Water lily reflection, Skylands Botanical Garden last week: visit 2.

Maybe this name will ring a bell with my sister. I don’t know if she will remember her or not. (Sis, do you remember??)

The mind is a strange thing. At least mine is. I was sitting here this afternoon reading a book, The Age of Miracles, a dystopian novel about how the earth slowly stops spinning. The girl in the book is twelve and it’s her voice that tells the story. I read the sentence where she looks down in disgust at her never-ever-been-shaved legs and Debbie Ginder pops into my brain. POW! There she is. Now where did that come from I have to wonder? I have not thought about her since the 60’s. It was so weird that I had to write it down immediately.

I know exactly where it came from but how my brain made that leap is amazing to me. It’s because Debbie Ginder was responsible for me shaving my legs and under my arms for the first time, and right around that same age as the girl in the book.

She lived in our subdivision around the lake from us (we were living in Florida at the time) and if Snookie on Jersey Shore would stage any competition with hair, it would have been with Debbie. She had a bouffant hairdo with side burns and wore tons of eye makeup. I think her hair was reddish. Hey, it was 1968!

She was older than I was and very worldly in my eyes. Hey, she had breasts; I did not. (Well, maybe I had bumps at that point and a “training bra,” which leads me to the question as to why breasts had to be “trained?”) She went out with boys; I did not. I’m not quite sure why my parents let me hang out with her.

Anyway, one day when my prepubescent self was over at her house she looked at my legs and underarms and casually said “Why don’t you ask your mom to let you shave?”

DUH. It had not occurred to me before then. I went home and asked my mom and she agreed it was probably time.

Thank you, Debbie Ginder wherever you are in the world today.

Now I ask you, doesn’t the mind work in mysterious ways?

Coolness. Air conditioning off. Windows open.

Finally. A rainy day. A welcome relief from the dry, hot weather we’ve been experiencing.

From drops softly splashing into puddles, to drops angrily pelleting the roof.
It’s all good.

The thirsty ground greedily drinks in the welcome moisture. —slurp!—

The flowers bow under the weight of the drops, grateful to be washed clean.

Trees softly stir in the light breeze, shedding water from their leaves like a dog shaking after a bath.

Rivulets of water run down the incline of our driveway.

The gutters on the house gurgle and splash.

And I am renewed with every drop that falls.

Reflection of water lilies: Skylands Botanical Garden.

I had an intense urge to take some photographs (thinking mostly flowers here) and what better place than Skylands Botanical Gardens only ten minutes from my house?

I always enjoy going over to Skylands because I never know what I am going to see. Every season varies with different blooming cycles.

I did a lot of experimenting with aperture and shutter priority and various lenses. I’m never quite sure how they are going to turn out. Sometimes I come back with not much to show for my visit but a bunch of disappointing images. But sometimes I come back with several good images and a few surprises thrown in.

It was hot hot hot on Tuesday when I decided to go. The bullfrogs were croaking in their slime-covered pond. There were a few cicadas making noise and lots of different bird song. I heard a wood thrush (my particular favorite). And this cardinal with his equally as beautiful song was my constant companion as I made my way through the perennial beds.

I didn’t even realize he had something in his mouth until I downloaded the photo! See? A surprise! Also proof that you can still sing with your mouth (or in this case, beak) full.

The perennial beds were glorious!

But it did seem that everywhere I pointed the camera I captured bugs! See the little green bug on the flower above? More surprises. And in the photo below features a tiny bug as well.

Other creatures were also enjoying the blooms like this Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth.

And HUGE bees.

Not sure if this is some kind of monster mosquito or what, but I was really trying to get the texture of the cone of this flower. I love the honeycomb texture.

Color, color everywhere I looked!

I loved the tiger lilies!!

I went on to spend about an hour with the water lilies but those shots are for another day. I was sweating like crazy by the time I finally gave in and walked to my car. I’ll be going back again soon but maybe on a a day when the humidity and heat aren’t quite so bad!

The other day I was checking out the flower bed, snooping around to see what was blooming and what was about to bloom. I am the first to admit that it’s a slapdash flower hodgepodge mostly leftover from the previous owner of our house. I had always thought I would rip most of it out and start over but so far in the six years that we’ve lived here it hasn’t happened. Yet.

As I was passing by the lilac bush (that for whatever reason did not bloom this year) I was startled by a movement. Looking closer I saw this:

Pretty good camouflage, I’d say! I’ve only seen one other Katydid before and it was hopping around on the deck. This one was kind of shy and really didn’t want my camera in its face.

Strange creatures!

For now the bee balm has been slowly taking over year by year. I added a hydrangea a few years ago and it blooms, albeit feebly. Pretty though.

And this yellow daisy-like flower that I have no idea where it came from.

I also made a visit to Skylands Botanical Gardens in the extreme heat Tuesday morning and was pleased and surprised to see that they are taking much better care with the grounds this year. Workers were out in full force tending to all the beds. I got stuck on the perennial beds and the water lilies and I’ll be boring you with my favorite shots soon. I’m sure you can’t wait!

And since I’m in an insectuous mood today, here’s a sneak peek! (I just made that word up in case you’re wondering. Does it work for you?)

Dragonfly on water lily.

At night. Water temp: 85. Outside temp: 90 or so.

Ear to the water doing the side stroke I hear:

My breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

The water slapping against my body.

I feel:

The silken feel of the water.

My body slicing through the water. Whether or not it’s fast and furious or slow and languorously. I did both tonight. Twenty laps of semi-fast and furious to another four or five that were slow and languorous. (Love that word, don’t you?)

I see:

A jet passing over, lights flashing. Bats fly over, sans lights.

I am sated. It’s been a good day. Cleansing in a way most of you cannot fathom.

I have no clue what I ever did without a pool. We weren’t looking for one. But it found us.