FIVE SECOND STORIES

6/21-first full day of Summer and it's steamy with temps approaching lo-90's. Warmer tomorrow. 

Mr. Redbird joined M/M Finch at the feeder:

LG keeping an eye on the Avians. An empty peanut butter jar lies in the back, clean as a whistle. He also helped out the recycling by peeling the label. Good lad.
 

The big day lilies out front:

A LongTail splooting on cool cement behind the garage:

One of the coneflowers by the pool was straining against its cloche corset so I removed it and wondered if it would be attacked. The next day, I had my answer:

I reinstalled the cloche.

Surprise! A couple of the new Rose of Sharon are early bloomers!

 

Meet our new residents in the East Garden:

Cyril:

and his younger brother Michal:

They have taken up residence in the morning glories. While there are no garden gnomes in Slovakian folklore, they do have a gnome-like creature called the Permoníci who inhabit and guard mines. I'm invoking this mojo to help out against the hungry critters.

 

Both brothers face East, Cyril with his coffee in a rocking chair-he's retired; Michal carrying a snail and leaf-he's the gardener. Welcome and best of luck!

 

About the names-they are my Eastern European grandfathers-Cyril from Slovakia and Michal from Croatia. 

  

I was weeding in the East Garden and came across wild strawberries: 

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A painting by Kit Williams-1974-Advancing Ripe Harvest: 

 

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6/21-23 Pool days! As usual, the water was chilly but one gets used to it especially while in the sun. The Watergirl, returning to her element, announced how invigorated she felt with the pool dip followed by a nice shower. With the wind, it was comfortable on the deck. Bud was sprawled out-tough having furry PJs in such weather.

He likes going under C's chair-close and shady: 

We had salads for supper and I made non-alcoholic sangria using a n/a version of Triple Sec. Like so many recipe conversions, this mix was so-so compared to the original-the Triple Sec had a funky undertone. However, like sangria, the drink was fruity and refreshing on a hot evening.

 

Our robin Caruso in the early evening flies to various performance houses in the neighborhood to sing. He has started something new when we are having supper: a quieter, lower key, tableside serenade. What a new special feature for our guests at the Diner!

 

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Motz Lake-2023

 

 

Her hair was turning tawny from the sun
like the cat's belly
She insists it is only grey, smiling.
 
I gave her a young peony blossom in a small vase
with a kiss
while our robin soloed in the background.
 
The peony on her desk opened, revealing its inner self
a brilliant yellow center 
matching her own radiance. 

Mid Summer, the Watergirl swam in cool water 
on a hot, windy afternoon
all the leaves fluttering against a blue sky.

I had found wild strawberries in the grass and watched her
pluck them out of bowl
Her hair wet, the caftaned Watergirl savored the tart sunshine within. 

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Meanwhile, somewhere in America...THEY'VE ARRIVED!!

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In October of 2017, the first confirmed interstellar object was detected passing through the Solar System by an observatory in Hawaii.  It was dubbed Oumuamua, meaning in Hawaiian a messenger from afar arriving first. Its elongated shape and lack of tail ruled out that it was some sort of comet. Things really got exciting for scientists as it accelerated after passing the sun causing all sorts of wild speculation, especially amongst UFO fans, who thought this action meant it was an alien spacecraft. Years later, a reasonable explanation was revealed.

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The Vulcan hand salute, was inspired by a Jewish priestly blessing that Leonard Nimoy witnessed as a kid. 

In Jewish tradition, the Kohanim (priests) perform a blessing over the congregation, extending their hands with fingers spread in a similar manner to the Vulcan salute. The hand position, with the thumb and fingers creating a V-shape, resembles the Hebrew letter Shin (ש) which symbolizes one the names of God-Shaddai-which often translated as Almighty or The Almighty.

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Civilizations wax and wane-I doubt ours will be any different. A familiar pattern is found in the example of Carthage:

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Have you been wondering what critter is hollering in the late afternoon/evening?

https://www.froggyvoice.com/froggyBetaTest/indexReal.html?fbclid=IwAR2TNA8SAjVQ5CTL_3Yx1BYqxkvQHqqRLZEgjIQYHn3UzYs-iGpSlDj5cCc 

We've been wondering about a very loud, high pitched call...and it's our buddy the Copes Grey frog who is about the size of a half-dollar. A big voice for such a little guy!

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FUBARland: Roach, feeling bummed about his lackluster birthday parade while millions protested his mere existence, humiliated at G7 conference and openly mocked by leaders across the planet, decides to put on a show of strength with BOMBS on Iranian nuclear development facilities.

SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA!

with the best of intentions.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

The Iranians, their cities under attack by the Israelis and having few pieces of leverage, retaliate by giving the world's monied elite a kick to the kiwis. They reportedly have decided to close down the Strait of Hormuz-which, is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and 20% of the world's oil transits the waterway.

HELLO $5/gallon gas!

Brilliant!