On Sunday evening when we were having our martinis I asked if we could go out to the front porch for a little while and everyone agreed that we could. We so rarely use that front porch and I can distinctly remember vowing and declaring when we moved in here that we would never, ever, quit sitting on that porch.
And now, well. These things happen.
But I had a yen for us to sit out there and enjoy the golden hour and we did until the mosquitoes arrived in great numbers to suck our blood and make us itch.
But while we were out there, I went to do a quick check of some of my porch plants and I found this.
A perfect little house wren nest and although you can't really see, it has four eggs in it. I had no idea if the eggs were still viable or not, or if the mama and daddy were still tending to them so yesterday I went out to check on that situation and sure enough- as soon as I leaned over to peer into the nest, a parent bird flew out of the nest at great speed.
Aha!
Yes. And maybe we shall get babies and maybe they will live. I hope so.
Today was pottery. Up early, drink coffee, read blogs, etc. I made it to class just a few minutes late and it really does not matter in the least when I show up. We are a very relaxed group. Pottery Lizzie was there, back from her sort-of-a-family reunion wherein Gentleman Caller got to meet everyone and I feel quite certain that must have been a stressful situation but I hear everyone liked him very much and that the two-year old granddaughter decided he was her favorite and today while we were in class, she actually called Lizzie and asked for him.
And what could be a more honest and heartfelt approval than that?
My leaf platter had not been fired and I had not even put my fish bowl on the shelf because it needed more drying on the mold so of course it wasn't ready to begin the glazing process.
I unwrapped the little fishy I've been meaning to get to for months now and began to glaze paint on that. I had envisioned it as part of a silly little project, sort of evoking a fifties wall decoration feeling, making more fishes and perhaps bubbles that could all be hung on a wall.
I estimated I could probably get this not-quite-but-almost-tiny fish done in an hour, tops, but after two hours and some minutes, I still wasn't done with it.
Oh my god, it's so fucking ridiculous.
Well, it is what it is.
I'm thinking I need to go back to hibiscus.
And while I'm thinking about it, I did take a picture today of the barracuda fish that I spoke of last week but I'm not going to post it because I don't have the artist's permission. It is powerful, though. And not in a friendly way at all. Her husband is going through some very serious health issues and I am wondering if the barracuda is representational of that in some way.
Or maybe not.
I took myself to lunch after class and then made a quick Publix run-through, and THEN I went to the library. When I went into the library, it looked seriously like it might rain and when I came out, no more than twenty minutes later, if that, it looked like there'd been a major rainfall. Parking lot holding puddles, steam rising from the pavement, etc.
This is Florida in the summer.
Mr. Moon's at the cabin and he sent me this picture.
Peace. He is in sore need of that.
Love from Lloyd...Ms. Moon
That front porch sitting looks peaceful too. Except the blood thirsty mosquitos.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, they are part of our lives. A very unpleasant part.
DeleteI'm glad he's able to find some peace at the cabin. It's a lot of work to close up someone's life, especially if they were a hoarder. Nothing but lots of work for those left behind.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on my pottery at home now. I went out to the studio yesterday but forgot all my tools, so I collected my clay and came home. When I'm at home I rush less and can let stuff dry some before I try and put it together when it's still too wet.
The basement smells better already thankfully.
Have a lovely day sweetie.
It is a good thing to work on pottery at home. If we're not using a wheel, we probably have everything we need right here until it's time for the kiln. And I really do love having my own glazes I can paint on the way I like to do that. I can just sit at my table and go into that zone although I do enjoy class time very much too.
DeleteI'm so glad your basement is smelling better. We've had two different houses with basements in them which almost no one does here in Florida. It is not a good idea. Ask me how I know.
a wall full of your exceptional fish with eye lashes and lipstick would be an artist's destination- a wonder! Do you remember the book "Collections"? your wall full of girly fish would be in that book and everyone would want one. Charming, they are.
ReplyDeleteI do not remember that book. Should I know it?
DeleteI have a feeling that a wall full of my fish would be incredibly tacky. People in Florida used to decorate the outsides of their little pink houses for you and me with fish and seashells and all sorts of beach-related ceramics. It was a big trend in the fifties.
I love your whimsical fish. And the view from Mr. Moon soothes the soul.
ReplyDeleteHe sounded so happy when he called me. The turtles wanted him to feed them but he had nothing to give them. Tonight he probably will.
DeleteA new family on the porch! What fun! Your hubby and friends didn’t scare them away at all. Fishy is cute and colorful. What about bathroom decorations? I remember someone did underwater theme for a bathroom once, with matching shower curtain. Love the photo of the lake!
ReplyDeleteYes. Bathroom decorations would be good. You know how I do love a decorated bathroom.
DeleteGlen actually takes very nice pictures.
Steam rising from the pavement in the summer after a storm....that's one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Virginia from upstate NY. Humidity is something I do not enjoy, but I will take it over piles and piles of snow. The fish looks great!
ReplyDeleteIt's like being in a sauna for free! As my friend Liz says, Tallahassee in the summer is like breathing through a snorkel.
DeleteI agree with you though- better this than all that snow that wants to linger so long.
Definitely a wren nest. Same thing with the one on the shelf in the garage. Everytime it had been days without seeing the little mama I would peer too close and she would shoot out. I hope yours comes to a better end than a snake's supper.
ReplyDeleteI made a little yip of surprise when Mama Bird shot past me.
DeleteI, too, hope that the babies make it to fledge time.
That fish will be cute!
ReplyDeleteDo you worry about your cat getting into that nest? Those wrens should have put the nest up high. Oh well, what do I know?!
I do indeed worry about Maurice getting into the nest but as far as I know, the front porch is not a place she hangs out a lot. As Ellen said above, there are also snakes to worry about too. And raccoons. Poor babies. Their odds are not great.
DeleteYou have a grand porch, and it makes a great place to relax with friends.
ReplyDeleteThat is, until the mosquitoes are ravenous at a certain hour. Due to lack of rain (and unusual high heat) my stream is dry, and our mosquito population is currently low. I will not complain.
Your new little fishy is adorable. I love the colors, happy smile and glam lashes.
A wren nesting in your porch plants seems high risk. Will you be able to keep #1 huntress from the nest?
The lake photo is lovely. Beautiful and restful scenery.
As much as I love getting the rain, it does indeed increase the number of mosquitoes enormously.
DeleteWe shall see how fishy turns out.
I have no idea if Maurice will eat those babies. I hope not. There are several other critters that could end their lives prematurely too.
Do people down there have mosquito buckets? Basically a tub with grass/leaves and water with a mosquito dunk (get them at the hardware store, they prevent mosquito larvae from forming their outer shell and thus all the eggs laid in a bucket fail to develop - read all about them on Google). We have noticed a significant down turn in the mosquito population vs our usual summers, we think as a result of 4 buckets at the corners of our lot.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fish looks great. Carolina wrens are one of my all time favorite birds, so spunky!
Ceci
I haven't heard of mosquito buckets. They just tell us not to have any containers with standing water in them. Depending on the size of the lot, they could be helpful. We'd need about a thousand of them though. Plus, we sort of live on the edge of a swamp.
DeleteYep, the standing water treated with the dunks make it something that keeps mosquitos down, in theory. I can see where you'd need a bunch of them!
Deletec
Glen's lake photo is serene. I think you need a banner of mosquito zappers strung along your porch. I can see the tiny wren eggs clearly and hope the babies all survive and become adults.
ReplyDeleteThat is a Fine Porch to sit out on, perhaps you'll start doing it more? And a Fine Wren's Nest and Hopefully they will Raise their little Family there. For Two Years straight we had a Mama Hummingbird come back to Raise Two Families of hers on our Back Patio. She built a Nest in the Chain arc of a Wind Chime hanging there. First Year One Offspring, 2nd Year Twins, all Survived and didn't mind me peeking at them, nor did Mama.
ReplyDelete