Flowers of the First Day of Summer #WordlessWednesday

On the first day of summer, spouse and I walked in a neighborhood park and found these flowering plants Some I knew.  Others I used the built in plant ID application within my iPhone photo app.  Sadly, some of these wildflowers are actually invasive species, non natives that grow aggressively and crowd out native plants.  

Shall we explore?

A note first: I am far from a plant expert and depend a lot on my camera plant ID, which too many times, is not that accurate.  So if you know better, please don't hesitate to correct me.

Bedstraw.  Some plants called bedstraw are considered invasive; others are native.  I don't know which this is. 

Cinquefoil.  There is a native species and a non-native species. The latter is considered invasive.  I suspect this is the latter.  There are guides that give pointers for identification but this plant was partially hidden.

Common motherwort.  Yup, invasive.

Forget-Me-Not is not invasive.  But water-forget-me-not (which this is, according to my app) is. Sadness.

I know this one!  Crownvetch is a serious invasive.  When I first started gardening in the late 1970's, I remember these plants being sold in catalogs for erosion control on banks.  This is another example of good intentions gone way wrong.  It is also poisonous to horses and humans.

Creeping jenny is also considered invasive in our area. 

Finally, a native! Northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) trees are sometimes used in landscaping where I live.  They are native trees with showy flowers. After flowers, they develop long bean-like seed pods, which are not edible.  I had never seen one in this park before.

It's obvious that I need to sharpen my skills.  What a shame that so many of the "wildflowers" I saw are not welcome plants from other parts of the world.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Tennis and Another Induction #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?  Our theme this week is "Wimbledon kicks off soon. Let a tennis star, the game, England, or traditions guide you in your music discovery picks!" 

As for my tennis memories, I have never played it.  I did play some badminton back in college but not for long-I was never athletic. Instead, I picked some songs about memories of the "old days".

First, though, it is my sad duty to blog another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven. I would like to start slightly off-theme with a tribute to Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the group Chicago, dead from complications of Alzheimers at the age of 81. 

Parazaider specialized in a number of instruments, including sax (alto, tenor and soprano), clarinet, and flute, and also sang backup vocals.  He had retired from the group in 2017.  In this first song from 1975, Old Days, Parazaider played clarinet. 

When I think of Parazaider, I think of this flute solo in the song Color My World. This is a live performance at Tanglewood from 1970.   Parazaider plays sax in the other song on this live video, Make Me Smile.

I couldn't help but post this tennis cover of Chicago's Hard To Say I'm Sorry by a group of tennis players called the Federer Backhand Boys.The singers are pro tennis players Grigor Dimitrov, Tommy Haas and Roger Federer just having a little fun.  They will never win a Grammy for this but who cares?

How about this tennis related song sung at the end of a 30 Rock episode? (30 Rock was an American sitcom satirical show on from 2006 to 2013). It's Tennis Night in America!

The theme song from the 1970's show All in the Family, sung by Carol O'Conner and Jean Stapleton.  This is the complete version, with some lyrics not politically correct today. 

A song about England?  My pick is The Kinks with The Village Green Preservation Society, from 1968. I just love the lyrics, so I chose a lyrics version.

And that's a wrap!

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

Spring into Summer Shadows Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

Here are a couple of shadows from this past week. 

At a shopping center that has had extensive changes since around 2020, one of the last shadow pictures I took this spring.

Yesterday,tree shadows in a local park. Summer began earlier that day.

Joining Lisa at This and That: A Blog, for her #ShadowshotSunday.  Why not come out of the shadows and join us?  All you need is a photo with shadows in it.  

Finally, to all fathers or people who have father roles in the United States, may you have a happy Father's Day.  I'm celebrating by linking to a 2023 post about Northern Cardinals and the roles of their males. 

I hope you have a happy Sunday, no matter where you live. 

A Sky Diary #SkywatchFriday

I kept a little sky diary of this past week.  Let's watch how the sky changes over four days where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.

Monday (June 15).  I had blogged a couple of weeks ago about the birds nest up against our eaves.  That bird is an American robin although it looks black and white.  I saw it in color, singing near the nest just before it flew off.  It probably didn't like me staring at it.

Tuesday, June 16.  You can just about see the robin sitting on the nest. Taken with an iPhone 13 mini, I don't have a telescopic lens for it. (Yes, I know they make them.  I just don't have one).  I have no idea why the bird looks black.

Earlier that day, the clouds looked like the bones of a creature.

 Later that day, the clouds turned puffy.  It was warm and humid.

Not shown, my spouse thought there was a fledgling robin sitting on the edge of the nest. 

Thursday was an interesting weather day.  It had rained some overnight, but wasn't raining by the time we started our day.

At an appointment, it was breezy and the flag was highlighted against clouds.  It started to rain a few minutes later.

When we got home, we found that we were under a tornado watch.  We ended up experiencing a thunderstorm with some brief but heavy showers, a few minutes apart. 

The rest of the afternoon, lovely skies alternated with brief rain showers.  And I saw a bird was still sitting on that nest (not shown).

Today is supposed to be a pleasant day.  What are you seeing in the sky today?

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.
 

 

Hole Wheat Bread #WordlessWednesday

My spouse and I eat whole wheat bread.  Over the past weekend, I purchased my usual store brand from a discount market.

It's good but sometimes the whole wheat bread...

...is more "hole wheat bread".

Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2026 #GardenBloggersBloomDay

(If you are looking for my Music Moves Me post, please click here).

The countdown is on.  This is the last spring Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who invites flower gardeners from all over the world to display what is blooming in their homes and/or gardens.  

Carol won't be hosting this meme after the end of this year.I've participated for years and it's been a great way to keep a garden log, at least for the 15th of the month,

Anyway, here's what is blooming in my zone 6a garden in the Southern Tier of New York. Our weather has been so up and down, and a period of hot weather and no rain stressed my plants.

 Most all of my perennials have either finished up or are waiting to bloom.  Some of my dallies have buds - too soon for flowers, alas.  I should have some in July,  So, much of what I'm showing you are either containers or hanging baskets.

A surprise for me - one of my barrenwort plants in my part/full shade back yard is still blooming.
 

Siberian columbine meadow-rue (Thalictrum aquilegiifolium) is finishing up but several blooms still look good.

Home Depot had seed geraniums at a reasonable price and I bought some.  These are salmon colored.

Same seed geraniums, but red.

I still have pansies in pots.

My million bells are looking good.

Sunpatiens,

More sunpatiens,

Finally, this is the second year I've bought starter plants from Select Seeds and, like last year, I was so pleased with my purchases!  Here are two geraniums I purchased from them.  The top plant is Appleblossom Variegata and the bottom plant is Vancouver Centennial.  Both are more grown for foliage than for flowers. The Appleblossom Variegate has white edging on the leaves.  

I am also growing a scented geranium from Select Seeds called True Rose.  It is grown for scent and not flowers, but the plant has some flower buds.

So, what is blooming for you today?

Unforgettable #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?  Our theme this week is "You Pick" and I'm going to pick several songs that I heard recently, and a couple I didn't.  No, you don't have to guess which is which.

Elton John and his 1975 hit Philadelphia Freedom, written in honor of tennis great Billie Jean King. 

Unforgettable, from Nat King and Natalie Cole, was a duet made possible by the technology of 1991.  Here, Natalie Cole sings her late father's 1961 hit as a duet with her late father, who died from cancer in 1965.  Natalie was just 15 years old.  Who can listen to this without a tissue or a tear?

Let's lighten it up with Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi, from 1986, their breakout hit.  And what a hit it was.  This is one of my favorite songs.

Shake it Off - Taylor Swift 

I'll end this with 1970's So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright, a song written by Paul Simon and sung by Simon and Garfunkel. The song was written as a tribute to Art Garfunkel, who studied architecture in his youth.  I love every song on this album (which I owned on vinyl) but this one has a special spot in my heart.

And that's a wrap!  Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me. 

And, if you like flowers, join me again later today for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. 

Flowers and Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

Today, on a day promising storms this afternoon, I decided to post a couple of shadow pictures from yesterday.

Taken at a local farm market.

My shady back yard, with shadows and golden hour lighting.  Nothing in this picture is yellow; the gold is provided by the sun's angle in what photographers call the Golden Hour.

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

 

After A Storm #SkywatchFriday

Last night and this afternoon, we had thunderstorms and brief deluges of rain where I live in the Southern Tier of New York State.

I was unable to get photos of the beautiful sunset we had last night but here are some pictures taken around 5:30 this evening once a humidity front came through.

Potholes are a hazard, but they also make for good puddle photos.

Here, a series of potholes reflect the sky and scenery (I know, hard to see).
 

The sky itself. 

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

 

Oreo Yea or Nay #WordlessWednesday

It's Wordless Wednesday on a Tuesday!

Let's dig into  Oreo cookies: specifically, limited edition flavors. I blog about them from time to time.  I know Oreos can be found outside the United States so I hope you like the basic Oreo (chocolate cookie with white filling) wherever you live.

But there are two flavors I like even better than the original.  One of them has been brought back as a permanent Oreo flavor.  Time to celebrate!

First up, Reese's Oreos.  They are the iconic Oreo chocolate cookie with a filling made with Reese's peanut butter filling and chocolate Oreo crumbs.  I know many people outside the United States aren't big fans of peanut butter as a sweet (it's used in savory dishes, which I love also) but this American loves peanut butter. And these Reese's Oreo cookies score a 10 of 10 in my scoring.

Not from the United States?  No problem!  I would love your input, too.

Anyway, for this flavor, Yea or Nay?

 The other is a limited edition flavor.  Again, I don't know how much outside the United States you can find these multi flavored ice pops , but these are vanilla cookies with a filling of lemon, raspberry, and cherry.  I haven't tried them yet.  Do they appeal to you?  Yea or nay?

Joining with Sandee's #WordlessWednesday.

Note, I may be late getting back to you but I will get back.

Music of the Parks #MusicMovesMe

 It's Sunday, and it's time for music! 

 

 I'm posting a little early this week.

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?  Our theme this week is  "June boasts the most daylight hours. Share music about long sunny days. Express yourself in song however this prompt moves you! "

How about a visit to local parks, or somewhere you can appreciate the warm weather, the clouds, and other things. I grew up in an apartment building in the Bronx (a borough of New York City) and we did not have a terrace. We didn't have a backyard.  Or a car.  But we did have our parks. 

The first song that came to mind is Grazing in the Grass from the Friends of Distinction.  Can you dig it? (oh, that outdated slang in the song, but it's still a nice, mellow song).

Here's another song you can dig, so to speak.  Saturday in the Park was a hit for the group Chicago in 1972, but I am going to use the cover from Leonid and Friends.  To me, Leonid and Friends covers sometimes outdoes the Chicago originals.

The Cowsills and their 1967 song The Rain, the Park and Other Things (which enough people think is named I Love the Flower Girl) was a part of the Summer of Love.  Here's a live performance of the remaining Cowsills from 2025 including that song and Indian Lake, another one of their hits. 

I have to include one Beatles song:  Strawberry Fields Forever, not because it's about New York City's Strawberry Fields area of Central Park, but, rather, the innocence of childhood and John Lennon escaping into the gardens of a local children's home with friends to find peace.  As you may have guessed, the Strawberry Fields of Central Park was created as a tribute to the late John Lennon, who lived close by at the time of his assassination, dedicated in 1985 to his memory.

And that's a wrap!

I may be late getting to you this week, but I will get to you.  Thank you for your patience and enjoy the music! 

Tree Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

Several years ago, trees were planted in several local parks along rivers or streams under a Trees for Tribs program.  Here's more information (from 2022) from my blog on this program.

It's been interesting seeing these trees grow.   

Taken May 31, 2026.

Of course, the trees already in the park cast some shadows, too.

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

Great Mind Skies #SkywatchFriday

I was going to post some pictures of streaky skies that I took on June 3, when my guest photographer sent me some of her own.

I'm going to use some of her pictures and save mine for another day.  So please enjoy these pictures from early June in a rural part of New York State.

Note, for this and the next Skywatch I may be a little late getting back to commenters and posters, but I will get back to you.  Thank you for your patience.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.
 

What Is This? #WordlessWednesday

Just outside Norwich, New York (where Pepto-Bismol was invented in 1901) there is a wonderful French bakery and cafe called La Maison Blanche, which I will blog about another time.

For now, I want to solve a mystery.  What is this structure that is on the grounds of the bakery?

(Bakery building is to the right side in the picture).

If I lived nearby, I would just ask the bakery people (they make amazing baked goods, by the way) but I think it's more fun to make a WordlessWednesday post about it. 
 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

Numbers #MusicMovesMe

 It's Monday, it's the first of June 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?  Our theme this week is "You Pick"

Yesterday was one of those days.  Unexpected things, and I didn't get time to myself until after 4pm.  So I'm going with a song that's been stuck in my head for a couple of days now.  I don't even know why, except for seeing Paul McCartney on a couple of TV shows recently.  He didn't even perform this song but, instead, another one from the same album.

I happen to love this song Paul did with Wings in 1973:  Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five. This is possibly my favorite McCarney/Wings song except maybe for Live and Let Die.

So I decided to go with songs that have numbers in the title. 

Dolly Parton and 9 to 5 from 1980-81.

Stevie Nicks and Edge of Seventeen, also from 1981.

I will take the last two songs from my childhood. First, Love Potion #9. from the Clovers.  Yes, I know one of the words in this song is considered offensive, but it wasn't back in 1959.

Let's wrap it up with the Vogues and their 1965 hit Five O'Clock World.

And yes, that's a wrap!

Join me again next week (it may be a Sunday post as it will be a busy week for me) for another episode of Music Moves Me.