Last Week Variety Pack #SkywatchFriday

Here are some random photos from the last week.

Variety of clouds. 

Framed puffy clouds. 

 I don't usually see a long streamer of clouds with little choppy waves. 

Peaceful park scene complete with an egret in the bottom half.  You have to have great vision to see the egret.

Building with sky reflections in the second floor windows. (Sorry about the fogginess; I was taking this picture through a dirty bus window.)

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers today for #SkywatchFriday. 

Tiny Toad #WordlessWednesday

I was in my back yard yesterday when I heard a rustle.

I saw some movement.  

 

Look above the leaf.

I believe it's a tiny toad, actually (possibly-I am not a toad expert) an American toad toadlet (Anaxyrus americanus). I would love it if any of my readers can make a positive ID.

 

Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus's #WordlessWednesday 

Musical Fruits #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music!

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers?  We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join!  We are brought to you by Cathy of Curious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.  

Why not join us? Here's our optional theme for this week:

August is the Abundant Harvest of Vegetables month. CoolKidFacts says these veggies are in abundance this time of year tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and peas. Use these for inspiration or go with vegetables in general found in artist/band name or song title/lyrics.

The only vegetable song I can think of is Green Onions from Booker T and the MG's and I suspect others may post that song.

I may have better luck with fruit.  After all, some items we call vegetables are actually fruits. So here's a selection of fruit-fresh songs.

Let's start with a song from 1968 that covers both vegetables and fruit.  Here is Marvin Gaye: I Heard it Through the Grapevine.  Grapes=fruit.  Plus, some cultures eat young grape leaves - think Greek dolmades, so I would  consider this song covering both a fruit and a vegetable.) This was a cover of a 1967 song from Gladys Knight and the Pips.

From 1962, Peter, Paul and Mary:  Lemon Tree.

Prince:  Raspberry Beret, from 1985.

The Beatles:  Strawberry Fields Forever, from 1967.

Harry Nilsson:  Coconut (yes, coconuts are fruits) plus the lyrics mention limes.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.

Mid August Garden #ShadowshotSunday

August is over half over already!   

Bee on a hardy geranium flower. 

Sunpatien in my back yard.

Finally, an update on yesterday's blog post, where I stated I haven't seen any hummingbirds all season.  I saw one yesterday. I heard its wing buzzing when I was outside reading a book, looked at my cuphea plant and a female ruby-throated hummer was feeding on it.  Hurray! I wasn't in a position to take any pictures but that's OK.

Joining Lisa at This and That: A Blog for her #ShadowshotSunday.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day August 2026

Welcome! It's hard to believe that we are already at August 15.  Wasn't it just yesterday that crocus were peeking out of the ground?

But here we are.

I don't normally post anymore on Saturdays, but today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted each 15th of the month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. This will be the last year for this meme, and I want to thank Carol for the years she spent hosting this day when gardeners from all over the world would gather to show what was blooming in their homes and/or gardens.

In my zone 6a garden in the Southern Tier of New York, we've had variable weather since the last Bloom Day.  Lots of rain (fortunately, our immediate area did not flood although other parts of New York State weren't as fortunate) interspaced with hot (for us) temperatures.

While we are at it, let's also think of those affected by massive floods, record heat, wild fires and other natural disasters in various parts of the world.   For example, I know someone whose parents live in France and they have really been suffering.

So what is blooming?

Hibiscus.

 Lavender Super Blue, a variety suitable for growing in pots, bought from Select Seeds. 

Glad and tall phlox.  The glads have survived without being dug up since at least 2020
 

Geranium Apple Blossom Variegata, a plant with variegated leaves, also from Select Seeds.

Perennial sweet pea.  

Cuphea Torpedo, from Select Seeds.  Not your typical cuphea, I don't think  I have to admit I was a little disappointed with how the flowers look in real life and I probably won't purchase it again.

Cuphea David Verity.  The hummingbirds love this but I haven't seen one hummer this summer (so far).

Fuchsia Pink Galore, also from Select Seeds.

Now to the aliums.  First, garlic chive (the pink in this photo is from a sweet pea flower). 

These next two photos are nodding onion I purchased (in either 2020 or 2021) from a native plants nursery in Ithaca, New York. I like how, at different stages of life, the flowers are pinkish or white, so I decided to post two pictures.  You can sort of see purplish pink in the flowers on the right side. 

What's not blooming is daylilies.  My last daylily (I probably have over 15 varieties) put out its final bloom of the year yesterday. It even looks sad today, knowing it missed GBBD by a day.

Why not head over, if you love flowers, to Carol's blog (link above) and see who else has flowers blooming this Bloom Day? 

Battle of Bennington Skies #SkywatchFriday

Bennington Battle Day is a state holiday in Vermont.  It commemorates an important Revolutionary War battle fought on  August 16, 1777. The actual battle was fought on a farm in Walloomsac, New York, which is about 10 miles (16 km) from Bennington.

On August 13, 2022, we went to a battle reenactment held in Hoosick Falls, New York.  There, I took a picture of an encampment under a partially cloudy sky.

Before the battle, we were able to visit the camps of those reenacting participants of both sides, British/Germans vs. Patriots (we would call them Americans today), in addition to about 100 Native Americans.

(If you are interested in the details of the battle, you can find information here.)

This year is our 250th birthday, and I could wish to be in Bennington this weekend but, alas, I won't be able to.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

Almost Mid August Wildflowers #WordlessWednesday

Come take another wildflower walk with me.  I took these pictures this past weekend. 

Globe thistle (left) and goldenrod (right).

Goldenrod and barely visible bee.

Purple loosestrife and Queen Anne's Lace.

Lessor burdock.

Japanese knotweed getting ready to flower.

Wild morningglory.

If you like more domestic flowers I invite you to stop by my blog Saturday for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.