Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Clean air and walking while the walking's good

Today's bouquet, more susans, daisies, zinnias 

That sounds like the cast of a southern novel.

Good time to walk to the pond, after a few days of not managing because of weather.

There were frogs leaping everywhere, and the hot, then wet, weather has brought on the invasive phragmites grass, ready to choke the waterway. See it there, advancing on the water?

And all the way home I could hear this Carolina wren shouting jerkee jerkee jerkee wheeee 

There were dragonflies, mostly darners, who stay dead still, posing, right up to when I lift my phone, then outta here, so you need to take my word for them.

Today's reading is 

I must say Max Daniels' readers have presented me with a variety of reading, all good. This one's a murder mystery, clean summer fun.

It's a Sydney, Oz, based narrator writing in first person about a Boston based cast of characters with an on-site adviser who becomes a character in the novel the Boston narrator character is writing on an  Australian literary scholarship. With me so far? Hang in.

Real locations, main characters meet in the reading room of the famous library, hear a scream, later established as a murder happening, and they form a detection gang. 

So far, so interesting. Definitely recommended as a layered work with sliding effects thrown in.

In other breaking news, I'm thinking of ditching the current Tunisian sock, which is developing into a scratchy fabric, but looking for other yarn to keep on with the concept.

It has to be easy care, for the recipients, so I may steal back some yarn from the weighted warp experiment, and substitute other yarn.

The weighted warp is still going to happen. I can't let Penelope down. Or the Scandinavian women who wove the linen sails for Viking ships this way. 

Thus enabling the men to invade my ancestral land, rape and pillage and generally act like really bad visitors, but nevermind.

Happy day everyone, live now not thousands of years ago.







30 comments:

  1. It's good that the weather has improved and the smoke has dissipated for the present. Going out in foul air is not a lot of fun.

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    1. I really couldn't risk going out for more than a moment before. So this is a lovely change.

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  2. Raping and pillaging, how so many of us acquired our DNA:)

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  3. SG’s cousin told stories of her dower Norwegian grandmother (his great-grandmother) knitting wool socks for her every Christmas and she then had to wear them whenever she visited or she’d get reprimanded. She said they itched terribly and the visits always felt like torture. The flowers are beautiful. I remember Carolina Wrens singing “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle.” I guess not in New Jersey!

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    1. Have you seen Franklin Habit's cartoon of the little lamb wearing a sweater the proud ewe has made, and saying it itches!

      There are other wrens sticking to the tea kettle script, but this rugged individual is in his second year shouting just the two notes. A true Jersey wren. He's also pretty burly considering. Nobody's arguing with him.

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    2. I had never seen the cartoon, so just looked it up. Wonderful!

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  4. Wrens have great vocal power - amazing what volume those small lungs can produce. Dragonfly season is in full swing here too. Glad the weather is conducive to getting out again.

    Your description of "The Woman In The Library" is a bit convoluted, but it sounds intriguing. I've learned (full credit to you and Mary Moon) to make cheerful little bouquets. Today I tried making a large one with goldenrod, coneflower, sunflowers and hollyhock, to take along to dinner with friends tonight. It's passable, but there's an art to flower arranging that I haven't learned yet. It will be appreciated nonetheless, and it was a fun first attempt.
    Chris from Boise

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    1. Wrens have a kind of amplifier in the throat that magnifies the sound amazingly.
      The book is convoluted! And your friends will probably be very pleased with their flowers. And if they want to arrange them, they can.

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  5. We have a beautiful day here today. I will definitely get out for a nice walk today.

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    1. I hope you did, and the air was breathable.

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  6. I like your bouquet and am glad you enjoyed your walk. Ours was actually a bit cold today, which is better than excessive heat.

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    1. I agree, easier to wear a jacket than to keep cool.

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  7. That's a lovely shot of the pond through the tree branches.

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  8. It must be nice to walk after not doing so for a few days. Whose responsibly would it be to remove the pond weed?

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    1. The phragmites grass is on the golf course, owned by the county. I imagine they may need to keep it in check.

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  9. I bet it felt good to get out and take a nice walk.
    Cathy

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    1. It did. And this week temps are in the 80s, cooler

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  10. It's so funny you mentioned phragmites. The other day Dave and I were walking somewhere and we saw lots of tall, grassy reeds in a body of water, and I said I thought they were phragmites. And Dave said, "You're making that word up!" And I began to doubt myself, so I'm glad you've confirmed that phragmites IS in fact a word.

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    1. Now you'll be seeing it everywhere. It's not only real, it's a pest. Beautiful but too much of a good thing.

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  11. I see in my own DNA the raping and pillaging. Both in the Italian and the English sides. I'm happy for you to be able to get out for a walk. This has definitely been a challenge this summer.

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    1. This whole summer is being a challenge. only middish July, too.

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  12. Our Carolina wrens sing "You're sweet! You're sweet! You're sweet!"
    "Thank you!" I always answer.

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  13. I always love hearing about mysteries and this is a new author to me. Thanks!

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    1. She's written quite a bit but I just discovered her. Many layers of complexity here. You might like her.

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  14. I think our wren has moved on - perhaps the family has been raised already. I miss their song outside my window.
    Thank you for the book review. I'll see if our library has it because I'm always looking for new authors.

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    1. It's not long from nest building to fledging, so yes, maybe the family moved out if you read Library, let us know what you think. It's got a lot of layers, and keeping them straight is a thing.

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