Just Another Happy Face

This spring we brought a praying mantis egg case from another locale into the yard hoping to establish a population.  We've never seen a praying mantis in our yard prior to today so it looks like the eggs were viable. We're pretty excited as these are beautiful and fascinating insects to observe.

You Toad!

Our insect outing this past weekend was a bust. However the wildflowers were beautiful and we even found this little guy up in the woods.  He was extremely uncooperative in getting his portrait taken but you can't tell it from this picture. It took Andrew to keep him still and me to capture the image; which just happened to be under the fungus-score!

Hello World

This is a newly emerged dragonfly clinging to a coneflower bud. The larva was in a specimen tank in our garage. Andrew found the adult clinging to the tubes of the aerator in the tank when he went out for work in the morning and he took it outside to be photographed and released. This event concludes a year of research, the results of which we hope to publish in an upcoming edition of The Bulletin of American Odonatology. What a beautiful insect!

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At the End of the Garden Path

 

Waits a little bunny...

 

"People take pictures of the Summer, just in case someone thought they had missed it, and to prove that it really existed." Ray Davies

Forty-Two

Forty two is the number of penicillin shots Garnet has received since May16th in an aggressive and non traditional treatment method to combat a facial abscess. She is on the road to recovery but has another month of regular interval shots to complete and so I hesitate to say she is cured but I am cautiously optimistic.  Today there is no sign of her abscess and her eyes have healed. Garnet's medical issue began with a weepy eye in October of 2009.  By February 2010 I was no longer able to manage the symptoms with over the counter veterinary optic ointment and I took her to the vet for a prescription eye drop. The drops masked the symptoms but did not cure the problem which turned out to be an infection that finally presented itself as a facial abscess in May of this year. I didn't discover the abscess until it burst as angoras have so much facial wool that it was well hidden.  Fearing a huge veterinary bill, which I knew would not be an option, I read up on treatment of rabbit abscesses on the internet and found an article which I thought made sense and required little invasive treatment.  I printed off a copy and showed it to my vet. She agreed to help me follow the protocol. I bought my supplies at TSC and I administered the shots.  The road to recovery was paved with setbacks and pain. Despite the penicillin treatment the abscess grew back to the size of a hickory nut.  It burst again and had to heal again.  The second time around it closed in three days. It was gone in five. The rest is history. I had a lot of questions as I treated Garnet that were not answered in the protocol I found (although it was a very well written and helpful article).  I made notes and recorded my experiences and observations throughout the treatment period. If you are so inclined you can read them and see photos here.  Be forewarned that these are not pretty pictures so view at your own discretion and note that I am not a veterinarian so this information should be considered non scientific. Garnet was the model patient and today is a happy bun. Some rabbits probably wouldn't tolerate all the handling and pain.  Some owners probably wouldn't bother. It was a lot of work. I understand both views.

Put In Bay

Just back from Put In Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.  Mom and I went up for an overnight at a B & B and had a nice relaxing and quiet (emphasis on quiet) stay. We rode the Jet Express boat out of Sandusky, Ohio over to the island where I had arranged for our stay at the English Pines Bed & Breakfast; a lovely historic home located just a few blocks from the main tourist area in town.  We rented a golf cart and motored around last night seeing the sites of which included the famous Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.  We rode the carousel and had a fabulous dinner at Blue Luna Ristorante Italiano. The weather was perfect and there was just a hint of a breeze coming in from off the lake. This morning we had a delicious breakfast of waffles, coffee, fruit and eggs and then went antique shopping. We took the noon Jet Express back to Sandusky and got a pound of fried perch from The New Sandusky Fish Company and stopped off at Firelands winery for some libations to take home to the family.  If you go be prepared for island time; this island is for night owls (of which I am not) and things don't get hoppin' until about 3 pm and in the morning not much is open until 11 am.  The advantage of this schedule however is that you can sleep late, read your book on the veranda, or go for a long morning walk and not be in any hurry and you won't miss a thing. A complete collection of photos can be seen here.

Independence Day

What's not to love about a parade, a picnic, and the fireworks?  

Happy Independence Day & God Bless the USA!

 

 

If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife I'd thank my lucky stars, to be livin' here today. Cause the flag still stands for freedom,and they can't take that away. And I'm proud to be an American,where at least I know I'm free. And I wont forget the men who died,who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up,next to you and defend her still today. Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA. From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee. Across the plains of Texas, From sea to shining sea. From Detroit down to Houston, and New York to L.A. Well there's pride in every American heart, and its time we stand and say. That I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA.~Lee Greenwood