Sunday, September 26, 2021

The Afterglow of Memories

 Aster 'Paten'
First of the asters to bloom




Maybe Phylloporus rhodoxanthus, commonly known as the gilled bolete








Swallowed Up!





Winterthur viburnum


Dustin




 
In the desert of Nevada, there was a time in my childhood, when the month of August was always the rain month.  It rained every week, and the wide streets of that small town we called home turned into rivers on each side during the heavy storms.  If there was no lightning, we were allowed to play in the rain and street-rivers in our swim suits.  In the winter months we always had snow that came up to the knees of a little child.  In dry weather hellacious wind storms were common.
 
During one of these wind storms the sand was blowing so furiously, Mom pulled all the shades down and the draperies shut to block out the dust that was filling the rooms and causing us to cough.  The electricity was out, so being the self-contradicting demurely pushy child I was, I put on a sock puppet show with a magical made up story off of the top of my head, so to speak.  The puppets were Cecile, a dragon I made, with button eyes, thick black washer nostrils, red felt inside mouth with a forked tongue, and a felt zigzag fin down his back.  The other would go down in childhood history as the one eventually forgotten…poor creature.  My sister loves this memory.

I’m sure we ended the day playing canasta in candlelight, as it was the one card game mom loved and taught us all to play as her rivals and partners.  Another time, I took a play from a magazine, and talked my siblings into memorizing their lines and making their own costumes.  We preformed it in front of mom and dad, and maybe others; I don’t remember.  I even was their school teacher during one summer, having them sit at makeshift desks and doling out mathematical and spelling problems to solve.  My sister says she loved it, as I made it all so much fun, but I’ll never know if the others agreed.

Sometimes these memories give me a strange feeling of wanting to be there once more, to take in the sights and sounds as I remember a time when life was hope and innocence.  When exploring the world was my backyard or taking the path that one street over led through the grade school playground, past the small house division of Lake View (although the view of the lake was a myth only a telescope could disprove), and up that sandy desert road that soon meandered through the town's smoky and smelly mounds of burning garbage dumped and onward towards the foothills of that almighty looming Mount Grant. 

(sigh...)





American Dogwood Tree next to trunk of White Ash Tree


American beautyberry and Jeana phlox


Florida predatory stink bug nymph, a species of carnivorous shield bugs.
Here it is eating a plant eating shield bug.
It is considered a beneficial insect.


Black walnut husks left by squirrel


Grey squirrel eating seeds hanging on American hornbeam








Euonymus americanus






Going to seed






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21 comments:

  1. Every picture is beautiful Yvonne. Wonderful post

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  2. Hello,
    Wonderful series of garden images, the flowers and berries are beautiful.
    You have some wonderful memories of your childhood. Have a happy Sunday and a great new week!

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  3. Happy memories of childhood are precious. Perhaps there is a tendency to dwell on them more as we get older, as though they are becoming more distant and we want to ensure they are not forgotten. I always enjoy having you walk us through the natural history of your area, with your cogent identification.

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  4. ...fabulous images, if going to seed could be so beautiful.

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  5. Lovely photos, especially that last one of the flower with the curly petals!

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  6. Playing canasta by candlelight. I can't remember how to play anymore but I remember many a game up here at the lake during the summers when I was a kid. Loving your lovely garden and sweet dog. Have a wonderful week.

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  7. I enjoy this time of year. The mushrooms in our forest are amazing!

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  8. Thank you for sharing these lovely photographs, the Autumn/Fall is one of my favourite seasons.

    All the best Jan

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  9. Your photos are beautiful, of course, as is the memory of your puppet show. I often wish I could return to the home of my childhood.

    Love,
    Janie

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  10. All your pics look so pretty. Have a nice time in autumn and enjoy all the upcoming colors.

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  11. Dearest Yvonne,
    the asters are blooming here by now, too - I love their flower stars! You took spectacular photos - the bug with its prey, a swallowed bee (really? Is that a carnivorous plant? Or did the bee just crawl in looking for nectar and then fly on cheerfully? I hope so!) All the mushrooms in your garden, the feasting squirrel, the beautiful bright colors of Euonymus! And Dustin with the aristocratic nose and the melancholy look! <3 <3 <3
    Oh, oh - and I really love your childhood memory - it's special ... so different from any childhood memory I've ever read. And you were so creative back then. I can still see this adventurous, exciting girl in your face today and still read her in your stories and poems! I would have loved to have you as a childhood friend and make costumes with you or solve spelling problems or play in the rain ... I think it is good to go back to this time spiritually in later years of life. We can't really go back there, but in our imagination we can and should do it again and again!
    Hugs & all the best from Austria,
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/09/rostrosige-september-tage.html

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    Replies
    1. It was too funny to pass up. I'm just not the type to put bug eating plants in my garden, although I seem to be fine with bug eating bugs flying about :) It's a Turtlehead plant that bees love entering and exiting. It was the only bee photo that looked nice, even though it appears the flower is sucking the bee in.

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    2. I am happy for the bee! :-)
      <3

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  12. And only the bumblebee legs look out, is that a beautiful, even funny picture? I love your autumn photo and I like Dustin!

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    1. The only in focus photo of the little bumblebee, so I added a funny caption :)

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  13. What fantastic images! You have found some really great things to photograph, especially the strawberry plant and, of course, the pup :) They are all really interesting to see.

    Thanks for sharing your link at My Corner of the World this week!

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  14. Hello, Yvonne
    Your post is full of beautiful images. I love your adorable Dustin. Cute capture of the squirrel, he is hanging in there. I enjoyed your memory of the puppet show, sounds like a fun time. Thank you for the link and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day and a happy new week! PS, Thanks for the comment and visit.

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  15. You have captured these beauties quite well. Really fantastic pictures!

    My latest post:
    http://craniumbolts.blogspot.com/2021/10/trip-to-jayamangali-blackbuck-reserve.html

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  16. Gorgeous nature photography ~ Your doggie 'steals the show, though' ~ Xo

    Living in the moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  17. Beautiful, wonderful photos.
    Thank you for visiting me, Irish Garden House . . .

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  18. You really did get some amazing photos. It's really something when we get a chance to look up close and see the details. And good to have our memories and share them!

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