Saturday, July 17, 2021

Nature study, and surprises

Yesterday my neighbor came over to collect me to come see something. Got my hat and shoes, sizzling hot, and he showed me this

I had no idea groundhogs could climb. Turns out this one learned in a hurry when the two cats next door encountered him. He's pretty high up, declining to move. 

The cats went indoors, but there were humans still out. He sat tight.

While we were watching him, from the butterfly bush, this monarch fluttered right into my face then off into the bush, which he'd meant to rest on.



And here's Friday night's supper, crisp romaine, beefsteak tomato snd ribbon of mayo.


Cherries for dessert

And this morning, summer breakfast, yogurt and apricot, peppermint. Scottish Breakfast Tea.


Eating all the colors. 

Hilarious exchange on Twitter today, Brits moaning endlessly about the extreme heat they're suffering. It's about 80° f.  True, they're not used to it, but you've never heard such complaints. 

The best: you Americans only have a dry heat, you can't feel it! We have humidity, it's awful. And you have air conditioning everywhere.

A number of US people kindly explained. I didn't have the heart to pile on by saying I don't even run the ac at less than 82°. Or that friends who live in dry heat can, too, feel it.

It's all relative. And Brits do love the weather as an endless source of grievance.

In other news I'll post a doll update as soon as I've written it, and there was a great Textile Museum presentation this morning on sericulture, or what the captions called Sarah culture. It's about silk. Mulberry silkworm silk. 

That's going to get its own post, too. Too much to squash everything into one post, you'll get in a blur.
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12 comments:

  1. That's a groundhog? At first I thought it was a fat cat! There are many places in this country that experience quite high humidity, especially in the South. It is very much what you are accustomed to though. We've had such extreme changes in the weather everywhere recently and that does concern me.

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  2. I'd be concerned about a ground hog that climbed. Let us know when it's gone.

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  3. You had some interesting encounters with nature, lol! I hope that groundhog got down to the ground again okay.

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    1. It's been lightning and thundering so I haven't checked today. I should think getting down is easier. Gravity helps.

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  4. What will become of the groundhog I wonder. A fall from that height would hurt it probably.

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    1. I expect he could scramble down those stacked chairs again. I think that's how he got up.

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  5. Maybe the groundhog was escaping the heat...never have known one to climb though. As for the heat thing, I hate to say this but we have only had our a/c on once this year (so far!) and that was only for a couple of hours to help take the humidity out after we had the carpets cleaned. The fans have been doing a great job of keeping us cool.

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    1. English people would be complaining and threatening to faint!

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  6. We were amazed to see a rockchuck (our western 'groundhog', aka yellow-bellied marmot) ten feet up a tree a couple of years ago. Those 'chucks are more arboreal than we knew!

    Your misfit meals are perfect summer repasts.

    Green with envy over your monarch sightings!

    Chris from Boise

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    1. I think we only see them on the ground because of their burrows, and there's plenty of food at ground level.

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  7. In Florida we definitely have the humidity. Add in the mosquitoes which have hatched like a plague and being outside is definitely very unpleasant. Of course, we do have AC. Thank heavens.

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