No politics on my blog. My blog is a sanctuary for me. If I want controversy, I know where to find it.
🌸🌺🌼
Here’s a photo of one of my clematis blooming. It’s actually the only one blooming right now, and this tiny plant has never had such a large bloom. I think it might be its only bloom. I like to get artsy with the photos, so there are two close-ups.
©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved
I wrote about William last fall. He has been doing his thing all winter, and he withstood a tornado. Although he did shed a few limbs, he seems unscathed overall.
This week William has decided to participate in the pollination of the entire neighborhood. The winds are a bit gusty, so William is trying to populate everything, basically. My next-door neighbor asked me today what kind of tree he is. I could tell she was annoyed by all of his spring activities – i.e. dropping seed pods. I told her he is a Willow Oak and many years ago, my mother thought her beloved Birch trees were dropping these pods, so she had them all cut down. It turns out, William was dropping the pods. My mother was upset about that for many years. She didn’t like William. William is a big boy, it would take a crane and many thousands of dollars to remove him. So William stays, and the bigger he gets, the more seeds drop. Everywhere. You can’t go outside without getting rained on by seed pods these days. They clog rain gutters, they form piles of tumbleweed looking things, and they get under your wiper blades. I think birds use them for their nests, though. But they can’t take a bath in the birdbath because it’s filled with William’s pods.
I was out front fussing with the clematis this morning when two (other) neighbors walked past and talked amongst themselves about these pods being everywhere. I didn’t say a word, except a good morning when the greeting was offered to me. I kept my eyes down and focused on my task. When I was done, I walked in my house and shook my hair. Twelve seed pods fell out. Thanks, William.
Oh – one more thing: for the past several years, there has been a toad living in my backyard. When I had all the English ivy eradicated last fall, I was worried that the toad might have been adversely affected. I am happy to report that Toady McToaderson is back and apparently in fine health. Today is the first day I have heard him singing his dulcet sounds to the lady toads. Welcome back, Toady.
©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved
I got Chris, my first cactus, shortly after starting my job at my former employer – around 2011. My Facebook Memories yesterday showed me Chris from a 2015 photo that I snapped in my office at the time. He was still a wee one, and I put a little note on him, because the housekeeping staff would come in overnight, water all the plants in an effort to help, but eventually they would drown them and the plants would die. Everyone knew if you had a plant you’d better stick a post it on it and write, “Please don’t water, thank you!”
Eventually – and most likely unbelievably by looking at the photo above – Chris outgrew his spot on the top of the bookshelf. I had to carefully carry him out to my car at the end of the workday, being careful not to tear any limbs off in the process. I put him on the floor of the passenger side of my car, where he proceeded to tip over three or four times on the thirty mile journey home.
Chris had a spot on my bookshelf at home for a while, then he outgrew that space as well as a few pots. I’ve read that cacti don’t like to be repotted. They like to be root bound, which I am all for, because trying to repot a cactus is not an easy task.
After Facebook showed me my memory yesterday, I decided to snap a photo of Chris present day. He ended up on a perch all by himself right next to a southwest facing window. You’ll understand why he’s by himself when I show you what he looks like now.
Chris has thrived at home, and he has cousins in another room who are not quite as large as he. They all usually start blooming in October, so I’ve taken to calling them Halloween cacti. Sometimes they bloom around Thanksgiving, so they become Thanksgiving cacti. They don’t really have a timeframe. They do what they want. That’s cool with me. I’m simply glad Chris likes his pot, because I am never going to be able to repot this lanky gentleman.
I had an appointment today at a rather boring location that housed a few special residents. I didn’t realize until I had to fill out paperwork that there was a large aquarium housing jovial fish. I make a beeline for every animal everywhere, so I went to sit alongside these very curious fish. Of course I had to take out my phone to snap photos. They reminded me of aquatic puppies because they were so friendly and curious. I like to think they were curious about me, but they were probably curious about whether or not I had any food for them.
Anyway, the friendliest fish was Lawrence (yes, I named him that today):
He hit all the angles.
Then his buddy Earl swam up to see what was going on.
They’re so stinking cute! It’s going to rain for the next couple of days so I think these blossoms are going to be gone soon. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to capture a few more images of my favorite bumbles. One of them buzzed into my head today by accident. Both parties were uninjured.🩷
Once the cherry blossoms reach peak pollen stage, the humans suffer greatly with allergies, but the bumblebees party hardy. (I saw a few honeybees getting down, as well.)
As is my normal routine this time of year, I chased bumblebees around the tree. I’m sure my neighbors think I’m daft, but I don’t particularly care. I love to be amongst the pink canopy watching the creatures pollinate. Sometimes I even see butterflies, but not so much lately, and that gives me a lump in the pit of my stomach.
Back to the bumblebees. They are docile, and they seem quite clumsy, but they have a mission. That mission does not include me with my phone’s camera all up in their grills trying to achieve the perfect capture. They buzz and tolerate me, but they despise close-ups. Trying to get a close-up of a bumblebee is like trying to catch a toddler who just found out about running: good luck.
These are a few of the photos I captured on my chase.
©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved
Dandelions feed the first bees and also the bunnies. I know people consider them weeds, but they’re not. They are food for creatures that are hungry after winter. They are bright, joyful indicators of spring, and I’ve heard you can make delicious wine from the flowers. The greens are very healthy to eat, as they cleanse the liver.
When the dandelion petals turn to fuzz and their seeds can be dispersed easily, this is where most people have a problem with them in their yard, but I’ve always liked to make a wish and blow the seeds wherever they may go. I’m hoping one day my wishes come true.
I’m not the only one.
This is a photograph only post. The cherry blossoms are doing the thing. I’m so happy the tree lived.
As the sun continues to move to a stronger angle as spring approaches summer, I like to play with the light as it’s setting. I took a few photos with my phone the other day.
I saw this solar chandelier a few years ago in an outdoor accessories magazine. But I wanted to hang it inside, I didn’t want to leave it outside where it would get ruined by the rain. My mother always wanted a certain chandelier from IKEA that was very sparkly. We shared a love of sparkle. She also wanted a pink chair in her bedroom.
One of the first items I purchased after clearing out her room and making it into a sitting room, was a champagne pink, velvet chaise. A little later came the solar powered chandelier. I can turn the switch to activate the light, but to be honest, the natural sunlight hitting it late in the afternoon is more beautiful than any artificial lighting.
Today is international mermaid day. To celebrate, here is my offering. Mermaid hair, don’t care. I also have mermaid leggings, but I think that’s paradoxical to what mermaids are all about. You know, the fishtail and everything. Also, if there are any Mermen out there, I’m not sure when your holiday is, but you’re welcome to celebrate today. 🧜🏻♀️🧜🏻♂️
“It's Amy,” I said. 