Dancing

Kate....blog reader and physicist from England sent me an email with some information about the moon. We all learned these things in school....but I never mind being reminded. Kate is the same person who introduced me to The Butterfly Effect....so I pay attention when she shares! Here's Kate's moon refresher...with a twist at the end:

"The moon seems to rise because the Earth is spinning on its axis, but the Moon also moves around the Earth every 27.3 days, which is why we get different phases of the moon (and lunar months). But it also sort of wiggles up and down a bit, which is why it's never in the same place each night. Basically, they are continuously dancing around each other. And I love that."

I love that too....the idea of the earth and moon dancing around each other. Thank you for planting that image in my head Kate!

Speaking of dancing....I've been keeping an eye on the Montauk Daisies right up the street. 

They started blooming at the end of September...and I walk by them several times a day. These are a couple montages I sent to Alyson over the past month as I've been tracking them. 

They were beautiful in their prime....such a breath of fresh air in the early fall.

 But here at the end of October...they appear to be dancing around as start to fade.

They are just as beautiful...and maybe even a little more interesting.

Definitely dancing!

This one...however...appears to be a little pissed off.

Or maybe it's the last dance before the bow! Let's go with that!

Fun Little Tidbit

I had a couple of nice walks on this beautiful fall day....and I especially enjoyed the vibrant fall asters at the pond. 

I also spent a chunk of my day removing old caulk and cleaning my shower seams....and another chunk getting a mammogram. Neither of them very pleasant...but both worthwhile and important.

I'm lucky to have a shower to take care of.....and the ability to be proactive with my breast health. 

Craig....my brother-in-law...was enjoying a sunny fall day in his back yard in Minneapolis watching a swarm of bees buzzing around the salvia.  With the angle of the sun just right he swore he could see them peeing. My sister Nancy was skeptical...so looked it up and found this photo. 

Nectar is mostly water....so bees shoot out the excess water keeping then light enough to stay light enough to fly. Isn't that a fun little tidbit!  

A Little Help From a Friend

Subtitle: Bobbing in the Breeze

I told Judy I would share a Devilsbit bloom when it was fully open...so here it is! The blooms are tiny puffs of purple on very long stems...so they bob in the breeze making them hard to photograph without holding them still.  I was snapping away trying to hold them still....when all of a sudden I got a little help from a friend. 

The minute the bee landed on another bloom it came into focus without my thumb needing to be in the photo. Isn't it nice to have a little help from a friend!

The plant itself is pretty nondescript. The leaves are low to the ground and kind of scraggly...so not a handsome plant which is usually a requirement for being in my garden. But I love the blooms...and it's tucked in a corner garden by the the patio with all my hummingbird plants. Our tiny friends are bulking up for their migration...so frequenting the feeders and the flowers. 

If you look closely at this photo just above and to the left of the fragrant flowers sign is a green hummingbird with the white neck that was feeding all afternoon as I sat outside to read...write and doodle a few days ago.

And there you can see the tall spiky...and and oh so precious Devilsbit blooms....bobbing in the breeze. 

Here's the scrappy base of the plant nested and hidden among all the other plants. 

Speaking of purple....here's what I was doodling....the last couple of panels in my rainbow concertina. My goal over the next few days is to add some collage elements...either in fabric or paper before I do any more doodling or painting. Here's a view of the whole thing.

And here's what I was rereading....and just finished. 

Paul headed to Colorado this morning. He'll spend tonight with his sisters...Alyson and Liz, and our nephew Langston. Tomorrow he'll wake up to "Still the Best Morning of the Year"....the title of the Epilogue he wrote for the book. It will be the start of a wonderful week in the Wilderness of Friendship. He'll most certainly be getting a little help from his friends! 

I wrote about the book here in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2026/08/something-to-celebrate.html

Simple Noticings

Dotty planted a seed a couple of weeks ago in her comment on my "Enough" post about a simple bloom. She called it a Simplicity of Noticings. At first that phrase sounded awkward....but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Dotty is a student of words. She's a writer and a poet so I pay attention to and sometimes wrestle with her words....especially when she coins a phrase.

Noticing....is a a action. Slowing down and taking the time to really look at the world around us. It's important and often joyful. 

Noticings are the products of that effort. A tangible image or even just a brief moment of awe that we can carry in our mind and hearts and sometimes even hold.

So it begins: simple posts every now and then of what I'm going to call Simple Noticings. Of course....I've actually been doing this for years.....but now I have a new name for it. 

A few days ago I noticed that my Devilsbit is starting to open. Each one of these tiny balls/buds will open into its own tiny flower until the whole thing is in bloom. I find the process utterly fascinating!

Then I noticed one further along! Oh how I love celebrating simple noticings.

Enough

Did you know that a group of porcupines is called a prickle? It makes perfect sense....but it does make me chuckle.

This sweet bloom by the pond caught my eye this morning. Some days....something as simple as this is enough.

This That and Seaweed

I came home with a handful of seaweed yesterday. Stay tuned to know why. Today was a this and that day. I had a swim and a walk...went to the farmers market and had a nice visit with Patty. 

I've been meaning to share this photo of a clump of grapes glowing in the sun in in Jane's backyard. I think it pairs well with the seaweed photo.

And visiting Patty means I got to get a closeup look at her late summer rosy pink hydrangea.

Happened Upon

I happened upon a fabulous garden on my morning walk...these are some of my favorite shots1 

Zinnias and dahlias are such great pops of color in a late summer garden. Every time I see them I have to stop and take a closer look. There are so many petals tightly packed in....I love to catch them in this unfurling stage. 

And isn't this globe amaranth spectacular! It looks fiberoptic.

I do love the bright summer colors of zinnias.

And just look at all that's happening here. Isn't this dahlia amazing. 

I'll be visiting this garden path again!

Paul happened upon an unusual found object while out on his bike ride.  

This tiger will dominate my puzzle gang...but we'll see how he does for a while. He's a little aggressive looking.

This new Liberty wooden puzzle was gifted to me from Alyson. Wooden puzzles are such a delight to put together...but this one is going to be a challenge. 

But I'll happen upon the right strategy!

Today Was The Day

Today was the day that a couple of my royal standard hosta blooms opened. 

It's one of the only hosta blooms I really love. It's tall and stately....and it smells amazing! 

And today was the day for a swim. The water was warmer than the air temperature this morning...and it was magnificent. The hydrangeas by the pool are exploding making the whole experience such a joy.

This is what was left on my puzzle this morning....so I knew today would be the day I would finish it. 

I stretched it out throughout the day and did just a few pieces at a time. I love savoring the end.

This one was a challenge....but once I found the right strategy it ended up being pure joy! Thank you again to Linda S. for this very special gift. 

Today was the day! Isn't it fabulous!

 Thanks again Linda!

Tag #2

I'm so excited to have a few meadow rue plants blooming. They don't do very well in my garden because there's not enough sun....but I do have a few volunteers that are doing better than plants I actually planted.

Because the blooms are so delicate...they are really hard to photograph. I just adore the round pearl like buds so I'm going to keep trying. 

I've been a little under the weather....so not moving very fast....but I did take a few minutes to make another tag for my Tag Project 2.0. As was true with my last tag series....I want the tags to flow from one to the next in some way....either color or some design element. 

I was pretty tickled to still have the scrap from the catalog that I cut the centers from the flowers on the first card...so that was the starting point. Those three white circles are actually cut into the paper and the black dots are on the tag itself.

I layered more catalog scraps and cut apart the square paper cut I shared a few days ago. And there you have it....a second tag for my Tag Project 2.0. and it only took about 10 minutes. 

I like to do something simple on the back.....and I still need something on the second one. This was a painted paper gone wrong...but the colors were right and it works just fine as a backing.

Unfurl

Where did this day go? Some days are like that! 

But don't you just love the playful way black-eyed Susans unfurl? I know I do!  

   

 

I thought I would share of my favorite photo montages from Alyson.

It's a curling and unfurling montage!

And here something curly from the past. Starting in 2024 I worked on a tag project....making little collages on a set of tags gifted to me from Roseann. I loved these mini collage projects....and I do have another set...so maybe I'll revive it!

All those posts are here. https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/search/label/tag%20project

Hydrangea

Magic exists where you choose to find it!

It was a glorious summer day with just the right mix of chores and play.

I'm not sure if this was a chore or play...but I got the papers cut and folded for 50 more match boxes for Folly 101. It was a picture perfect afternoon on the patio while I folded...and I was hoping to get a glimpse of the baby bluebirds that fledged while I was gone. No such luck.

Look at this fabulous found object Paul found while was gone! And the best part is that it lights up when you bounce it.    

 

I had a good visit with Patty today....and her hydrangea were gorgeous...coming and going.

I ADORE her peace flag...that color is just perfect!

We could sure use a little world peace right now!

Speaking of hydrangea...going with my now and then idea...here's a few little arrangements I did a while back that still make me smile. I'm choosing to find magic in hydrangea today!