What are you up to?
- Thread starter brianvds
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Update on this strange caterpillar journey I've been on the last few weeks.
This wasn't here when I checked last night! I've been watching this one for about 3 days now. He crawled up the post and seemed to be flailing about, searching. Then he moved off the post and has sat there for the last day or two.
I looked closely at him last night, and he was still a caterpillar.
Now he's this:
And I overlooked this one until this morning. This chrysalis is smaller than the one up top, so the caterpillar didn't even catch my eye. It actually looks firmer than this one that sprang up overnight, so it's likely the first one.
There's still a lot of crawling and munching on the parsley going on. I stuck a new little plant in there to keep the others going. The smaller one in front of this larger guy is still only about an inch long, so I'll be providing parsley for a few more weeks.
I hope to be around when they break free from the chrysalises to get pictures.
This wasn't here when I checked last night! I've been watching this one for about 3 days now. He crawled up the post and seemed to be flailing about, searching. Then he moved off the post and has sat there for the last day or two.
I looked closely at him last night, and he was still a caterpillar.
Now he's this:
And I overlooked this one until this morning. This chrysalis is smaller than the one up top, so the caterpillar didn't even catch my eye. It actually looks firmer than this one that sprang up overnight, so it's likely the first one.
There's still a lot of crawling and munching on the parsley going on. I stuck a new little plant in there to keep the others going. The smaller one in front of this larger guy is still only about an inch long, so I'll be providing parsley for a few more weeks.
I hope to be around when they break free from the chrysalises to get pictures.
Mississippi Hippie
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I am waiting for my SO to get out of dentist appointment! He is finally getting his teeth cleaned then at like a lot more appointments he’s getting his teeth pulled.. 4 or more..
I am at home the dentist is like a mile away so I came home to wait. He doesn’t drive so I am picking him all with shiny pearly whites.
I am at home the dentist is like a mile away so I came home to wait. He doesn’t drive so I am picking him all with shiny pearly whites.
brianvds
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They run away the moment anyone comes close to them - wildlife tends to be scared of people, especially here in Africa, where they co-evolved with humans and have been hunted for a million years. Some individual ones have become somewhat tame and will allow one to get close enough for a nice photo.
The birds also become fairly tame if they're not molested, with the apparent exception of guinea fowl, which tend to scatter in panic if they even think there might be people around. They have apparently learned at the genetic level that it is not a good idea to allow humans to get within stone throwing distance of them.
Mississippi Hippie
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back from dentist now my neighbor/friend is over and we are fixing the bathroom and installing a bathtub
Mississippi Hippie
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now my husband is telling me to stop eating and drinking
JStarr
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Everyone sounds so busy!
I get those swallowtail catepillars here- one year they decimated my dill crop, which rather cooled me on their continued existence, although I mostly just move them, unlike the tomato horn worms- they, despite turning into the most spectacular Sphinx moth, get given to the birds. I hope you get to see one or two emerge from their cocoons- that's always so interesting.
Nice work on the window- house repair sometimes seems never-ending. We did the whole south side of our place this Spring- the weather is so harsh it took three days to get it ready to prime and paint.
Walks and car rides and horned prongs (kinda) and dentists and birds- all sounds like a busy life- good for all of you!
It's been... irritating here. DH is going through a bad patch which means everything is on me, and, gotta tell you, I tire of being the mother- I end up feeling exactly like Joan Crawford, plus tired and frustrated. (I, unlike Joan, am able to identify my emotions. Doesn't mean I can negate them, though. Anyone who actually believes "You control your feelings!" has read far too much pop- emphasis on the idea of junk-food- psychology. You can't; all you can do is label them correctly, then attempt to identify their roots- which means you have a small chance of changing your reaction to said roots).
It's rained a couple times, so for four days in a row I did not have to be outside by 0500 to water that little bit of grass; the unfortunate side effect is our old-lady dog, Angel, is terribly gun shy, and storms- even lightning- and thunder-less- put her into a panic and she comes and pants, loudly, into my face so I can get up and save her. Saving her means giving her MORE calming chews and bedding down on the floor in the closet, which is less open to the elements attacking the windows. Weird how being an adult means no longer being able to sleep on the floor without not really sleeping and getting up next morning feeling as if hit by a truck. I watered this morning, though, because we're supposed to start drying out and going up into the hundreds again. What fun.
I was bummed about Robbie Robertson ( https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...ader-of-canadian-us-group-the-band-dies-at-80 ) although I hadn't been expecting any new music from him. Still, hard to hear he's gone.
I have a piece on the easel giving me fits, but I shall prevail one way or the other- it becomes something I like or it goes into the trash- I'm not fussed about it anymore. And then, I might try a landscape.
Chili for supper, with a melon compote and, I dunno- maybe cornbread (hate to turn the oven on, though). Something, I'm sure will come to mind.
Then collapse into bed and do it all over again tomorrow.
I get those swallowtail catepillars here- one year they decimated my dill crop, which rather cooled me on their continued existence, although I mostly just move them, unlike the tomato horn worms- they, despite turning into the most spectacular Sphinx moth, get given to the birds. I hope you get to see one or two emerge from their cocoons- that's always so interesting.
Nice work on the window- house repair sometimes seems never-ending. We did the whole south side of our place this Spring- the weather is so harsh it took three days to get it ready to prime and paint.
Walks and car rides and horned prongs (kinda) and dentists and birds- all sounds like a busy life- good for all of you!
It's been... irritating here. DH is going through a bad patch which means everything is on me, and, gotta tell you, I tire of being the mother- I end up feeling exactly like Joan Crawford, plus tired and frustrated. (I, unlike Joan, am able to identify my emotions. Doesn't mean I can negate them, though. Anyone who actually believes "You control your feelings!" has read far too much pop- emphasis on the idea of junk-food- psychology. You can't; all you can do is label them correctly, then attempt to identify their roots- which means you have a small chance of changing your reaction to said roots).
It's rained a couple times, so for four days in a row I did not have to be outside by 0500 to water that little bit of grass; the unfortunate side effect is our old-lady dog, Angel, is terribly gun shy, and storms- even lightning- and thunder-less- put her into a panic and she comes and pants, loudly, into my face so I can get up and save her. Saving her means giving her MORE calming chews and bedding down on the floor in the closet, which is less open to the elements attacking the windows. Weird how being an adult means no longer being able to sleep on the floor without not really sleeping and getting up next morning feeling as if hit by a truck. I watered this morning, though, because we're supposed to start drying out and going up into the hundreds again. What fun.
I was bummed about Robbie Robertson ( https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...ader-of-canadian-us-group-the-band-dies-at-80 ) although I hadn't been expecting any new music from him. Still, hard to hear he's gone.
I have a piece on the easel giving me fits, but I shall prevail one way or the other- it becomes something I like or it goes into the trash- I'm not fussed about it anymore. And then, I might try a landscape.
Chili for supper, with a melon compote and, I dunno- maybe cornbread (hate to turn the oven on, though). Something, I'm sure will come to mind.
Then collapse into bed and do it all over again tomorrow.
brianvds
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I can do with some whiskey to warm me up - in the middle of an absolutely monstrous attack of the flu. But had these cute garden visitors this morning to come cheer me up a bit:
Cape sparrow
Cape glossy starling
Masked weaver male, in summer coat and ready to impress the ladies. Spring is coming! Another month and I'll be bitterly complaining about the heat.
Cape sparrow
Cape glossy starling
Masked weaver male, in summer coat and ready to impress the ladies. Spring is coming! Another month and I'll be bitterly complaining about the heat.
Mississippi Hippie
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Bathtub put in by husband and friend! Last part of home remodel! Now we live in peace 
Nice birds! Wish summer was just on the way..
Nice birds! Wish summer was just on the way..
brianvds
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Bathtub put in by husband and friend! Last part of home remodel! Now we live in peace
View attachment 33306
Nice birds! Wish summer was just on the way..
Almost good now, but you need to replace those bottles of shampoo or whatever with either a bottle of whiskey, or art materials.
JStarr
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It's a single-malt. Of course it's great!
JStarr
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Nice tub and re-do! The tile work is great, too!Bathtub put in by husband and friend! Last part of home remodel! Now we live in peace
View attachment 33306
Nice birds! Wish summer was just on the way..
JStarr
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Your bird pics are terrific- but sorry about the 'flu stuff. Do keep fluid intake far higher than you think necessary- nearly every complication of influenza is brought about at least in part due to some degree of dehydration.I can do with some whiskey to warm me up - in the middle of an absolutely monstrous attack of the flu. But had these cute garden visitors this morning to come cheer me up a bit:
View attachment 33303
Cape sparrow
View attachment 33304
Cape glossy starling
View attachment 33305
Masked weaver male, in summer coat and ready to impress the ladies. Spring is coming! Another month and I'll be bitterly complaining about the heat.
Rest, and get better.
JStarr
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lol I'm that little bit 'irritated'- because I am tired and feel as if I have too much on my plate, and that this too shall not pass, it'll just grind me down forever now.Wise words from JStarr about emotions. I hear ya.
But, once I get a couple night's good sleep, that will fade and I'll resemble Sisyphus again....
stlukesguild
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Unfortunately, I'm up to the end of my summer vacation. This means I'm starting back to school tomorrow with the next 4 days spent in meetings being overwhelmed with new procedures, new programs, new expectations, new curriculum, etc... right as I was starting a new painting and trying to learn some new digital editing software to assist in composing and editing imagery before transferring this to the painting surface using a digital projector. All of this allows me to compose the general composition and proportions more rapidly without endless erasures.
brianvds
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It's as if the whole purpose of school has become to be torture to both teachers and pupils.
