved their color and the insects love to party on the little pollen-laden flowers. Ah, September has arrived.

Evil-doer

Don't be fooled by the lovely lilac color of this awful plant. I found this thistle while walking with George last week. It's a terribly invasive weed that is so difficult to control that it's been outlawed in Maryland. I was surprised to see it growing here. Pennsylvania has a no-propagation law, but I don't think you can be fined here for having it on your property. Back in 1882, a Garrett County, MD law was passed stating that no landowner, tenant or roads supervisor shall allow the growth of Canada thistle. They were serious, too, with a fine of $10.00 a day if not controlled. That was an exhorbitant fee for someone living in 1882!

Lonely pinecone

This pinecone is smaller than your pinkie finger and is on one of the hemlock trees lining part of the driveway.

Thanks for all your warm wishes regarding my hand. It's difficult to type but surprisingly easy to work in Photoshop becauseI don't use a mouse (I use a laptop). However, I can't hold a camera yet, so am resorting to file photos.

I got the frame action at MCP actions as a free sample after reading a post written by Donna Boucher at Quiet Life. She is always introducing me to interesting new things.

I know what I wrote inside the frames is silly, but I wrote this last night while using chardonnay as a pain reliever and this is what happens.

Sylvia loves me

Overnight, very
Whitely, discreetly,
Very quietly

Our toes, our noses
Take hold on the loam,
Acquire the air.

Nobody sees us,
Stops us, betrays us;
The small grains make room.

Excerpt from Sylvia Plath's "Mushrooms"

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful

So there I was outside taking pictures of a praying mantis, and it turns and looks at me and says, well I put in the post title what it said. It had a British accent, too. Go figure!!

Paint me a picture called happy

I 'painted' this in Photoshop using a photograph. It just looks happy to me. School started today for the little ones. That's happy. Some were so excited, they were jumping!

Berry brilliance

I have no idea what this type of bush happens to be. After I took the chrysalis pictures yesterday, I noticed the sunlight playing on these little berries. Nature is so beautiful.

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail

A spent bloom from a clematis with its delicate tendrils. It almost looks like a tiny mop head!

I used to read this story to my sons when they were young. Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, as you know, were Peter Rabbit's good brothers and sisters. Peter was the naughty one.

Here's the entire tale, if you've got a moment to indulge. I still have the tiny little books that came in a set and were given to my sons for Christmas one year.

Happy trails to you

The trailing tendrils of this bacopa plant greets me every time I come home. It's planted in a big pot, along with some petunias by my front door. And thankfully, it's looking much better after the cool snap we've had for the past couple of weeks. The rain helped, too.