Sounds of Summer

Right around mid-afternoon it begins....the cicada chorus! Can you hear them? When it's cool enough to have the AC off and the windows open, the sound of the cicadas fills the house. Sometimes they're so loud I even have to turn up the volume on the TV. Heck, I can hear them now and the house is closed up tight against the heat. Are you wondering about the foggy appearance of the video? That's the humidity that condensed on my camera lens in the few minutes I was outside. My glasses fogged over as well. It's definitely summer in Iowa!

Frogs Everywhere!

It's been SO wet! I see at least one or two of these frogs stuck to my house or windows almost every morning and evening. This little guy was on my front picture window last night. It was kind of interesting to see what his bottom side looks like. Those round toenail-like things are suction cups that enable him to cling to glass and the house siding. I'm not sure why they keep climbing on the house...maybe trying to get out of the wet flowers?

Gorilla What?

Gorillapod! Only the handiest little piece of photography equipment in the world! I first heard of these little tripods this May when I went to Montana. Travis bought one for Becky as a Christmas gift. I was amazed when I saw it. Becky has a big SLR multi-lens Canon, and the Gorillapod worked perfectly for her. Surely it would work as well on my little Canon point & shoot. Travis said they were cheap...even better. They come in different sizes depending on your camera size. I bought this one at the local camera shop for $21.99. My guess is you could find them a bit cheaper at Target or Wal-Mart. It's little (6 inches), light (under 2 ounces) and flexible. I leave the adaptor attached to my camera so all I have to do is slide the tripod on when I want to use it. Slick!

This is where I 'wrapped' its little legs to attach my camera for yesterday's hair close up. If you click onto the Joby website, you can see lots of ways to use the 'pod and lots of other products they make to let you be 'hands free' in your life.

Going, Going.....

....not quite gone! Just a quick update on the hair growing out process. It's getting there. You can see just a smidge of brown here on the sides. There's also a blob of brown at my crown and in my bangs. Jerry, my hair guy, keeps saying the sides are white; I keep telling him they aren't white, they're silver. I think silver sounds a whole lot sexier than white, don't you? I truly don't see myself as a little old lady with cottony-white hair! The back is totally charcoal/ gray/silver colored now. So another month and the only part that will still be brown will be at the crown...and I can't see that part in the mirror, so it won't bother me at all. I actually kind of like the gray, believe it or not!






Come back tomorrow to see how I captured these close ups.

All is Well

In case you're reading all the online and national news about the massive flooding in Iowa....everything is fine so far at Red Bell Farm! The recent torrential rains have hit areas from Des Moines north; living south, I've avoided most all of it this week. The photos are awful, though, and my heart goes out to those people who have water in their basements, in their cars, and in their businesses. And remember, creeks don't just rise in their water level....they rush and roar and rage. The force of water is so destructive and dangerous. How miserable to be flooded and still have to endure the continuing heat and humidity! It just doesn't seem fair.

Fruits of the Season

It's the 'dog days' of summer...hot and humid. Me and the dog are lyin' low in our cool, airconditioned house. But the sultry heat is absolutely no reason to not enjoy the fruits of this season. Yesterday's trip to the Farmer's Market provided both food and friendship. Here's a photo of the food part.You haven't truly lived until you've lunched on luscious homegrown, never refrigerated Iowa tomatoes and melt-in-your-mouth Iowa sweet corn. A sandwich slathered with my friend, Karen's apricot/raspberry jam and a tall glass of iced tea completed my meal. Life is good even if the weather isn't!

Long Distance Therapy

You may remember this photo from a blog post I made back in June of 2008. Well...it flooded again, but not quite this badly. My creek overflowed its banks this morning. Only I wasn't here to take its picture. Here's the story: I awoke at 5am to thunder and rain...lots and lots of rain. At 6:30am it was still raining heavily, water was standing in most of my front yard and I could see the creek roaring just standing on my back porch. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't keep from pacing back and forth to the window, peering out watching the water rise. I kept having flashbacks to June 2008 when I found myself completely surrounded by running creek water. Enough! I showered, pulled on clothes, put Lucie in the car, and we left. Water was standing in my drive and in places on the road, but the creek was still in its banks as I rounded the corner and started the climb up to the top of the ridge. I spent the next 3 hours in Des Moines shopping, getting gas, and having a frappachino at Starbucks...waiting for the rain to stop. When I arrived home, I could see the creek had been up in my yard, but was now on its way back down. I emailed Laury about it, and I had barely pushed the 'Send' button when my phone rang. "Are you all right??" my friend drawled, "I'm worried about you!" We talked and laughed, I felt so silly, but it's an awful feeling to be at the mercy of the elements, powerless and trapped. She did her very best social worker therapy via phone...soothing and calming, validating that fears don't have to be rational to feel real. We laughed again...it's pretty amazing that I seek support from my friend who lives 5000 miles away! But it worked...well enough that I think I should pay her hourly therapy wage for our conversation!

BTW....I emptied 3 inches of rain out of my rain gauge!

Color Update

It's been ten weeks since I put any color on my hair. As you know from my blog post of May 31st, I've decided to let it go natural, i.e. gray. I got it cut today and as I suspected, the sides are almost totally silver. So is the crown. My bangs and the back are pretty much salt & pepper. As I looked in the mirror while Jerry continued to snip and trim, I moaned to him, "I look just like my mother!" Which I actually don't mind all that much because I thought my mother was beautiful. And I really don't mind the gray all that much either. It looks a bit strange now, but I think once the brown is completely gone, it will be fine. BTW...do you know how hard it is to get  a picture of your own hair??

Polka Dot Clouds

Severe storms rolled across Iowa last night. While this nasty weather is getting real old, there is always some beauty in it. In the aftermath of last evening's storm, I was treated to polka dot clouds. These occur occasionally...I think it has to do with winds aloft or something. I don't need to know the science behind their formation to appreciate their beauty!  I dumped another 1/2 inch of rain out of the gauge from yesterday's storms bringing the total for my backyard to 8 inches since June 1st...about double the normal for the whole month. Guess it's a good thing I can find beauty in this wet, wet weather.

It's amazing how much prettier these polka dots are with a bit of computer enhancement!

Knock, Knock! Who's There?

Did I hear someone knocking at my front door? Stepping to the open doorway, I looked down and saw this guy sunning himself on my porch! It's been so rainy the past few days, I'm sure he was desperately seeking some sun. I watched him for several seconds before he sensed my presence. Slowly, he turned his head and 'neck' to look at me, his tongue flicking in and out trying to discern danger. Then silently he curled back on himself and slithered into the flower bed next to the front step. I shivered a bit as his tail slipped over the edge, and he disappeared in the cool, dampness of the Stella d'Oro lillies. I had felt a bit guilty about the weeds that have started crowding around the golden lillies and thought perhaps I should pull on gloves and weed the flower beds. After watching this guy retreat, I've changed my mind. Let the weeds grow!

Abundance

Along with the abundance of rain has come an abundance of blooms. While I don't have a huge variety of different flowers around my house, the flowers I do have are blooming their heads off! The hollyhocks are plentiful and the Stella d'Oro daylilies are profuse. Even the shade-loving hostas have started to share their pretty blooms. Rainwater is still puddled up in various places around my yard. I hope all this standing water doesn't produce an abundance of a different kind...mosquitoes!

Wet Weather Woes

I've dumped over 7 inches of rain out of my rain gauge since June 1st. Even for lush, lovely Iowa...that's a lot! On top of the heavy winter snows that stayed on the ground far into spring, this day-after-day of rain pattern has absolutely saturated the soil. These low areas in my lawn have been puddles for three days straight...the standing water never soaks in nor does it dry out as the days have been cloudy and humid even when it's not raining. I think my butterflies are suffering. Today these two just hung out on my shutters and my deck most of the day with their pretty wings spread, trying to dry out. They would sit for awhile then sluggishly flutter around before landing again and spreading their wings. We're all praying for sun!

PS....as I write this, it's raining again!

Love/Hate Relationship

I hate deer! Okay...so I don't hate this little doe and her friend who I see almost every morning as they make their way from the timber on the ridge east of my acreage to Haybranch creek behind my house. I think they come for a dawn drink before they bed down for the day in the trees. I've seen them in my backyard, in my pasture, and this morning walking along the road on the edge of my front lawn. They are so pretty and delicate; I love watching them. The ones I hate are their buddies who terrify me when they dart out of the trees or come up out of the ditch and try to run into my car. If you remember, I actually collided with one last November doing some serious damage to Miz Red Belle. A couple of Sunday mornings ago I was driving into church and a pair popped out of the woods and bolted across 4 lanes of Interstate traffic! I came within inches of hitting one, and it scared me to death! Every trip into Des Moines I see the remains of the other dumb deer who are not so lucky; it's pretty gory what a semi can do when it hits one. I don't know what the answer is to this dilemma...fences, longer hunting seasons, increasing the number that hunters can take? All I know for sure is that as much as I love watching these pretty animals in my yard, I hate seeing them when I drive.

The Duke

A lot of people have heard of Madison County, Iowa because of its covered bridges and the Meryl Streep/Clint Eastwood movie, "The Bridges of Madison County." But unless you are an avid fan of Western movies, you might not know the identity of Madison County's favorite son. It's John (The Duke) Wayne. John Wayne was born here in Winterset over 100 years ago...May 26, 1907 to be exact. This bigger-than-life-size bronze statue went up just this summer a couple blocks south of the courthouse square. It seems like the square would have been a better place for it...certainly there  is room. I bet there's a story why it's on this corner instead. I thought the American flag behind the statue was a nice touch. Can't get much more all-American than John Wayne! In case you can't tell...that's a big ole gun in The Duke's left hand. Two blocks east of this corner sits The Duke's birthplace...a simple little cottage that been restored and is now a museum. I took a close up of the plaque in front of the statue to show you what The Duke's name really was. You never know...this bit of information might come in handy the next time you're playing Trivial Pursuit!

Farm Life

Bob and I lived with a foot in two worlds. One world was Yellowstone; the other was our farm in southern Iowa. I wish we would have named it something catchy, but we referred to it from the beginning as the Promise City Farm and unfortunately that name stuck. Set on the top of a ridge, it should have had a view of the South Fork river valley. Instead the builder chose to orient it to have a view of the road...guess that was more important back in the early 1900's when the house was built. I felt very happy and at home here even though living on a farm was 'way out of my comfort zone. What does a girl raised in suburban California know about farm life? Not much...but I soon learned! We were dirt poor and in fact, I started life here washing clothes in an old wringer washer and hanging them on the line to dry. Here's a bit of trivia you might like to know: in the depth of an Iowa winter, it takes exactly two and a half days for blue jeans to dry hanging in the basement. Besides learning the intricacies of the wringer washer (which BTW is awesome for washing really dirty stuff!), I learned how to drive a tractor, rake and bale hay, and use a chain saw. I helped build fence, build corrals, and build ponds. I learned about raising buffalo, raising chickens, and raising step-kids. I helped restore several acres of farmland to native prairie grass and helped restore the old Methodist church I attended in town. I planted two huge gardens, learned that in Iowa God provides the irrigation with rain (who knew..I'm from California), and taught myself how to can and preserve my crops. I became part of a small town community in Iowa where life revolves around church, family and the local school. And experienced the pure joy of fireflies, bullfrogs, and skinny-dipping in the pond under a velvety Iowa sky and twinkling stars. Good memories!

St. Joseph

I'm starting to feel a bit of a sense of urgency about selling my house. I have 'places to go and things to do' and getting this house sold is key to moving forward with some opportunities that commence the end of August. So, I've decided to call in the big guns and turn this over to a Higher Power. My St. Joseph Sell-Your-House Kit arrived in this afternoon's mail. I carefully read the instructions which mainly say it doesn't matter one bit how you bury or place this little statue; what matters is that you believe and place your request in the hands of God. I know..I've heard all the urban myths before...he has to be buried upside-down by your For Sale sign facing the house, yada, yada, yada! But the little brochure says it doesn't make any difference...just pray to St. Joseph to petition on behalf of your request and let it be. So, I said the prayers and  buried him right side up by my sign facing the house. I was pretty specific that this sale needs to happen fairly quickly so I can be out of here by the middle of August. It's out of my hands now. If it is to be...it will be!

Packing and Purging

I wish I could tell you I'm 'packing and purging' because I sold my house! That hasn't happened. But I've decided to take advantage of this time to purge, get rid of, toss, donate, and trash everything that I don't absolutely need. I've started with my book collection. I'm almost embarrassed by how many I have; it's a sickness, I think! I don't have much trouble passing on novels to others, but I can hardly bear to get rid of all the non-fiction, the memoirs, the art books, the poetry books,etc. I'm being totally ruthless, though; almost everything is going to the Half Price Bookstore. They pay you a pittance for them, but at least they take them all. I'm also triaging movies. All VHS tapes...outta here along with most of my DVDs. I do have some home movie VHS tapes that I'm recording over to DVD format. That's been fun...last night I watched Travis graduate from high school. Yes, there was a tear in my eye...20 years later!!....when they played "Pomp and Circumstance." And I cheered once again when Ernie Schmell handed Trav his diploma. Some memories absolutely have to be preserved!

More Green

As promised more greens today. Starting with lawn green, oak tree green, cottonwood green, weeping willow green and weed green...

Moving on to clover green sprinkled with lawn green and punctuated with 'tree by the backdoor' green....

Here we have mint green...why do we think it's this color? These leaves are catalpa green....

Ranging further afield we find 'across the fallow field' green..... and then see this 'thank goodness it's not in my yard illegal thistle' green!

I'm not even going there with this green!

Green

Continuing on the theme of the colors of summer in Iowa, I have to share GREEN with you. When I first moved to this state in 1982, I was absolutely amazed by how green it was. Green in ways I had never seen before. I had lived in California and in Colorado; both have lots of places that are green...forests, meadows, gardens, but never had I seen the variety of greens that paint the Iowa countryside in summer! I was so impressed that I wrote a poem about it; if I can find it, I'll share in another blog post. This green is right by my front door...hostas, daylilies and some kind of vine-y weed. More green coming up in the future.

Colors of Summer

As I think of my favorite things about summer in Iowa, color comes immediately to mind. Even though the 'red sky in the morning' brought the predicted 'sailors take warning' thunderstorms later in the day, this blazing Iowa sunrise took my breath away. There is something positive to be said for waking up at 5am! Mother Nature paints both grand canvases and smaller, more subtle ones this time of year. Iris petals and violet hearts show exquisitely beautiful detail in both vibrant and soft colors...

After a long winter of snow, ice and frozen dull brown earth, I feel blessed by the bounty of beautiful color right in my own front yard.