wordsfromanneli

Thoughts, ideas, photos, and stories.


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Dragonflies

Before today, I had never heard of an eight-spotted skimmer. I found pictures of a twelve-spotted skimmer, but they have an extra black spot on the end of each wingtip.

I used to be terrified of dragonflies, and nearly went off the road when one flew into the open window of my car and beat itself up on the back window as it tried to get out.

But since Belinda Grover started showing her close-up photos of insects of all sorts in her blog posts, I have learned to appreciate their beauty. Just click on her name to link to her blogsite.

 

The photo below was taken by a local friend, and because of Belinda’s photos of many other insects, I took a closer look at my friend’s photo and did a search to find out its name.

These dragonflies only live to be one to three years old, and most of that is in their larval stage (before they get wings which help with the mating stage), but during that winged time they eat all kinds of obnoxious smaller insects that we consider pests or that do harm to our crops. So welcome dragonflies. Eat all the little biting flies you can find. It’s too bad that this part of their life only last for about two to four weeks.

One of my favourite haiku poems (not mine) is about a dragonfly.

The dragonfly

his face is very nearly

only eye.


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Bob the Cat

I’m pretty sure this is a bobcat (not a lynx – which looks very similar). If you see one of these fellows in your neighbourhood, make sure you keep your little dog or cat in the house while the big guy is prowling around.

This guy was NOT in my yard, and I’m thankful for that.

If you have Bob visiting your neighbourhood, be sure not to leave pet food outside, or have a lot of birdseed lying around your bird feeding station. You may find them interested in your fruit trees when the fruit is ripe.  A healthy bobcat probably won’t attack you. It is more interested in your favourite  squirrels that live in your woodshed.

If you’re out for a walk in the woods and you see a bobcat, it’s probably a good idea to pick up any small children you may have with you. We can never know how desperate a bobcat may be.

Robert and Roberta Cat

Say they’re bobcats and that’s that.

Bob and Bobbi hunt for squirrels,

Even one that jumps and twirls.

 

Chase them up and down the tree,

Sneaking up when they don’t see.

Evening time they have a rest,

That’s the time they like the best.

 

Snug inside their little den,

Under tree roots now and then,

Sometimes underneath a cliff,

Perched beneath a ledge to sniff.

 

They keep watch for their next meal,

Mouse or mole it’s no big deal.

And on sunny days they rest,

While they let their lunch digest. 


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A Love of Reading

When I started grade one in Canada, I couldn’t speak English, and it took a while, even after I learned the basic language, to become familiar with vocabulary beyond the day to day necessities. Reading was a chore because of this, all through elementary school, I struggled to find books that were what we now call “high-interest, low-vocabulary.”

My older sister helped solve my reading problems.  She was much older than me, and had a very young family. I was a responsible girl and felt privileged to babysit for her when she and her husband went shopping for groceries on a Friday afternoon, fed me supper, and then went out to a movie.  My sister didn’t pay me with money, but she paid me with a far greater treasure; she brought me a book every Friday when she came home from shopping.

I still remember that Ginny Gordon and the Lending Library was the first of many books to follow.

Below is a photo of the few books that I have left from my babysitting days. I think I might have been about eight, nine, or ten years old then, although it would be illegal now to babysit at that age, it was just family and I was very responsible. Also, it was the 1950s and a very small town. Not much danger.

 

These books were my start in learning to enjoy reading, and I’m happy to say that they were the beginning of a lifetime of wonderful reading experiences.

I see that you can still find Ginny Gordon and the Lending Library on Amazon for about $29.99.

In the mid-fifties, my sister paid about 69 cents for each of these books, but that might have been an hour’s wages then (I’m guessing).

My sister died about 12 years ago, but I will never forget what a wonderful person she was, and what a beautiful gift she gave me –  a love of reading.


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Squish, Squash

Why would a vegetable that has such a hard skin be called a squash?

These are only a few of the squashes ripening in my garden. I have no idea what they are called, but I know they all taste good.

About four years ago, a friend gave me an assortment of squashes just like these because he had so many in his garden and gladly shared them. I happily made meals with them and enjoyed them so much, I decided to save some of the seeds to plant in my own garden the next year.

I got a few of them planted and was happy to see them sprout at last, but in the time it took for them to sprout, many squash plants sprang up in my freshly rototilled garden patch. How did that happen? I had spread the contents of my compost barrel over the ground before rototilling, and in the compost were many seeds from the squash I had cleaned and eaten that previous winter.

For the third year in a row now, I have had volunteer squash plants growing in my garden. I didn’t have the heart to pull them out, except to thin them a bit.

Now there are so many squashes of all the types my friend gave me, that the plants are “squashing” each other.

… Guess what I’ll be eating all winter …

Nothing squishy, nothing squashy,

Simply bring them in to  washy,

Cut in half and scoop the seeds,

Feed the compost what it needs.

 

Place them on a baking sheet,

Spread with butter smooth and neat,

Salt and pepper if you like,

Gives the taste a little spike.

 

Easy peasy supper treat,

Hot and filling, can’t be beat,

If you want a next year’s crop,

Fill your compost to the top.

 

When the springtime songbirds sound,

Toss that compost on the ground,

Mix it in and water well,

And the squash will grow like heck.


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Discretion and Valor

If you love fishing and camping in solitary places, you might want to scout out your surroundings, before you go too far afield.

This mama grizzly and her two cubs (probably last year’s) like fishing and hanging out in solitary places too.

The fact that she still has both cubs could possibly mean that the fishing has been good and that mother and cubs are healthy and doing fine. However, people and grizzlies in close proximity to each other are usually not a good combination. I hope, for the grizzlies’ sake, that there is no interaction that will cause them to be trapped and “dispatched.”

These bears are on Vancouver Island where grizzlies are making an appearance in the last few years. They swim over from the mainland, island hopping to shorten the distance they need to swim. It’s possible that in this case the mother is trying to keep her cubs safe from male grizzlies who would be a threat to them. In some species, the male would kill the young to gain access to the mother and “have some fun with her.” The big cats are another example of this.

This photo was taken by a friend of the Captain near a favourite fishing spot. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor, hence the blurry quality of the photo. If the photographer had gone closer, the picture might have been clearer, but he might not have been around long enough to send it.

I think the friend probably decided to take a raincheck on fishing that day.


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The Apple Thief

The MacIntosh is “Oh my gosh,”

The loveliest of fruit,

If Adam ponders at its wonders,

Who can blame the brute?

I don’t see trouble in the rubble,

Just a pail of yum,

The sneaky nibbles taste like kibbles, 

Hope no one will come.

You shouldn’t cheat, you shouldn’t eat,

Those apples that are picked.

But never fear, I’ll stay right here,

And then I won’t get nicked.

I just don’t care, I’m on a dare,

These apples are so good,

And anyhow, it’s too late now,

To stop me if you could.

So juicy sweet is apple meat,

It runs right down my throat,

Why don’t you grab a little dab?

And don’t just stand remote.

Come on and join, and let’s purloin,

Another tasty treat,

We’ll get right down onto the ground,

The flavour can’t be beat.

I’m in the mood to not be rude, 

And spoil the missus’ work,

You go ahead, but filled with dread,

You’ll see you’ve been a twerk.

You make me feel like such a heel,

I thought you’d have some too.

I feel so bad, now don’t be mad,

My actions I do rue.

I hope you’ve learned, a page you’ve turned,

Those Macs were not for you,

Your ear is floppy, tongue is soppy,

Learn from what you do.


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Lightning, Thunder, and Rain … at Last!

I know it’s been dry and you want it to rain,

But I saw a flash in the sky,

You tell me it’s safe and it won’t cause me pain,

But take me inside where it’s dry.

I heard a loud boom and a rumbling growl,

It sounds pretty scary to me,

I’m trying my best not to let loose and howl,

To be what you want me to be.

 


What flashes of light and that fierce rumbling boom,

My courage is fading so fast,

Let’s sit on the couch, just move over, make room,

We’ll snuggle until it is past.


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This Place is for the Birds

This spotted towhee has been living here for quite a while.

His wife is somewhere nearby but she’s more camera shy.

She looks much like her flashy husband, but her colours are slightly muted.

They have been nesting on the ground inside my fenced garden, usually under the thick rosemary bush. But this year I cut the rosemary back quite a bit, not thinking I was making the usual nesting area less inviting.

So the towhees chose the messiest corner of the garden where I had not weeded, and put a nest in the mess. I let the poppies grow up in the raised bed, thinking it would hide the weeds until I could get to them. Little did I know I was also helping hide a towhee nest.

I sneaked in there with my camera and got a picture of one towhee baby still in the nest. Mother had flown out when I came close but she went right back after I left. Now I’m hoping the baby will make it through the next critical days and weeks.

There’s no question of catching up with my weeding in this part of the jungle now.

 

Please click on the links below if you would like to take advantage of smashwords’ e-book sale. My e-books are 50% off during July.

The Wind Weeps  

Reckoning Tide

Marlie

Julia’s Violinist

Orion’s Gift


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Watering

 

 

I’d found a perfect hiding place,

With flowers all of gold,

It sheltered, and provided snacks,

And kept me from the cold.

 

I slept there cozy, safe, and warm,

For breakfast there were bugs,

It once was so idyllic ’til

The dreaded water jugs.

 

The lady said, “A drink for you!”

And poured a deluge down,

The gush of water covered me,

I dashed out with a frown.

 

“Chipchip! Chipchip!” I scolded her,

At least she looked contrite,

And yet I felt I had to shout

And stand up for my right.

She’s done this to me two times now,

Perhaps she didn’t know,

But now that I’m the cleanest bird,

It’s probably time to go.


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E- book Sale for Bargain Prices

Hello, Readers!
Want a great discount for your e-reading pleasure?
I’m excited to announce that my books will be available as part of a promotion on Smashwords for the month of July as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! This is a chance to get my books, along with books from many other great authors, at a discount so you can get right to reading.
You will find the promo here starting on July 1, so save the link:
https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/
Please share this promo with friends and family.
The promo goes from July 1- July 31 .
Thank you for your help and support!
Happy reading!
*****
You will see the titles and cover images of my books at the sidebars of this post.
Three of the books  are romantic/suspense adventures on the Pacific Northwest Coast:
The Wind Weeps
Reckoning Tide (sequel to The Wind Weeps)
Marlie
*****
A romantic/suspense Baja adventure that will keep you turning pages.
Orion’s Gift
*****
A love triangle set in Europe and Canada, during the times of WWII and beyond. You will love Julia.
Julia’s Violinist
*****
Please visit the link provided above and take advantage of great bargain prices and some enjoyable reading.