Sunday scenes

 all photos can be clicked

spent the morning 'hunting' in my favorite tree

found some small prey at first

 tiny golden empresses hard at work

I love this shot... First thing that came to mind? 

"Oh go stick your head in a flower!"

But then I was tantalized and teased playing hide and seek (through at least 20 shots) to wind up capturing this lovely traveler

isn't it just glorious! Monarchs are such beautiful, fierce creatures!  This one never opened it's wings for me  but who cares! 

Then.... 

hummmmmmmmmmm

 and the money shot

Such beautiful accidental shots.  Wish I knew what speed I should have used to get the wing 'stop' and how to set it on my daughters camera.  Guess I should figure it out for future though.  Wish  you could hear the tiny squeaking and furious chasing we have going on over this tree.  There is a pair of Rufus hummers and a couple Anna's and it gets pretty noisy and sometimes they practically collide into you!

and a wee story if you will permit. 

  My one and only cactus was originally rescued (I swear there isn't much in my house that isn't a rescue!) out of a trash bin in from a nearby office at my work.  When the tenants had moved out, they simply dumped it in the trash.  It stayed in my office for nearly a year all crunched up in her 4 inch plastic container and root bound as hard as a rock.  Whenever she was watered it would simply run off the top so I brought her home and she remained in the back yard like that, though I watered her much more frequently and left her in direct sunlight.

Several months ago, she was begging me to be replanted so she could bloom.

I ignored her.

Finally two weeks ago she was replanted in a  roomy, sandy, container and watered with miracle grow.  But sadly, I was too late.  And in her embarrassment she pleaded to her neighbors for assistance and they responded with love.  

She is growing quite voluptuous and her button tops (the whiteish areas) are very soft and downy with new growth.  I am so happy for her and next year when it's her time; I promise to capture her own glorious flowers that will be abundant I'm sure. 

My bleeding heart is doing well in front 

And somehow the forgotten October 2010 pumpkin that finally decomposed where it sat is surprised me with this! 

I totally  LOL'd!  Poor things are in complete shade.  You can see them  stretching out for the sun.  You can even see the pumpkin top and other seeds!  I imagine miss Rocky will have something to say about my negligent gardening habits!  What would be very cool though is if it did flourish and flow down into the planter below and we would have pumpkins for Halloween this year right  at the front door!  

I did sigh with frustration because now that I see them trying so hard I feel obligated to water the dang  things will fret over them now.  ugh. 

we'll keep ya posted

ciao!