Streams with fall colors in the GSMNP

Jimmy and I took 2 days off to go to the mountains to see the fall colors, the previous post is the beginning of the photographs I took. The first day we went to Cades Cove, which I have not begun to go through those photographs yet. To get to Cades Cove from our house we go through Wears Valley to Townsend and onto Cades Cove. The 2nd day we also went through Wears Valley, but then we went across the Foothills Parkway to 129. 129 is known as the Tail of the Dragon, which we traveled to Deal's Gap, and onto Fontana and Cherokee. Normally we would have gone to I40 to head home, but with the landslide totally blocking I40 we cut back across the mountain through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

If we had gone our usual route we would not have seen this beautiful setting.

We saw 2 tractor trailers and a tractor without the trailer that thought they would also cut through the park to avoid going the detour route. The park rangers had them all stopped. A person cannot miss the signs about no commercial vehicles in the park, and you know a truck driver would not have missed them. Guess they thought they would just sneak through, like nobody would notice the only tractor trailers to ever be in the park in the 75 years of it's existence.

Fontana North Carolina fall colors

Jimmy and I were able to take off Thursday and Friday and we went to the mountains. They are so close to us we came home both nights. We had a great time and I got some fall color photographs.The first 2 shots are on the road to Fontana Village, a sharp turn in the road and this water cove caught my eye. The sign said we were at Tapoco, part of Alcoa Power.

The red trees were in Fontana Village, hopped out at a stop sign and snapped this one.

The view from the top of Fontana Dam.

A shot taken from inside the moving car, through my dirty windshield. (Jimmy was driving.)

My favorite of these is the 2nd photograph. I haven't been through everything I took in those 2 days, but so far I have only seen one I liked better. I will post it in a few days. I have to get to sleep so I can go to knitting class before I go to work Tuesday afternoon.

My knitting projects

Thought I would show some of what I have been doing while I have not been blogging. This first is called a shawlette, it is smaller than a shawl. Made out of 100% Merino Wool, so soft. Next my first attempt at hand knit socks. The pattern is boot, or ski socks. I will use them as house socks. I had to make socks before I could register for the Christmas Stocking class. I did enjoy making them, made both in 4 days.
This scarf is for my mother for Christmas (she doesn't blog, so she won't see it).
Another scarf, this one is so very, very easy and fast to knit.

Market bag, just throw this one in your purse and pull it out at the register instead of getting their plastic.

A baby jacket

another baby jacket

and yet another baby jacket. The 3rd photo comparing the size of the orange and white baby jacket to the brown one. Not much difference.

In an earlier post I showed the orange and white baby jacket and Mason in his wallaby sweater. Below is Noah in his wallaby sweater, with his proud Mom (Wendy).

You can click here and see Noah with 2 blankets I knit him before he was born. Wendy's post is nice and he is so cute (can you tell I am the Granny?!?)

I actually have more but that is all I have photos of for today's post. Yesterday I went to Newfound Gap to see the colors, very disappointing. At Newfound Gap the leaves were all gone, think that snow took them right off the trees. At the bottom of the mountains the colors are just getting started good so will have to go back again, just not to the top.

I hope everybody is doing good, and I will try to get around to visiting all of you.

Cleome in the previous post

I am sorry, I did forget to tell the name of the flower. I bought Burpee Signature Heirloom package of Cleome Queen Mix. I know they do re-seed, so I know if the blooms get to mature before it gets too cold here I should have more next year. The package showed the color I posted (below) and a white, and a pale lavender-almost white.

Falls Blooms in the yard

I planted a package of seeds in the spring. The package says the seedlings emerge in 14-21 days. First I only got ONE out of the whole pack and it just now came up.The bud emerged late last week. The first 2 photos were taken Tuesday morning.
The next 4 photos were taken Friday morning as I left to go to a knitting workshop.

I really do like these flowers, and I guess they were worth the wait, just not worth the money I spent. Sure hope they come back next year. One plant for a package of seed is terrible.

The daylily, "Dainy Eyes", was taken Friday morning too. Still have a few blooms here and there, as you can see there are still more buds on this one.

I went to a knitting workshop on fairisle knitting. I am knitting a Christmas stocking, or two. The workshop was great! We found out earlier this week John and Lindsey's baby (due in February) is a girl. 2 grandsons, we were hoping for a granddaugther this time. Hope everybody is doing fine.

Pair of Silver Spotted Skippers

These photographs of a pair of Silver Spotted Skippers was taken earlier in the year. The first 3 photographs are very similiar but notice in the first one the skipper in the back is turned looking at the one closer to the camera.

One thing I found interesting is the color difference of the wings together and the wings open.

I am still seeing a few butterflies, but it has turned fairly cool here this week so I don't guess I will be seeing them for long. Also, this morning saw 2 Eastern Bluebirds checking out my birdhouse on the deck (the one I had so many photos of the Tree Swallows at this past spring), I sure hope they were looking for a winter home and not crazy enough be starting another family this late.

Pink Oriental Lilies

These oriental lily photos are obviously from earlier in the year. I do still have some daylilies blooming (very few) but no oriental lilies left. This first one is called Oriental X-otica, you can see the coloring of my daylilies in the background. The X-otica is planted in the edge of my largest daylily flowerbed.

You know me, I have to get closer and closer.

Although they all look like the same lily to me, the last one is Pink Pearl, the oriental I posted early July, here. The Pink Pearls are planted up close to the house, you can see the brick in the background.

Just taking a little time to blog. I am going to try to visit some too.

American Chestnut Tree closeup

As promised in the last post I have some more photographs of the American Chestnut Tree. And I do now believe it is an American Chestnut instead of a Buckeye. What do you think?

This last photo is more blurry, but it really shows the leaves.

Not home for long....just long enough for Jimmy to mow and me wash clothes, but I did also post on my other blog, Photography By Leedra with a much prettier photograph. Have started a knit project for myself. Taking a weekly knit class right now, and am learning so much. Also keeping Mason on Wednesday mornings, and just have to go see Wendy and Noah one day during the week. Staying real busy. Hope all is well with all of you.

There are Buckeye and then there are Buckeyes

We have 2 Buckeye trees in Rockwood. They are so full of buckeyes that 2 limbs broke off one of the trees. Last year when we bought the place one limb was broke out of the front Buckeye tree, we didn't realise until this year, when it happened again that it is the weight of the Buckeyes that was breaking the limbs. If I had been meaning to photograph the tree I would have taken a better photo (hopefully), but I was actually taking a photograph of something else and then decided to crop it and use it here. I just realised I have these next 2 photos in the wrong order. Oh, well. This one is the empty buckeye hull, after I have snatched the buckeyes. Which you have to be real careful, the hull can be worse than a cactus when you get close to those pricklies.
The next one is a hull with the buckeyes still there. Most have 2 or 3 buckeyes, so the first one I found that had 4 I acted like I had found the four leaf clover. I kept them separated from all the others.
And I have lots of 'others'. I have a dish full. You have to get to them before the little black worms find them. The hulls have to just be turning. There are lots more on the 2 trees, but now the worms have found them, so I am not sure I will get anymore good ones this year.

After finding the 4 in one, then I found the real prize. The hull with only one buckeye. Notice it is round. Look back up at the hull with 3 in it. Notice one side is flat. So I was really excited with the single buckeye.

I had to go back and look for more.

I was able to find five. Had to flip them over for you to see the other side.

Then the beautiful Buckeye Butterfly, one of my favorites. I have another story to go with it. I took this photograph in the summer of 2007, I was in awe of this little butterfly. Look at those eyespots, with such detail. In September 2007 we went to the Grand Canyon, there was a lady there going on about the beauty of the canyon (and it IS GORGEOUS!), saying anybody that did not believe in God needed to visit the canyon. I told her all somebody had to do was look at the beautiful details God put on the Buckeye Butterfly to see there has to be a God. I just am not sure how the Buckeye Butterfly was ever referred to as the Common Buckeye. There is nothing common looking about it to me. He is beautiful!

I haven't been around my computer very much lately, except at work. I am going to Rockwood to be with Jimmy alot more, he is working 6 days , and 65 to 70 hours each week. My knitting is more mobile (with no internet access in Rockwood) and I am doing alot of knitting for the grandbabies. Not sure when I will get around to visiting, but I told one of my blogging buddies last year that I wanted to do a post on the buckeye tree and butterfly together. Sorry it took me a whole year.

Now just in case you want to know more about the Buckeye Tree I have included some information I found on the web.

The name Buckeye comes from the folklore of the Native Americans who noticed that the nut of the Buckeye tree resembles the eye of a buck deer, a buck eye. They also roasted, peeled and mashed the buckeye nut which they called Hetuck into a nutritional meal. The poisonous and bitter taste can be eliminated by heating and leaching. People wondering if they can eat buckeyes can but only after they have been heated and leached . Some believe that the buckeye relieves rheumatism pain. The symbol of General William Henry Harrison's presidential campaign was a string of buckeyes and a log cabin decorated with raccoon skins. His campaign song called Ohio the bonnie Buckeye state, as a result citizens in Ohio became know as "Buckeyes ." On October 2, 1953 the buckeye tree officially became the state tree.

The Buckeye tree is very adaptable to it's environment, thrives in conditions not suitable for other trees and is hard to kill once the buckeye tree is established.

Alot of people say buckeyes are lucky and keep one around the house, mostly in with their jewlery or carry one in their purse, or pocket. But they are not lucky if you try to eat one and not so lucky for cattle or some other animals if they try to eat one. Buckeyes are toxic , but not to squirrels, who eat them when other food is not available to them.

UPDATE: Please look at the comment from The Fishing Guy. He says it is possibly an American Chestnut tree instead. Here is the link he referred me to. I will try to get a photograph of the leaves this weekend while I am in Rockwood, so be watching and I will let you know which it is. And here is the link to the Buckeye tree, notice the buckeyes don't appear to be in a hull like the nut tree we have. Thank you The Fishing Guy for clearing this up for me.

Cabbage White Butterflies on Purple Liatris

There are really just 2 photos here. First I show straight out of the camera, then the soft focus of the same photograph.

The 2nd photo now.

There is more difference on the second photo, the first one already had some soft focus to it. This is about all I can do with a photo when I get it to the computer, well, I can change to black and white or sepia. Most photographs you see on my blog or website are straight out of the camera. Which one do you like the best? Oh, by the way, these are a Cabbage White butterfly on purple liatris blooms.

We have been spending a LOT of time in Rockwood (no internet there). This past weekend we went home for a few hours, just long enough to mow the yard. I am at Wendy's right now, and Noah is waking from his nap. So off I go again.

Colorful Sunflowers

These sunflowers were all in a row in Alice's garden when I went to Deer Lodge to visit her a couple of weeks ago.

This one looks like a painting instead of a photograph.

Sunflowers always bring a smile to my face.

Hope everybody will have a wonderful holiday weekend.

A few Butterflies and a Hummingbird in the yard

Skipper on Blanket Plant bloom.

Two skippers on a zinnia bloom.

The next 3 photographs are a Variegated Fritillary.

Sorry I didn't have the correct lens on when this single hummingbird came for a very short visit to the zinnias in one of my flowerbeds next to the driveway.

More Hummingbirds from visit with Alice

More Ruby Throated Hummingbirds from my visit with Alice in Deer Lodge, Tennessee. Alice has counted 10 at one time at the feeder. And I believe it. They were buzzing all around us, sometimes chases straight through the porch. Glad I didn't decide to stand up right at that moment.
She just has one feeder too. So it doesn't take more to get more Hummingbirds. If she has more than one they just go to the 2nd one when the first one is empty, they prefer this feeder. So she just uses the one feeder, and fills it every morning. She uses 5 lbs of sugar every week. Wonder if she put them on a diet when the bags changed to 4 lbs.

She said last year her count was way down, but back up this year. I have never seen a small number at her house, I think she has more than 10, that is just the number she has been able to count as they hover around this one feeder.

And we all prefer the ones without the feeders in the photograph, but they are harder to photograph that way too.

Then one out of my archives, from my feeders in 2007. This one was taken with my Fuji point and shoot, but it is still one of my all time favorites.

Hope you have enjoyed the Hummingbirds, it will probably be my only post this year of the Hummingbirds since I don't have feeders up. If you didn't see it, please look at the post below, it explains why I don't have feeders.

Why I don't have Hummingbird feeders at my house

This is why I don't have Hummingbird feeders at my house. All of these photographs were taken last year at my neighbor's house after I took my feeders down.

I tried again this year, but the bees returned.

And you thought ants were a problem.

The last photograph was taken next to Bill's garden. I think he was trying to pull them away from the feeders, but it didn't work. This one was taken at the same time as the others.

Hummingbird Clearwing

This female Ruby Throated Hummingbird also appears to have clear wings, but this is the bird, not a moth. I took this at my friend Alice's house in Deer Lodge, Tennessee. I went to spend the day with her Tuesday because I had not seen her in 5 years. Her husband asked me how many Hummingbirds I killed....he said I had been shooting them all day. I hate to admit it, but I did take a lot of photographs, and this is the only one this good straight out of the camera, no cropping to this photograph.

I started going to Alice's house 25 years ago, so I am not sure when, but I photographed my first hummingbirds sitting in almost the same exact spot as I was when I took this one. First Hummingbird I ever saw was right there too.

Clearwing Moth

Ok, it is a Clearwing Moth.

But is it a Hummingbird Clearwing or a Snowberry Clearwing?Naturally it liked the zinnia blooms that were beyond their peak.
This is the first time I have seen one in person, and I cannot tell which it is.
He did finally move to better looking bloom.
I am posting every one I took, in hopes somebody can tell me which one it is.

So which is it?

No matter what, I know for sure I have to stop whining about the lack of volume of butterflies this year. I am seeing some special butterflies and moths.

UPDATE: These are the Snowberry Clearwing Moth. Click here to view a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. Click here to view a Snowberry Clearwing Moth. Notice how red looking the Hummingbird Moth is.

Hackberry Emperor

Ok, I can stop whining now about no butterflies this year. This year, in my own yard, I have now photographed Cabbage Whites, Silver Spotted Skipper, Tiger Swallowtail, Dark Tiger Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Variegated Fritillary, Gulf Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, and now the Hackberry Emperior. Most I have only seen once, but I have seen them.

Last year I saw one Hackberry, and posted it here. It was also on the brick of my house. Now another one on the side of the house. I have never seen them on my zinnias. The color of my brick is a pretty good camouflage for the Hackberry, and notice something has already got a piece of him.

The only host plant of the Hackberry Emperor is the Hackberry tree, the only Hackberry tree I had was leaning over the road so the county cut it for us. Now I feel guilty, I might have more of these if I had kept the Hackberry tree. That was 2 years ago, so there must be another tree close by.

My favorite is this last one. It actually was the first one I snapped. I almost missed him. I had already turned the camera off and was stepping in the front door when I saw him.

Polyphemus Moth

Ten days ago when I met Jimmy for lunch he told me there was a huge moth at the plant and I needed to stop back by there to photograph it. Well, after lunch it was still in the same spot. It was alive, but not doing too well. I don't know what to do with a moth so after I photographed it we left it there, with intend of Jimmy getting it late that night if it was still there. It's predators had found it by then, and it was in pieces.

My main reference book (National Audobon Field Guide to Butterflies) does not include moths, so I grabbed the little Golden Guide from St Martin's Press "Butterflies and Moths". Right there it was, and it said...Polyphemus Moth, perhaps the commonest giant silk moth, was named after the one-eyed giant Polyphemus of Greek mythology because of the large eyespots on the hindwings.

Jimmy couldn't stand it, he had to measure it.

Hap from New Hope recommends "Butterflies of North America by Kenn Kaufman & Jim Brock and Butterflies through Binoculars-The East by Jeffrey Glassberg. Two nice guides to help with ID's." They will be on my wish list, maybe Jimmy will see a note laying around that I want these. :)

Earlier this week Jimmy told me he had me 2 dead moths that he was bringing home from the plant. One ended out to be a Tiger Swallowtail (he doesn't begin to know ids, he just likes), the other I have not id'd yet. He says the new plant is full of butterflies and moths. Maybe that is where all our butterflies are this year. They also have bats flying around in there.

Oriental Lilies Casablanca and Stargazer

Some more lilies that bloomed in my yard earlier this summer.You know me, I have to get closer.

Stargazer with Purple Liatris in the background.

Then Stargazer from a different flowerbed,

notice the calla lily leaves around it.

Conca d' Or hybrid lily

The label said OT Hybrid Lily Conca D' Or

I say "HUGE!!!"

I just liked the way the blooms looked laying on my diningroom table.

Back on July 1st, I posted several photographs of my daylily flowerbeds, here. In that post I mentioned a tall lily that I would post later, when it bloomed. This is it. These photos are a little overdue, since the lily has already finished blooming.

To get around my daylilies I had to cut the new shoots on the edges, they were not as tall, and I kept stepping on them. That is where I got the blooms laying on the table. I put them in water and gave them to a friend. She enjoyed them for close to a week. This is one of the sweetest smelling flowers in my yard.

Summertime knitting for wintertime pleasure

My first class on making a garment. Naturally I started something for the oldest grandchild.

This sweater is called the Wonderful Wallaby, as you can see on the pattern. At this point I only had the hoodie left to knit. And while waiting for the next class I took a different class, and naturally it was to knit something for the next grandchild. But more about the Wonderful Wallaby, notice this pocket, it is what makes the whole thing so cute.

Mason didn't even care that it is 90 outside, he let us try it on for him. But they do say wool is also cooling. The Wallaby is only 50% wool, so it is machine washable. He is 18 months old, and the wallaby is a size 2. We determined he will be needing the next size well before the winter is over.

The warmth of the wallaby didn't keep Mason from going to his favorite place, the kitchen cabinets. This was his first time at the house in Rockwood and he needed to explore the place.

In the next class I learned to knit the "Surprise Jacket". It is called this because it looks like a mess while knitting, then you lay it out, and sew two short seams at the top of the sleeves and it is done. Just alot of increases and decreases throughout the whole pattern. Next time I make one of these I will photograph as I go so you can see it. The one below is now on Etsy, because it is too small for Noah. We determined it is a newborn through maybe 13 or 14 lbs. Noah weighs around 16 lbs, and it was just a little small. I also made one they said was for a one year old. We will see at what point it does fit Noah.

Just in case none of you have noticed, it is just about "FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!!", and the radio is blasting it just that way. I have this sweater on my website and on Etsy, here, in hopes of a 'big orange fan' having a newborn in their family that they just have to have it for.

And then not to leave precious Noah out of this post just because his jacket didn't fit him, taken on Thursday, the day the orange and white did NOT fit him. As you can tell, he did not feel slighted in the least because the jacket his Granny knit for him did not fit, he is still beaming at me.

Rockwood Kitchen-Before and After

The first two photographs here are from the kitchen when we first purchased the Rockwood house. Notice the missing plumbing, dishwasher and frig. Odd place in ceiling that also runs down the wall. The base cabinet ends about a ft sooner than the upper cabinet. Although you can't see it here, there was no hot water heater, not to mention there was no water supply to the house. We think it must have been on well, but to this day we still have not found the well.

The floor was not all there, some sub flooring, and some 'nothing'. The stove was a 'drop in' style. The counter tops and back splash were made together. Notice the raised up spot in the corner. And the chrome color on the counter top was a built in blender. The cabinets were actually in alot worse shape than you can see here. I thought we would have to gut the whole kitchen, but Jimmy had a vision. He sanded the cabinets, and cleaned (and cleaned, and cleaned) the hardware. Took out the back splash and the counter tops. Gone was the built in blender too. When he had the new counter tops made they made the raised corner again, it was because the cabinets are deeper than cabinet corners are now. I got the photos out of order, but this is one of the 'after' photos. Notice we did away with the drop in stove/oven. Jimmy added a small base cabinet to even it up with the upper cabinet. He built the wood across the ceiling, down the wall and the base shelves at the end of the cabinets you see in this photo.

A close up of the ceiling with the damage from where the previous owners had removed whatever had been there. The rest of the ceiling was textured, so we had to do something there or redo the whole ceiling. The holes have wiring for lights....

So we picked out a light and Jimmy went to work designing this.

He had to piece the wood addition all around the Nutone Intercom System that does still operate all through the house. Notice the brick back splash. It is all the way around the cabinets, and it does really look good. John saw it yesterday and said we need to do this at home he liked it so well. Yep, my butterflies are also in Rockwood.

Another view of the shelf unit Jimmy made.

For those of you that have always been followers you will know the rest of this story, but I have some new blogging buddies so I will retell this for them. My husband's job moved 92 miles from our home. He had 5 years until retirement, so we had to do something. We found this Fannie Mae house, and I refer to it as "going to Rockwood". We bought it in November 2008, and could not even sleep in the house until January. Didn't have a functioning kitchen until June of this year. I have now cooked dinner there 4 times. The kitchen is coming together for us and it makes the house seem more like a home. As much as was wrong with the house, it actually is a very nicely built home and is very structurally sound.

To add to the mileage, I work evening shift and Jimmy works day shift. My job is 30 miles from home and 55 miles from the house in Rockwood. Since he is asleep when I get there I only go once or twice during the week. We have only spent 2 weekends there, one being this last weekend. Jimmy is working long hours right now, as they are trying to bring the new 'brick' plant on line, so I have actually been going a little more than usual.

Since we had to find a home away from home I am glad we found this one. Also glad Jimmy got most of the time consuming work completed before he started working the long hours on the job. About all he is doing now is working and sleeping.

Little Fred Daylily

This will probably be my last daylily photograph post for this year, but don't hold me to it. They aren't totally gone, but the awesome mass of blooms has passed. They will continue to bloom off and on until frost, but the early season is the best time to photograph.

This peachy bloom that has the look of an orchid was purchased as an un-named seedling. I know the ones of you that have followed me for any length of time find that hard to believe. It was just so pretty, I could not resist. It is a late bloomer, and usually by the time it decides to bloom I am always wondering if it is going to bloom that year. I bought 4 different seedlings that year. 3 of them have this orchid look, this peachy one, and then a pink one and then one that is a real pale yellow. The 4th seedling is a red, and it gets lost in the rest of my red daylilies.

These last 2 photographs are of "Little Fred", he is one of the first daylilies I ever purchased. Naturally from Oakes Daylilies. This one has been moved and divided so many times I can't even remember. It is still in the back of the property, so it still has at least one more move to get to the daylily flowerbed. Isn't going to happen this year though, maybe next spring. I have given starts of this one to lots of friends.

When we bought this property we got us a start of all the daylilies and iris we had at the time. We did this by lifting, and dividing. When we did this I ususally had numerous bags ready and each bag got a start of each daylily. My friends got a bag, or two. But we ALWAYS put some back in the ground. I tell you this to say.....we drove by our last home a couple of weeks ago....the daylilies are all GONE!!!! The flowerbeds are bare. I just do not understand, the yard looked terrible. I sure am glad I got my starts of each one.

By the way, Jimmy is working such long hours, including weekends, I have been spending more time in Rockwood than at home, so that means no internet access. I hope to catch up with all of you real soon.

First Spicebush Swallowtail this year

I was beginning to wonder if the butterflies were going to come this year.
These photographs of a Spicebush Swallowtail were taken Tuesday morning, this was the first Swallowtail I have seen in my yard this summer. He did not hang around long.

I did go ahead and make one of the photgraphs into one of my greeting cards.

Your can view more of my greeting cards at www.leedrasgreetingcards.blogspot.com
Any photograph on my blogs or on my website can be selected for any card I have.

More daylilies in bloom

Crimson Shadows

This one is a late season daylily, and is just getting started good.

Delicate Design

This one is getting it's second breath, and has a lot of new buds set.

Pink Playmate

?????

Aisha

Zarahemia

Will Return

These photographs were not taken this week,

but I do still have daylilies blooming, and wanted to share these with you.

Daylily-Old Fashioned Yellow with maroon center

I have already shown this daylily this summer,

but it just looks so good in the yard I wanted to show it again.

This is one of my un-named dayliles,

as I had it long before I started purchasing daylilies.

I think one of the reasons I like it is because each stem has so many blooms at one time.

Old Fashioned Surprise Lilies

Old Fashioned Surprise Lilies look like large leaf daffodils in early spring, but then they don't bloom. The greenery dies down and you kind of forget about them.

Then late summer they just shoot up these stems with such pretty blooms. No greenery at all. It is easy to forget about them, so if you are lucky enough to get any of these be sure and plant them in a flowerbed, or you might mow down the stem when it starts out of the ground.
They are just a little early this year. August is when I remember them blooming before.

I haven't been home much at all this past week. I did spend the night here on Thursday after getting off work at midnight. But then I was up early Friday to go keep Noah.

Then I went onto Rockwood from there (didn't have to work Friday evening),
to spend the night in Rockwood.

When Jimmy and pulled in the driveway today it seemed like
the surprise lilies were in every flowerbed.

This last one is the fullest, because it has been in the same place longer. These lilies don't like to be moved around much, and usually don't bloom the first year even though they do send up the greenery that year. Notice the 3 stems on this last one. The spotted leaves you see are Calla Lilies in the background. (Just in case there are inquiring minds.)

I got mine from John and Lindsey's first yard. I did share them at that time and have several friends that also get to enjoy these each year.

Grace the Cat

Grace the Cat

Grace is not crazy about the way "HER" house has changed.

She looks at me as if to say "Who are you? And why are you here?"

But more importantly, she wants to know when that baby is going to go away. Grace does not like it when Noah cries. Grace runs in the other direction.

I am going to keep Noah this morning while Wendy has an appointment. Guess Grace will just have to put up with me this morning. I will be spending all my time with Noah, so I won't be paying Grace anymore attention than she will be giving me. If you have not seen Noah lately, click here to see Wendy's blog with updated photos.

I am having trouble with blogs that are set to embedded for comments. I can not longer comment on these blogs, no matter which computer I am visiting from. I have seen others comment on this same issue. For some reason when setting up a blog in blogspot it automatically sets the comments to embedded, which is the worst one, so I am not sure why it does this. The other 2 options (half page or full page) don't seem to cause any problems. I have such problems with this that I have finally decided all I can do is to stop visiting blogs that are set this way. If you are set for embedded please consider changing to one of the others.

UT Gardens

I visited the gardens at University of Tennessee the last day of June. The gardens are part of the agriculture department, but open to the public.
Their coneflowers are prettier than mine.
The above photograph I have already put in one of my greeting cards.
My coneflowers have not done very well this year.

Beautiful dark hollyhock, I just could not get at the right angle with the sun.

But I think my favorite part was the sedum garden.

The sedum garden was built on a table top.

They also had one on the park bench, but the light angle at it was terrible,
so I am not even showing it.

I am sure the gardens are pretty anytime of year.

I need to remember to go in the spring next year.

Silver Spotted Skipper

Well, the White Cabbage Butterflies were first, then the skippers started.

Have seen a few other butterflies, but not many.

There are lots of different skippers in my yard,

but all of these photographs are the Silver Spotted Skipper.

Hope it wasn't too wet for them this spring, we sure had the rain.

I will still be out there trying to capture the butterflies that do come to my yard.

They all seem to like my zinnia patch, and it is larger this year than last year.

Mary at Faith, Fabric and Photos has a post of the Silver Spotted Skipper, she talks about the White Elephant. Can't really see it in my photos here, but you need to check out her post. I will keep a look out for this marking in the future.