Botanical Yellow

The glorious splendor of Fall is captured in sunny Chrysanthemums.

What fun flowers Celosias are!  In the Victorian language of flowers, celosia symbolizes warmth, humor, and silliness.  I think of them as Dr. Seuss flowers.  My neighbor grew plants from seeds and gave me some, most of which were bright pink.  The crazy shapes they grew in, made me smile.

a crazy discovery:  conjoined black eyed susans growing in my garden.  The stem was thick and flat.  The center seedhead is almost a continuous oval.

(continuing the "yellow" theme from last week's xanthophyll--you know, the stuff that makes plants yellow.)

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is  "Y."  Come visit others' submissions HERE  and join in the fun!  

iPhone photos by me  © 2014   all rights reserved 

yellow

I had fun walking around my house and yard today photographing things that are yellow--and some that are not!  Here are a few yellowy offerings...

My son just graduated from the University of Cincinnati in Mechanical Engineering Technology.  Here are his cap, tassel, and 3 honor cords.  (Yes, we are very proud of him!  4-point-0!  OK.  I just had to say it!)

a branch of a young cedar bush in my front yard.  I love how the gold tips the green.

detail of a tulip bouquet given me by my husband for Mother's Day.

the cord of a compressor that has taken up residence in our hallway for I'm-not-sayin' how long!  Someday, our kitchen chairs will be recovered and this baby can go back home where it belongs!

Buttercups are blooming in my yard.

a yellowing crab apple leaf has fallen to the ground.

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "Y." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun!  



photos by me  © 2014  all rights reserved

yesterday...

Most of the old family photos were in shoeboxes.  Sometime after my father died, I put the photos into a simple scrapbook.  My mother and I spent nearly a week off and on organizing.  She expressed that it was a painful process because many of her loved ones were no longer living.

Here is a page of the album featuring my father.  

I think the kindergarten promotion booklet is a treasure!  My father is on the far right. 

This album begins with photos of my mother's and my father's families as far back as we had photos.  The album includes photos of my parents' childhood years.  My parents were married for about 12 years before I was born, their first child.  So the remainder of the album includes photos up till that time.

I wish I had recorded my mother's voice as she told stories of all the people in the album.

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "Y." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 




photos by me of long ago photos © 2013   all rights reserved

yard

Spring is so lovely!  I walked around my yard today with a camera, listening to bird song....

Hawthorn tree blossoms

 soapwort

hosta

Columbine

backyard view

 

 blueberry blossoms, pink lemonade

 

Japanese fern

 buttercup

mixed lettuces growing in a pot on my deck.  I crowd the plants together and then harvest the outer leaves. 

 

weed

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "Y." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun!






Y is for Yard and Yellow, too!
 
photos by me © 2013 all rights reserved

Young

In May and June 2011, we re-nested 3 baby barred owls in our backyard.  This is the first owl, named Barry by the neighborhood children.
Read about Barry HERE.

In June 2011 we watched a robin build a nest and lay eggs.  One baby hatched.  See the baby's development HERE.

While driving in Kootenay National Park in Canada this Summer, we saw a mama and a baby moose blithely eating vegetation by the side of the road.

Tigra and Edward Bunk as babies.  (my daughter's kitties)

I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet.  Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of!  Check it out HERE.  You may even wish to join in yourself!  This week our letter is "Y." 


photos by me © 2011 and 2012    all rights reserved
kitty photo by Cara Freije © 2009  all rights reserved

Bears!

While hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana this August, we saw these signs posted on most trails.  Do you see the small print?  "There is no guarantee of your safety while hiking or camping in bear country."  YIKES!

Did we see bears?  YES!  But thankfully not on trails near us.  Bears are very busy in the Summer eating and eating and eating in preparation for Winter.  Can you imagine how much vegetation a 300 pound bear must eat a day?  
The closest we came to a bear was a juvenile black bear on the side of the road.  Of course cars were stopped and cameras were clicking.  A park ranger, with help from bystanders, clapped hands and threw rocks to scare it away.

mother black bear with 2 cubs

INFORMATION:

◄ Black bears (Ursus americanus) are North America's most common bear, typically living in forests. Despite their name, black bears can even be brown, cinnamon, or blonde.

◄ Being opportunistic eaters, their diet consists mostly of grasses, roots, berries, nuts,and insects. They will also eat fish and small mammals.

◄ Black bears historically ranged over most of the forested regions of North America, including all Canadian provinces, Alaska, all states in the contiguous United States, and significant portions of northern Mexico.  They are found only in heavily forested areas in the US now.  In Canada, black bears still inhabit most of their historic range except for the intensively farmed areas of the central plains.  In Mexico, there are only a few remnants.  It is estimated that there are about 600,000 black bears in North America.

 mother black bear

You will want to know if we saw grizzlies, and we did!  We saw 13 bears in all--most were very far away.  We saw a mother black bear and her 3 cubs about 70-100 yards away.  (photos above)  They were happily munching away on plants.  Black bears are easily scared away.  But don't be aggressive towards a grizzly!  When we were hiking in bear country we had to make nose almost continuously even when other people were not that far away.  No bears want to attack humans; you must let them know of your presence so they can move away.  And always carry bear (pepper) spray when in bear country!*

 eating

LINKS:

black bear facts   
North American Bear Center Den Cam  (Thanks,Sarah!)

  cub pausing while eating

I'm participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday.  Come and join in the fun!  You will be charmed and even enlightened in a delightful way!  See more entries HERE. This week our letter is "Y."  Y is for yellow--as in yellow sign!  and YIKES!

There are better photos of bears on the internet, but these are mine! 

photos by me © 2011 
* I'm adding more information, because I can see from the comments that some people might actually be out in bear country.  First of all, I'd say educate yourself thoroughly.  Black bears and grizzlies behave differently when encountering humans.  There are lists (which I am not recounting here) of what one should do if one encounters a bear.  Keep the bears away in the first place!  Carry bear spray and know how to use it!  MAKE NOISE!!!  not those little bells that people attach to themselves.  Clap hands.  Call out "Hey Ho!" or "Hear Bear!"  LOUDLY!  Know that if you are going around a corner, or up hill, the bears may not have heard or smelled you.  They don't want to encounter you either!  Don't assume that because there are others not far away even on a well-traveled path, that the bears are staying away.  There are reports to the contrary.  Stay safe!  Educate yourself!  

October 10:  linking up to Erika's It's a Wrap Party on Artful Rising.  Come on over and link up your favorite post from last week.