Tuesday, July 5, 2022

What It Looks Like Here Today


That is quite possibly the smallest and most definitely the dirtiest anole I've ever seen. It had been in the pot of the Monstera I was watering this morning and it ran up onto the leaf. Was he buried in there? Was he born in there? I have no idea but I was grateful that he let me take his picture. 
Or hers. Why do I tend to think that any child that dirty has to be a boy when I know quite well that girls can get just as filthy as boys can, playing outside?

Now this crittter- well, he/she would not stay still in the slightest. 


I am not sure I've ever seen one of these, at least not close up. It is a Clear-Wing Hummingbird Moth. Like the bird for which it is named, it moves constantly from flower to flower, gathering nectar. Isn't that crimson backend just gorgeous? 
While I was following it around, trying to get another picture, I saw it almost land directly on THIS poor little thing. 


A miniature white spider. I think it's a spider. I suppose it could be a spider mite. Anyone know? 

The insects do love the phlox and so do the chickens. 


I found them meandering through the office yard today. I think if I were a chicken I would want to hang out in a phlox jungle. 

So I guess I've let nature soothe my soul today. Yesterday was hard. Watching the nation celebrate "Independence" Day while many of us are losing our liberties faster than we can imagine and THEN seeing yet another shooting, this time at a 4th of July parade which, if that ain't America, what is? just about did me in. 

We did go over to Lily's house for a cookout and May and Michael were there and that was sweet and the food was delicious but it was hard to be in any sort of celebratory mood. 


Lauren, bless her, did the grilling. She did burgers and brats and zucchini and red peppers in the stifling heat. She is SUCH a good woman. Lily had made macaroni and cheese and baked beans and there was slaw and potato salad and all the stuff you'd want to eat for the 4th. I brought a salad of green beans and tomatoes with the lemon vinaigrette that we do love so much. Well, "we" as in Mr. Moon and I. May liked it too. Lily also made banana pudding. It was another family feast. 
We all enjoyed hanging out with Chloe and Pepper. 


That's Chloe. It is very hard to tell the two lady-dogs apart although Chloe has a little white on her muzzle and is a little stockier while Pepper is a tiny bit taller. Plus, their collars have their names on them. As Lauren said, they won the lottery when they got Chloe from the shelter. She has turned out to be a most pleasant family member, laid-back and well-behaved and she has been a good influence on Pepper who adores her. They play together and whereas Pepper used to be inclined to run off, she now stays close to home where Chloe seems to be quite content to stay. She is not overly affectionate, but dignified in her attentions. 

And here's a picture I got of Owen who has no idea how beautiful he is becoming. 


Magnolia kept bringing presents to May and me. We received hairbows, puzzles, and beads. She told her Boppy, "I am giving gifts to the girls." She is such a loving girl. And Gibson- well, he is the sweetest boy in the world and he is here spending the night tonight! He helped me shell some peas and I am going to cook them for his supper along with the meatloaf and boiled potatoes he asked for. 
Meatloaf! I swear. Well, why not? 

So we did have a good 4th, in essence of doing pleasant things with family and I suppose that's all we can ask for. 

Mr. Moon worked all day on the deck and is almost finished. He wants to get it done so badly. It is a work of art and a terrific example of how he follows his father's advice that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. 
I, of course, secretly disagree, knowing that in life some things are yes, worth doing, but that we shouldn't kill ourselves doing them, especially if they are not terribly important. Then again, building a deck is not the same as sweeping a floor. 

I have started making lists for our trip. Mostly what I've written down are things that I'll need in the kitchen which is so typical of me. This trip I want to take a cooler and enough food for an evening meal and a breakfast so that we do not have to make a grocery trip as soon as we've checked in. So I've got things listed like knives, eggs, bread, butter, field peas, coffee, and so forth. 
Martini shaker. Yes, that's on the list. Don't worry. 
One of the things I hope to take with me is a pint of fig preserves. Every day I pick more and perhaps on Friday I can alchemize them into the deliciousness which will taste so good on biscuits, toast, or crackers with cream cheese. 

I have decided what I am going to read aloud to Mr. Moon as we drive. 



Yes, of course I have read it and Mr. Moon may have seen the movie but it's such a good book and there are lots of voices and we will be driving through country which will look a great deal like Fannie Flagg's landscape. 

Last night in my despair I went and got my old, torn-up copy of Larry McMurtry's "Moving On" off the shelf and that is what I read before I went to sleep. I think I have probably read that book at least eight times but it is one of the books that I go to when my mind is incapable of taking in and digesting anything new. I know these characters better than I know myself and immersing myself in McMurtry's prose which is so immediate and evocative is a comfort. It was written when things were very different, especially concerning men and women and I may not be able to enjoy it at this time in my life but maybe I will. I don't know. All I know is that when things get tough, I go to one of McMurtry's books and find solace in his characters and their lives. The first time I read this book was when I was still married to my first husband and was the very young mother of only two children. Every time I read it, I am a different person and see it through different eyes. 

Time to go put that meatloaf in the oven. 

Love...Ms. Moon

24 comments:

  1. That wee little spider is a crab spider, who lurks, usually very well camouflaged, on flowers. It waits for tiny pollinators to happen by, then pounces. That glorious hummingbird moth would have flattened it.

    You made the best of a painful day. Thank goodness for families such as yours. Enjoy the meatloaf, and enjoy Gibson!

    Chris from Boise

    PS - That anole!! :-)

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    1. I think you are right as to the name of the tiny spider. It was about as big as a mosquito! Or as small.
      We did enjoy Gibson and the meatloaf was very fine.

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  2. I do love stories of insects. We have hummingbird clear wings, often around the butterfly bush. No anoles though, only inoetshops

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    1. I have seen the hummingbird moths from a distance of a few yards but never that close. I was astounded!

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  3. Pet shops. It published while I was trying to correct! Your family is so lovely. Good people.

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    1. My family are indeed good people! I am so proud of them all.

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  4. https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/leonard-pitts-jr/article262972453.html

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    1. Leonard ALWAYS gets it right. I love him. Thanks for the link.

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  5. It sounds a decent day, all the troubles notwithstanding. Owen is such a lovely young man.

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    1. And he is so very, very thoughtful and kind.

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  6. misumenops my google search tells me about the attractive little spider.

    (?)
    Lily's kids, what a good mom. What a lovely bunch of coconuts. Just dropped some dolly clothes in the post, they are not as well made as the others, and not as charming but an option for a fashion show, maybe.
    That is the cutest anole ever, , her demure smile!! So sweet.
    The chickens live such a good life there, - beautiful place/people/ poultry, anole, spider and that crazy flying bug- holy bat bug!

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    1. That anole was not an inch and a half long. It was truly tiny which made it even cuter. TAKE A BATH! I wanted to say.
      Thanks in advance for the dolly clothes. I am sure that Magnolia will be delighted!
      Our chickens do have a most pleasurable life, I think. They make the most of it too. You know how much I love watching them peck about the whole yard.

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  7. I did not know Fried green tomatoes was also a book. I'll have to see if I can find a copy. I haven't made meatloaf in years, it's the sort of thing one makes when there is family around to devour it. Owen is becoming beautiful and will be a handsome man, with a character to match.

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    1. Oh yes! A wonderful book! Fannie Flagg is a fine author with an authentic southern voice. She's written quite a few books.
      Meatloaf can be a lot, can't it? We put a dent in ours last night.
      Thank you for those sweet words about my Owen.

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  8. Your 4th of July celebration looks just wonderful to me, despite the horrors of yet another shooting! You have your safe little bubble of the important people in your life and that's the most important thing!

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    1. It was a nice one. I'm not sure any of us were in very celebratory moods but it was good to be with each other.

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  9. I am glad you had such a nice celebration with your family. So much love! "What the world needs now...!"

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  10. Yes, Owen is gorgeous. He'll make both women and men swoon. We did nothing on Monday, did not put out the flag. The twins were in town and came to visit and then we watched a movie, total fantasy.

    This is America today, where a mass murderer hits a parade and a shooter busts up a fireworks display. Can't get more American than that because it's apparently our national pastime. Forget baseball. Nobody dies.

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    1. I think you are right, Ellen, about the future swooning.
      You are also right about America. We are so very fucked.

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  11. It's so interesting to see how our response to books changes depending on where we are in our lives. I still love books that I loved as a young person, though -- maybe I see new things in them but the connection is still there.

    LOVE the hummingbird moth! I've only seen one of those in Florida, at my mom's in Jacksonville. Glad you got some family time on the 4th and FGT seems like a great book to read to Mr. Moon on your drive. I love that you read to him. Dave would never stand for that coming from me. LOL

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    1. Yes. The person who reads a book at twenty is not the same person who reads it at sixty. I've especially heard people say this about Moby Dick which I really should give another try.
      Isn't that a cool moth? One of those critters you can live half a lifetime around and never really see.
      I think Glen likes me reading to him. It keeps him from falling asleep!

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  12. A lovely family day, as things should be. Your family is certainly adding more love to the world and that's a very good thing.

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