F is for Fuchsia

From Nightjar,

F is for Fuchsia, ©Nightjar, all rights reserved

Fuchsia.

A vivid purplish red color associated with the flowers of fuchsia plants. Instead of an obvious fuchsia flower, I give you the empty flower stem of a pokeweed. The local birds were kind enough to remove all the berries to expose a vivid fuchsia.

 

Link to previous alphabet post

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

It was too hot at 9 am for Jack to go out. Our vet tells us that if the sidewalk is too hot for you to stand on then it’s too hot for your dog to go for a walk. And it was, so he didn’t. He’s been hiding out all day on the kitchen floor in front of the A/C vent. It’s his favorite place. It’s more or less in the center of the house and Jack can keep track of where we are. The floor is cool, the air is cool and it’s the place where we keep the food. C’est parfait, non? The photo today is of my neighbour’s lilies in the morning sun. Lilies are not one of my favourite flowers, but these guys shone their little hearts out for me so I took their picture.

©voyager, all rights reserved

Birdy

Avalus has an eye for the small things of this world and it seems he also has an eye-out.

This little fella’ was hopping on the sidewalk next to a shop. I warded it from traffic and overly curious people that try to touch it for about ten minutes. It tried to fly but only managed big hops until eventually it succeeded and flew away.

Birdy ©Avalus, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

Jack and Leo at the Park, ©voyager, all rights reserved

It’s another hot and humid day here and Jack and I only walked as far as the corner and back. Jack was a good boy and got his business done quickly (Good poop, Mr. Schnoop!) and then he turned toward home, anxious for his cool tile floor and A/C vent. He’s still limping a bit on his rt. leg, but you have to look closely to see it. I’ve been watching that leg from behind every day for 11 years so I notice the small stuff. One more day and he’ll be totally back to normal and hopefully he won’t get quite as excited next time he and Leo play together. This photo from early spring is Jack playing with Leo at the park.

C is for Crimson

From Nightjar

C is for Crimson ©Nightjar, all rights reserved

Crimson.

A strong red with a slight bluish tint. Historically, it’s the color of the kermes dye, a red dye derived from the dried bodies of insects belonging to the genus Kermes. Kermesic acid is the pigment that gives the dye its color. I found a similar hue on a sunburnt rose.

 

Link to previous alphabet post

Jack’s Walk

Mt. Joli with the Perce Rock in the background ©voyager, all rights reserved

Well, it’s not raining. In fact, it’s a hot, sunny day here which just goes to show that weather forecasting is an inexact science. Jack and I haven’t gone for a walk today partly because of the heat and partly because Jack got a bit over-excited last evening while playing with his best friend Leo (who is only 4 and half Jack’s size) and he’s limping a bit on his right back leg. It’s not serious, Bubba has a bit of arthritis in that hip and sometimes it gives him a bit of grief. Maybe tonight when the temp goes down a bit (it’s 30° C right now) I’ll take him down to the end of the street and back, but for now Jack has positioned himself in front of the A/C vent and is happily asleep. Our photo today is where Jack and I wish we were. This is the beach across the street from my mother-in-law’s house in Perce, Quebec.

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

It’s been ridiculously humid here today and it’s given me a good dose of double gravity. Even Jack was moving slowly on our walk this morning and without his usual wagging wiggle. He’s normally so puppy-like that I forget he’s 11 years old, but watching him this morning I saw every one of those 11 years in his plodding slowness. Normally, I’d say tomorrow will be a better day, but it’s supposed to rain for the next 4 days so it might be better, but probably not.

Jack’s Walk

Happy Canada Day ©voyager, all rights reserved

Last year on Canada Day Jack and I celebrated our 100th Jack’s Walk. This Canada Day we’re celebrating walk #358 …and still counting. We had a lovely, slow walk around our little forest this morning and I would love to show you a picture from there, but I forgot to take my camera. It’s one of those days when I’m just glad I remembered shoes (I have been known to show up in slippers) and water for the dog. To make up for the lack forest, here is a photo of Jack and I on our front porch as we wish you our annual Canada Day greeting. I wonder how many walks we’ll be at by next July 1?

Just for PZ (and assorted arachnophiles)

Lasz week I came up the stairs from the cellar and look what I found!

I have no clue what species this is, apart from “fucking big”, as it is about two inches across. I took some pics and then carefully relocated it to where it was less likely to lead to demands of “immediate violent death” from other people.

In case you’re wondering the strange surface, the previous owners glued carpet scraps to the stairs. If there’s a hell for bad DIY, the dude is going to spend eternity scraping glue off things. Pics below the fold.

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