I have seen these tiny fuzzy white balls floating around every summer of my life — but I never paid attention to them. One sentence in Heinrich's Summer World gave a name to these fascinating and beautiful creatures: "A cottony white fluff ball drifts by on feeble wing beats — it's the migrating form of the woolly alder aphid. I don't know where it's going, but it is of the summer's last generation from wingless parents."
This is my last Summer World post. I hope these have motivated you to buy this book and see the world about us more clearly.
Crane fly (mosquito hawk) from June, 2007 in Barton, Vermont
Dancing crane flies in Wilmot, New Hampshire, June 2009
Do you remember the photograph above of two crane flies enjoying each other's company? There have been many crane flies in the house this summer. That is good; they eat many mosquitoes and with the rains all summer this year, we have many mosquitoes. But in Summer World, Bernd Heinrich gives the life of the crane fly poetry. It was the summer solstice in Maine, 2007. Heinrich explains that while June 21 is the beginning of summer for us, it is the middle of summer for many species of animals. And the day was so lovely that it was sufficient cause for dancing to celebrate the season. Heinrich's description of the crane fly dance describes exactly what happened in the beginning of summer with the crane flies in the bathroom:
Our outhouse is open at the front, and it faces deeply shaded sugar maple woods. The dancers — two or three dozen of them — each have six long, spindly legs. They jitterbug up and down and forward and back in a dark corner just under the roof, and they are worked up to a frenetic speed. Undoubtedly they are expert performers. They ought to be. They've probably been doing one or another version of their act for more than 225 million years, since the Triassic period. And indeed, their performance doesn't disappoint.
Most of the dancers are single, but several have partners to whom they are firmly attached — by their genitals. The members of a pair face in opposite directions, and when — more often than the singles — they come to rest, they dangle with one holding on to the ceiling with its front legs while the other dangles below.
Crane flies are relatives of mosquitoes. They are called crane flies because their legs are so long. Heinrich says that their bodies are 1/3 of an inch long yet their legs are three times longer (1 inch). And if you touch a leg, it could fall off. Dropping legs is a defense against predators. The sexes can be differentiated by the ends of their abdomens. A thicker, pointed abdomen is female and a thinner, blunted abdomen is a male.
The summer dance that Heinrich describes is mostly performed by the boys. Once a boy attracks a girl with his dance, they mate (my first photo) and then they stay together for hours. In his sample, Heinrich's male crane flies outnumbered females by 28:2.
I would so enjoy reading other local observations from other Summer World readers. I will have a couple more of my local observations in the days to come. Meanwhile, click on the book below and read it!
Wingnut, furthest on the right, shivering while listening to instruction.
We are continuing swimming lessons in New Hampshire. Wingnut and I were both sure that the water would be warmer here since we are so far south of where his lessons were in the previous summers. But of course that is not true. It is a cool summer here and the water, Wingnut says, is actually colder than Willoughby and Shadow Lakes. He is in pain (or numb?) every morning after lessons. But he's sticking it out!
The fanciest (and cleanest) beach outhouse I have ever met. For a very brief history of Tannery Pond, click here.
Here in this part of New Hampshire you live in sand — beautiful, soft beach sand. John showed me, quite a few weeks ago, creatures that like to live in the sand — ant lions. You can see the indentations of each ant lion home in these photos. Above, John is tickling an ant lion sand pit in order to get the ant lion to reveal itself. Some of the pits have no inhabitants, so tickling the pit is the only way to find out if it is being lived in. The ant lion thinks that the grass leaf is an ant and jumps out of the bottom of the pit to eat the ant.
Above, John has captured an ant lion. This one was really tiny and difficult to focus on with the Canon XSi. When ants walk into an ant lion's sand pit, they can't often escape. As they crawl out of the pit, the sand keeps them sliding back down until the ant lion gobbles them up.
Ant Lions (or Antlions or Doodlebugs or Doodle Bugs) (Genus Neuroptera, Family Myrmeleontidae) Above you can see the tiny ant lion. It has enormous pinchers in front.
Below: I showed the sand pits to Wingnut, who promptly began feeding ants to the ant lion. It was totally fascinating to see the capture process. We noticed that about half of the ants were able to escape the pit. But half couldn't escape and were eaten. A 50% kill rate is pretty good in Nature. It is very difficult to see the escaping ant in the photo below.
After these activities (when these photos were taken), I happened to read Summer World because Bernd Heinrich's books have taught me so much about where I live. Summer World has a great section on ant lions (pages 193-194). If you live in New England (especially northern New England) you must read this book. You should read it if you live anywhere else:
". . . ant lions . . . are slow-moving predators that catch fast ants. They do this by making pits in lose, dry sand. The pits serve as traps; the ant lions hide buried in sand at the bottom of the traps with only their sharp tonglike pincers exposed; and with these pincers they grab any ant that wanders in. If an ant then starts to scramble up the steep, slippery slope of dry sand, they throw up loose sand that starts a sandslide and brings it back down and into reach.
We had a kill awhile back. Zorro walked in the door with a wounded chipmunk, yowling, and brought it to the bedroom where I was cleaning. It startled me so much to see such a large catch that I screeched and Zorro turned back to the dining room and let the chipmunk go. The little rodent began squealing and running, finally hiding under a buffet table. Unfortunately, it was so severely bitten by Zorro that John had to dispatch it to chipmunk heaven.
John had told me earlier this season about the problem that chipmunks have with bot flies. I had never heard of bot flies in New England before — until I read Summer World. Heinrich writes: "I have also seen bot flies on skinned mice and chipmunks in Maine; relative to the size of their hosts, one of these maggots would be as big as a woodchuck to us."
Bot flies do not bite. They deposit their eggs in the nostrils of caribou in the arctic. When the eggs hatch, they wander around inside the caribou's body and then settle in under the animal's skin as they grow to be adults. Then they pop out of the caribou's skin and drop to the ground so that they can pupate.
Sunday, July 19, 2009 2 Samuel 7.1–14a Psalm 89.20–37 Jeremiah 23.1–6 Psalm 23 Ephesians 2.11–end Mark 6.30–34, 53–end
My internets have been so slow (or non-existent) that I was unable to post until today!
What a bummer!
2 Samuel 7.1–14a God's promize 2 david
1 aftr teh king wuz settld in his palace an teh lord had given him rest frum all his enemiez around him, 2 he sed 2 nathan teh profet, "her im, livin in palace ov cedar, while teh ark ov ceilin cat remains in tent." 3 nathan replid 2 teh king, "whatevr u has in mind, go ahead an do it, 4 da lord iz wif u." 4 dat nite teh werd ov teh lord came 2 nathan, sayin: 5 "go an tell mah servant david, dis ar teh wut teh lord sez: r u teh wan 2 build me houz 2 dwell in? 6 i has not dwelt in houz frum teh dai i brought teh israelitez up out ov egypt 2 dis dai. I has been movin frum place 2 place wif tent as mah dwellin. 7 wherevr i has movd wif all teh israelitez, did i evr say 2 any ov their rulers whom i commandd 2 sheferd mah peeps israel, "y has u not built me houz ov cedar?" 8 "nao den, tell mah servant david, dis ar teh wut teh lord almighty sez: i took u frum teh paschur an frum followin teh flock 2 be rulr ovar mah peeps israel. 9 i has been wif u wherevr u has gone, an i has cut off all ur enemiez frum before u. Nao im gonna mak ur naym great, liek teh namez ov teh greatest doodz ov teh earth. 10 an im gonna provide place 4 mah peeps israel an will plant them so dat they can has home ov their own an no longr be disturbd. Wickd peeps will not oppres them nomore, as they did at teh beginnin 11 an has dun evr since teh tiem i appointd leaders [a] ovar mah peeps israel. Im gonna also giv u rest frum all ur enemiez. " teh lord declarez 2 u dat teh lord him will establish houz 4 u: 12 when ur dais r ovar an u rest wif ur fathers, im gonna raize up ur offsprin 2 succed u, hoo will come frum ur own body, an im gonna establish his kingdom. 13 he iz teh wan hoo will build houz 4 mah naym, an im gonna establish teh throne ov his kingdom forevr. 14 im gonna be his fathr, an he will be mah son. When he doez wrong, im gonna punish him wif teh rod ov doodz, wif floggings inflictd by doodz.
Psalm 89 Ceiling Cat madez a dele wif teh speshul David. Srsly.
1 Oh hai Ceiling Cat iz liek meowin' at ur luvs 4 uz, an stuffs. An wif mi mouf iz tellin' mi babiez an teh kittiez next doer of ur awesomeness. 2 An ai saiz dat u luv uz kittiz all 4eva an eva. Srsly. U riliables liek teh ceiling wich rain wen it sad an getes uz all wets. 3 An u sais "Ai has madez a deals wif mai speshul pplz, Srsly, ai has toldez mai kitteh Davids: 4 Ai lookz after your kittehs and buildz tehm troehnz, an makez dem cheezeburgerz fur all teh kittehs." 5 Oh mai graet Ceiling Cat iz praising u so badz an givin u cheezeburgerz, cause u iz all liek, ai is faithful in maekin holi wuns, n stuffs. 6 An whu in teh Ceiling iz beins leik yu, noe wuns taht whu. Srsly. Noet eveh teh BerdKats, 7 Who iz fearin teh Ceiling Cat in awl him howliness an awesohmness. 8 Oh graet Ceiling Cat, whu iz awesohm leik u. We dunno, srsly. 9 Cause u iz lookin afteh teh oshuns, we iz liek sayin fanks fur teh noet wettin uz, an stuffs. 10 Wehn u iz liek pwnin Ra'hab, him was liek a skwashed cheezeburger. An u waz chasin awai all yuz emenies leik littul mices tuh ur pahw. Srsly. 11 U maeks al teh fings leik teh Ceiling an teh Urfs. An we luvs dem liek our hoomans. 12 An u maeks teh ups an douns, fur taht pplz fank u. 13 Yuz has a mietiful pahw an a hai riet awm. 14 unneath u is fahreness an out off u coems luv. Liek teh lolrus loevs his bukket. 15 Happeh iz teh kittehs u meow at.
1 5"BEHOLD, TEH (J)DAIS R COMIN," DECLAREZ TEH LORD,"WHEN IM GONNA RAIZE UP 4 DAVID RIGHTEOUS (K)BRANCH;AN HE WILL (L)REIGN AS KING AN ACT WISELY AN (M)DO JUSTICE AN RIGHTEOUSNES IN DA LAND. 2 6"IN HIS DAIS JUDAH WILL BE SAVD,AN (N)ISRAEL WILL DWELL SECURELY;AN DIS AR TEH HIS (O)NAYM BY WHICH HE WILL BE CALLD,TEH (P)LORD R RIGHTEOUSNES. 3 7"(Q)THEREFORE BEHOLD, TEH DAIS R COMIN," DECLAREZ TEH LORD, "WHEN THEY WILL NO LONGR SAY, AS TEH LORD LIVEZ, HOO BROUGHT UP TEH SONS OV ISRAEL FRUM TEH LAND OV EGYPT, 4 8(R)BUT, AS TEH LORD LIVEZ, HOO (S)BROUGHT UP AN LED BAK TEH DESCENDANTS OV TEH HAUSHOLD OV ISRAEL FRUM TEH NORTH LAND AN FRUM ALL TEH COUNTRIEZ WER I HAD DRIVEN THEM. DEN THEY WILL LIV ON THEIR OWN SOIL
Psalm 23
1 Ceiling Cat iz mai sheprd (which is funni if u knowz teh joek about herdin catz LOL.) He givz me evrithin I need.
2 He letz me sleeps in teh sunni spot an haz liek nice waterz r ovar thar.
3 He makez mai soul happi an maeks sure I go teh riet wai for him. Liek thru teh cat flap insted of out teh opin windo LOL.
4 I iz in teh valli of dogz, fearin no pooch, bcz Ceiling Cat iz besied me rubbin' mah ears, an it maek me so kumfy.
5 He letz me sit at teh taebl evn when peepl who duzint liek me iz watchn. He givz me a flea baff an so much gooshy fud it runz out of mai bowl LOL.
6 Niec things an luck wil chase me evrydai an I wil liv in teh Ceiling Cats houz forevr.
11 Membr wunz u wuz stuck outside Ceiling Cats houz. 12 U no haz cheezburger, no haz cookie, no LOLs, an u wuz liek WTF?? Cud mai life sux smores?!!1! 13 But Jebus opended teh door an sais, "O hai keete keete! Wanna coem in mah houz?" 14 Jebus maded teh kitteh door sos kittehs cud be inside wid Him when dey wantz. 15 At first Ceiling cat wus liek, "Hey Jebus, WTF?!!! Wair all deez stinky kittehs coem from!!!" But Jebus sais, "Kittehs wid me, k?" Den Ceiling Cat wuz liek, "k." 16 Kittehs wunz wuz fraid Ceiling Cat. He wuz alwais liek, "Hey U, GTF off Mai lawn!!!" an throwded stuf. 17 Den Jebus went out to find kittehs, Dey wuz hidin in teh bushes an sum wuz kinda far. Jebus wuz liek, "Heeer kitteh, kitteh..." 18 An he tooked teh kittehs into Ceiling Cats houz. 19 First kittehs wuz liek, "Oh noes! Halp! Halp!" But Jebus petted teh kittehs an shareded sum his cheezburgers. Den kittehs wuz no fraid Ceiling Cats place ne moer. 20 Soz new kittehs met old kittehs, an all kittehs wuz gettin nice rubs frum Jebus while Ceiling Cat maded teh cookies. Wuz no fites, just purrs. 21 Srsly, Jebus and kittehs an Ceiling Cat maded happy famly. 22 Den Hovr Cat marked evrboodi wid Hiz scent.
Mark 6.30–34, 53–end Happy Cat Feedz Lotz of Peepul
30 Teh Aposslz caem bak, an dey telld Happy Cat all teh stuff dey did an teechd. 31 An den, bcuz dere wuz too many peepul an dey wuzn't getting lunch, he wuz liek "Hay, letz go rest nao, k?" 32 An so dey went away in a boat an went were nowun wuz. 33 But lotz of peepul seez dem, an chaesd dem an got dere furst. 34 An Happy Cat seez dem, an touhght dey wuz liek sheep wifout a shephurd. An he teeched dem stuff.
53 An dey landed at soem plaice wif a funny naem. 54 An wen dey got out of teh boat, peepul wuz like "Hay, dat's Happy Cat!" 55 An dey brot sick peepul to him on teh matz. 56 An Happy Cat heeld sick peepul an stuff werever he wuz. Srsly.
Karen Jo of Kitty Limericks has written a touching and healing tribute to Charlie on her blog. Compassionate and thoughtful, Karen Jo has taken the time to learn about Charlie's life in Vermont and New Hampshire. This blog, a "celebration of the kitties (and their friends) of the CatBlogosphere in verse," is one of the Top 21 Cat Sites.
The cats have been going through their own grieving. They know what happened. Buddy, who walks everywhere outside with me, will never go with me to where Charlie died. Buddy was mute and nearly motionless for at least two days and had no interest in hunting, let alone going out.
For some reason, Zorro, who has never been top cat, is wooing Buddy. Knowing that Buddy is now top cat, Zorro will roll around submissively in front of Buddy, who will sit up tall and disapprovingly and occasionally bat Zorro's head. In bed, Buddy and Zorro, who had been sleeping together, have now separated to different spots. And with the other cats, Zorro is now shoring up his second banana spot by batting Turnip about if Turnip gets too chummy. Buddy's relationships with the others are unchanged.
Cats' lives are complicated lives as they wrest power and control from each other in order to grab a bit more for themselves.
2 Samuel 6.1–5, 12b–19 Psalm 24 Amos 7.7–15 Psalm 85.8–end Ephesians 1.3–14 Mark 6.14–29
2 Samuel 6.1–5, 12b–19 Teh ark brought 2 jerusalem
1 david again brought togethr out ov israel chosen doodz, thirty thousand in all. 2 he an all his doodz set out frum baalah ov judah [a] 2 brin up frum thar teh ark ov ceilin cat, which iz calld by teh naym, [b] teh naym ov teh lord almighty, hoo iz enthrond tween teh cherubim dat r on teh ark. 3 they set teh ark ov ceilin cat on new cart an brought it frum teh houz ov abinadab, which wuz on teh hill. Uzzah an ahio, sons ov abinadab, wuz guidin teh new cart 4 wif teh ark ov ceilin cat on it, [c] an ahio wuz walkin in frunt ov it. 5 david an teh whole houz ov israel wuz celebratin wif all their mite before teh lord, wif songs [d] an wif harps, lyrez, tambourinez, sistrums an cymbals.
12 nao king david wuz told, "teh lord has blesd teh haushold ov obd-edom an evrythin he has, cuz ov teh ark ov ceilin cat." so david went down an brought up teh ark ov ceilin cat frum teh houz ov obd-edom 2 teh city ov david wif rejoicin. 13 when dose hoo wuz carryin teh ark ov teh lord had taken 6 steps, he sacrificd bull an fattend calf. 14 david, wearin linen efod, dancd before teh lord wif all his mite, 15 while he an teh entire houz ov israel brought up teh ark ov teh lord wif shouts an teh sound ov trumpets. 16 as teh ark ov teh lord wuz enterin teh city ov david, michal daughtr ov saul watchd frum window. An when she saw king david leapin an dancin before teh lord, she despisd him in her hart. 17 they brought teh ark ov teh lord an set it in itz place inside teh tent dat david had pitchd 4 it, an david sacrificd burnt offerings an fellowship offerings [f] before teh lord. 18 aftr he had finishd sacrificin teh burnt offerings an fellowship offerings, he blesd teh peeps in da naym ov teh lord almighty. 19 den he gaev loaf ov bread, caek ov datez an caek ov raisins 2 each person in da whole crowd ov israelitez, both doodz an women. An all teh peeps went 2 their homez.
Psalm 24
1 Teh worldz belong 2 Ceiling Cat, N all teh cheezburgerz N all teh kittehs. 2 Ceiling Cat made ur worldz like big water bowl, N no backwash! 3 Which lolcat brave enuf 2 climb Ceiling Cat'z scratching post? Which lolcat brave enuf to piss in Ceiling Cat'z territoreh? Which lolcat cn let Ceiling Cat in teh pet-door? 4 only teh lolcat wif bestestest tongue 4 givin bathz. N no fleaz. 5 Ceiling Cat give that lolcat cheezburgerz N cookies. 6 Srsly. kthxbye. 7 Lift teh cat flap N let Ceiling Cat in. 8 Ceiling cat are serious cat. This are serious psalm. 9 Let him in ur cat flap, srsly. 10 Ceiling Cat are serious. Let him in ur cat flap. Itz cold in teh garage. Srsly. kthxbye.
teh levl 7 Den he showded me a wall an he wuz uzin a levl to maek shure it wuz strait. 8 An Ceiling Cat askted, "What duz u see, Amos?" I sed "A levl." Den Ceiling Cat sed, "I iz settin up a levl to chek teh peeplz of Israel. I cant put up wif dere nonsens no moar. 9 "I will destroi Isaac's high plaeciz n trash hiz saef plaisiz n attak Jeroboams famili wif mai sword."
Amos n Amaziah 10 Amaziah wuz a priest in Bethel. He tolded King Jeroboam, "Amos is causin a ruckus an makin trubl for u here in Israel. 11 He iz all " 'Jeroboam wil get killded wif a sword, an teh peepl of Israel wil be drivn awai, far awai from hoam.' " 12 Amaziah tolded Amos, "STFU an go bak to Judah. 13 Stai out of Bethel kthnxbai." 14 Amos tolded Amaziah, "I wuzint a proffet befor an neithr wuz mai daddi. I takeded caer of sheepz an treez. 15 But Ceiling Cat tolded me to cut dat out and go tell teh fyoochr to teh peepl of Israel.
Psalm 85 Singy Tiem fo tha Sunz Uv Korah
1 Ceiling Cat, yur realeh kewl. Srsly. Yu maek no moar slaev kittehs. 2 Yu maek all uv invisible errors betta an stuff. 3 Yu no maek angwy tiem no moars. Dats kewl, Iz no lieks dat stuffs. 4 Plz dun be mad no moars. 5 Ceiling Cat be mad at us tiems infinity? NOES!!1! Evn our littlest kitteh sunz? 6 Mehbey yu maek it all betta, an we maek funneh sownds at yu? 7 Haev merceh on us!!1! 8 Iz be good listender. Ceiling Cat talkz peece an stuffs an blah blah 2 his fello kittehs. Dey dun need 2 be bad kittehs after dat. 9 We be fraid uv Ceiling cat. Sow we gets gud stuffs! His awesum stuff culd maek dis place bettr. 10 Merceh and troofs be wif each uthur. Gud stuffs and peece maek out. 11 Troofs will pounce frum Urfs; gud stuffs come frum ceiling. 12 Ceiling Cat giveded us teh gud stuffs, an we maek it gud on Urfs. 13 Gud stuffs maek us liek Ceiling Cat.
3 Luv teh Ceiling Cat nd Jesus dat givez us teh free stuf. 4 Teh Ceiling Cat pikded us to be teh holey nd gud kittehs. 5 Ceiling Cat adopps uz as teh kittehs thru Jesus cuz he wants to, 6 nd givz us teh Jesus, who he luvs lots. 7 Jesus lets us off teh hook 4 arr invisible errorz. 8 No end of teh good cuz Ceiling Cat has teh brainz. 9 He tellz us evrythin we needs to kno abt, cuz he wantd 2. 10 Nd wen teh time is rddy, its will awl be in wun cookie bag with teh nam uv Jesus awn it. 11 A plan- Ceiling Cat haz it, and choosded us for it. He knos wat hes doin. Srsly. 12 This wai teh Jew kittehs maek Ceiling Cat happy nd they gets saved, 13 nd nao evry1 else has teh life saved 2. We is addoptd 4 real nao, like he promisd. 14 Ceiling Cat buys us so we can has gud stuf.
Mark 6.14–29 John teh Baptist Luzez Headz
14 An teh King Herod heerd dis, bcuz Happy Cat wuz famus nao. And peepul wuz liek "Hai, John teh Baptist isnt ded NEmore!" 15 An othurz wuz liek "He iz Elikhat!" An othurz wuz liek "No, he iz proffet!" 16 But Herod wuz liek "John teh Baptist caem bak to lief? No wai! OMGWTFBBQ!" 17 Bcuz Herod wuz liek "Hai, sumbody put John in prizun, k?" Bcuz Herodias wuz Philip's wief, an Philip wuz Herod'z brudder, an den Herod marreed Herodias. 18 An John wuz liek "Hai, u cant do taht!" 19 So Herodias wuntd to killz John. But she cudnt, 20 bcuz Herod wuz skeerd of John, an he protectd him, bcuz he wuz gud. An John confuzd Herod, but Herod liekd lisning to John. 21 But den it wuz Herod'z birfday, an he hadz a big parti. An dere wuz yummi caek. 22 An den Herodias's dottr caem in an dansed, an she wuz rly gud at dansin. An teh king wuz liek "Hai, Iz gunna giv u anyfing u wantz!" Srsly. 23 An he wuz liek "Srsly, I promisz. I givz u wutevur u wantz." 24 An she wentz to her mothur an wuz liek "Hai, wut shud I ask foar?" An she wuz liek "Teh hed of John teh Baptist." 25 An teh gurl went to teh king an wuz liek "O, hai, I can haz teh hed of John teh Baptist on a plaet, plz?" 26 An teh king didnt want to do taht, but he promissd. 27 So he wuz liek "Hai, cud sumwun go get teh hed, plz?" An sum gai went an cut off John's hed, 28 An he brot it bak on a plaet taht he got sumwerez. An he gaev it to teh gurl, an she gaev it to her mothur. 29 An wen tehy heeerd dis, John's disipls got hiz boddy (but not teh hed) an burryd it.
Every summer Grandson Wingnut and I learn how to cook new stuff. One summer we perfected our whole wheat bread made with either honey, molasses or maple. Our first recipe this summer is Strawberry Chiffon Pie. Wingnut can't pronounce chiffon but he sure can make a good one. The recipe came in an email from the Old Farmer's Almanac. The pie is excellent — not too sweet. Next time, I may puree the berries in a blender to see if it makes the chiffon lighter and foamier.
Wingnut learned about heavy cream, tasted his first cream without any sugar, learned about strawberries and how to clean them, pie shells from the store, how to fold ingredients together and how to whip cream.
Serve this pie tangy cold from the refrigerator on a hot day. If you don't have a red juice on hand, dissolve the gelatin in water and add just one drop of red food coloring.
1-1/2 cups crushed strawberries (about 1 quart fresh berries) 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (about 2 packets) 1/4 cup cranberry or cranapple juice 2 cups whipping cream, divided 1 9-inch baked pie shell strawberry halves for garnish
Combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and let stand for about 30 minutes. Combine the gelatin and juice and dissolve over hot water. Stir gelatin mixture into berries and chill until partially set. Whip 1 cup of cream and stir into berry mixture. Pour into baked pie shell and chill until firm. Whip remaining 1 cup cream and spread or pipe on top of the pie. Decorate with strawberry halves.
In hot, humid weather, consider freezing the completed pie if you will be making it well ahead of serving time.
It's so difficult when a cat dies. He leaves a hole in your heart and home and in the pride of cats left behind. The others expect Charlie to return, with his swagger and bullying, and knock them off their sleeping perches or chase them a bit (just to let them know he's top cat, you know). Last night the others tentatively and tensely slept with us and awaited Charlie's blows as he settled on his bed. But it is quiet and peaceful. There are no mice left around the cars, no growls or scuttling about. They will all adjust and I will learn not to listen for him and not to look for him.
My children have called and and we have consoled each other. Xavier has been very solicitous and kind. And most of all, the love, respect and care of John has made this time easier to deal with.
Charlie already has had a kitten named after him — Celeste in Georgia of My Day and Thoughts, has named a new little one after Charlie. I hesitate to tell Celeste that my kids called our Charlie "Charlie Manson" because of his personality! Maybe this newest Charlie will redeem the name.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you all. ♥Andree
Charlie never came home last night. I checked for him until midnight and then went to bed. I never heard his high, squeaky voice as he strolled home in the dark as his emerald eyes glow in reflected light. This morning he did not return for breakfast and I became worried. But Xavier and I went to the store hoping Charlie would be home when we returned. When we got back, John was still home, never having gone to work. I felt something was wrong then. And it was.
John had last seen Charlie last night at the wood pile, so when we went to the store, John tracked Charlie's last walk from the wood pile, into the woods, to the edge of the woods where the cat followed the tree line at the edge of the high field. And there in the corner of the field was Charlie's fur and a large area of matted grasses. There was a bit of blood, I saw, but not much at all. The coyotes (John counted two from the tracks) took Charlie across the field beneath an apple tree. There was a bit of fur there, too. There was nothing else.
Later in the afternoon, when I was ready, John took Xavier and I on Charlie's last walk. It was a healing walk amid the wildflowers in the fields as John explained to us what the tracks and grasses told us about Charlie's death. We followed the coyote tracks to the road, which they crossed to get to the Blackwater River.
The other cats had behaved oddly today before we knew what had happened to Charlie. They stayed close to the house. Buddy never went to his favorite field, the other field, to hunt. He was also poking in odd corners and behind furniture today — searching. The cats' sleep is broken and tense. John said they began to be nervous about 10pm last night. That is when Charlie died. That is when Charlie usually comes home for bed.
It is raining now. Thunder rumbles over our heads. The rain is comforting. We hope that your rainbow, Charlie, will appear in the sky later. We know you died so quickly that you probably never felt a thing except a brief flash of fear. We miss you, Charlie. We will never forget.
Sheep Laurel (also called Lambkill) (Kalmia angustifolia)
In a previous post on my Photo a Day Blog, Wildflowers & Berries, I misidentified this Sheep Laurel as Mountain Laurel. I wrote that I wasn't entirely sure it was mountain laurel because of the size and age of the plant. While reading Summer World: A Season of Bounty by Bernd Heinrich, I suddenly came across a mention of swamp laurel. With that clue, John and I were able to identify our laurel as sheep laurel because of its location and growth pattern. Sheep laurel has the identifiable growth seen above. The flowers develop on last year's growth and this year's growth is above the flowers.
And now, because of its importance and value, I will shamelessly promote Heinrich's book. The summer world that I am watching is more meaningful to me now after reading this book. Click, buy it, and enjoy a wonderful summer read:
When Amy & Matt came on the Fourth of July, they brought Sophie (above) and Scout. The dogs loved the swimming in the pond and hunting in the woods for squirrels, chipmunks and mice. Sophie doesn't seem too happy here, but that is just the capture of the camera. She was running and swimming for hours.
Amy, Matt, Sophie & Scout came for a cookout today, which we managed to have. It rained harder than it has the past month. Thunderstorm after thunderstorm rolled through and the rain was blinding. But inbetween, we managed to cook and we had a great time. The dogs swam, went mouse and squirrel hunting and we walked them down the road. No fireworks tonite (see the above graph)!
Sunday, July 5, 2009 2 Samuel 5.1–5, 9–10 Psalm 48 Ezekiel 2.1–5 Psalm 123 2 Corinthians 12.2–10 Mark 6.1–13
2 Samuel 5.1–5, 9–10 David Iz TopCat in Israel!!! OMG!!!
1 An all teh Israel peeps caem tu David at Hebron an wuz leik, "Wez yo kittehs fo reals! We iz wun fambly and stuffs! SRSLY, k? 2 Wen dat d00d Saul waz Top Cat n stuff, yu wuz teh wun who actshully leed uz wen we fited teh nasty doggz. An Ceiling Cat eben tol yu, 'Yuo gunna be teh sheperd uf mai Israel peeps, an yu gunna be Top Cat!'" 3 Teh old cats iz old, butt dey all goed to TopCat David at Hebron. Top Cat David maed deel with them (leik, yuz no steel mah mouseh toyz, I no poop in yuz food bowl, onlee teh deel wif David an teh old cats wuz a littel diffent, probly). Newai, den teh old cats giv David good lickin, wich meens dey liek him, an David waz TopCat in Israel! OMG YAY!!! 4 David wuz tirty wen him startd bein TopCat, an he bez teh Top Cat fo FOARTY YERS! OMG WOAAH! 5 He wuz in Hebron bein Top Cat uf Judah fo seben yers n six monts, an den in Jerusalem he wuz bein TopCat uf Judah AN Israel fo thirty-tree yaers! Srsly.
9 david den took up residence in da fortres an calld it teh city ov david. He built up teh area around it, frum teh supportin terracez [c] inward. 10 an he became moar an moar powerful, cuz teh lord ceilin cat almighty wuz wif him.
Psalm 48
1 Leet iz be Ceiling Cat, and mostest wurthy of prayze, in teh sandbox of owr Ceiling Cat, his holee mountan. 2 Itz pritty since iz be loftee, iz be joy of da hole urths. Liek the tippy-top of Zaphon iz Mount Zion, teh sandbox of teh leet King. 3 Ceiling Cat iz in her bases, bein all her bases. 4 Wen teh kingz joind up and stormd owt 5 dey sawd her an wuz liek, “WTF!!!” and ranz away. 6 dey wuz shakin and hurtin lieks laydee sqweezin owt a baby. 7 Yu pwned dem liek da boatz of Tarshish wuz pwned bai da eest wind. 8 Liek az we hearded, so we haz saw in teh sandbox of teh Almightee Ceiling Cat: him makes her sekur for evr. Selah! (wat diz meen!?) 9 Wez in yur temple, Ceiling Cat, thinkin bout yur luv. 10 Liek yur name, Ceiling Cat, yur prayzez goez to teh endes of teh urths; yur rite paw iz full wif righchusnez. 11 Mount Zion lols, alsoz lols teh sandboxes of Judah, cuz of yur jugementz. 12 Wandah round Zion, be countin her towahz, 13 be thinkin bout her rampartz, alsoz be thinking bout her bases, soez yu can be tellin future kitties bout dem. 14 For dis Ceiling Cat iz be owr Ceiling Cat, for evr and evr, and iz be owr leadah to teh endz. Srsly.
Ezekiel 2.1–5
Zeke am heer ceiling cat
1 Ceiling cat telled me "Stands up kitteh! I speex" 2 I standed ups liek majik. 3 Ceiling cat sez "Go on teh holibobz to Izrale. Teh peepz dere, dey iz trubble dere an doan liek Me". 4 "Go dere (Dey iz trubble dere an doan liek Me) an say 'I has from ceiling cat dudes, lissen!'" 5 "If dey has lissen or no has lissen (Dey iz trubble dere an doan liek Me) dey am seez u iz holiez kitteh. K?"
Psalm 123
1 I look at hole in ceiling. 2 Peoples need peoples and stuff so look at Ceiling Cat til is good 2 us. 3 Be excelnt 2 us cos teh others are not. 4 Bad people make fun of us.
1-6 Ai haz mowr boastin to do. Even tho yu givz meh nufin, Ai continyu wif Ceiling Cat's revelashuns fuh yu. I haz dis kitteh dat wuz en teh Thyrd Ceiling, rly, an did he haz a kitteh-form der? Ai haz no idea. Ceiling cat noes, srsly. An Ai noe dat dis kitteh wuz takn to teh Ceiling. He herd tings. Tings he PWND me not to sai to yu. Ai tawk abowt kitteh liek dat cuz, tawk abowt meh? DO NOT WANT. But Ai tells yu mai seekret weeknesh. Even az a boastkitteh, Ai not foolkitteh. Cuz I b speekin dat truf, srsly! I haz PWN now. Yu no haz thots abowt wut Ai do or sai.
7-10 I no b hazin teh conseetnesh ov relevashuns. Dey b thorn in mai furz! Minyun of Basement Cat torments meh. Ai ax Jebus to taek dat frum meh. Jebus seys, "Mai grace, yu haz eet. Mai PWN is maed purfekt en ur weeknesh." Sos Ai tawk mowr abowt mez weeknesh to yu. JEBUS' PWN I WANTZ EET! Dis iz wai, fuh Jebus Ai sez to mai weeknesh, "Stai wif meh en teh PWN ov othr kittehs, en teh toylut bowl, teh littrbx. Wen Ai haz weeknesh, Ai haz Jebus' PWN."
Mark 6.1–13 A Proffet Wifout Honurz
1 Happy Cat left an went hoem, an teh disipls caem too. 2 An den on Caturday he wuz teechn in teh tempul, an teh peepul wuz liek, "Hay, dat iz awsum! Hao duz he kno all dez tings? 3 Iznt dat teh carpentur? Iznt dat gai Mary's son, and sum gai's brudder? Iz hiz sisturs heer?" An dey was annoyd. 4 An Happy Cat sed "Teh proffit iz wifout honurz onlee wen heez at hoam." 5 An Happy Cat cudnt do miraculz, except fur heeling sick peepulz. 6 An he wuz liek "Hay, wai dey dun gotz no faithz?" An heez went around to lotz of plaacez.
Happy Cat Sendz teh Twelvz 7 An Happy Cat wuz liek "Hay, twelvz, u can comz heer, k?" An den he said "U gaiz go owt an fiet teh ebil spiwitz, k? Remembr to uz teh buddy systmz!" 8 An his instrucshunz wuz liek "U taekz onli staff wif u, k? 9 An u wearz sandlz, but u not taekz spaer shurtz, k? 10 O, an wen u goez insied a howse, u staiz dere until u leevz town, k? 11 An if any plaice duznt hav peepz taht listnz to u, den u shaek ur feetz at dem wen u leevz, k?" 12 An dey went owt an dey wuz liek "Hay, u shud repentz, k?" And teh peepul wuz liek "Wut duz repent meen?" An dey wuz liek "Itz liek apolojyzin an bein gud, k?" An teh peepul wuz liek "o, okai." 13 An dey kickt owt lotz of demunz an dey heeld lotz of sik peepul.
Pansy is my secretive and furtive cat. One of my Hartford (CT) students found her on his roof as boys were throwing rocks at her when she was a tiny kitten. He rescued her from the roof and, thinking her leg was broken because it was so crooked, strapped half a Popsicle stick to it with an ace bandage. When Luis asked me to adopt the kitten, we left school, took her to the vet, and she was found to be disabled, not broken. She is now living in the living room (by choice) but hollers for stinky food (that I bought for Turnip) every night. In the morning, after I let the other cats out, I'll see Pansy out in the garden. She has never gone out before — not in Connecticut or Vermont. But here she is safe and feels secure. She is badly disabled with curled and crooked feet and a poor spine. I'm thrilled she is able to be out and about with the others. Now, if the sun would only shine, she could lie around and perhaps her aches and pains would lessen. _/\_/\_
Not my lupine of course. But it is here and still blooming. All colors. It's been raining too much for me to go photograph the other colors, but I will. I planted lupine seeds that John has saved and they are coming up! They won't be blooming this year — they will begin to bloom next year
I have seen these tiny fuzzy white balls floating around every summer of my life — but I never paid attention to them. One sentence in Heinrich's Summer World gave a name to these fascinating and beautiful creatures: "A cottony white fluff ball drifts by on feeble wing beats — it's the migrating form of the woolly alder aphid. I don't know where it's going, but it is of the summer's last generation from wingless parents."
This is my last Summer World post. I hope these have motivated you to buy this book and see the world about us more clearly.
