Monday, July 18, 2005, 17:52
What a Relief!
For the third or fourth time that I can remember in the last 10 years we have lived here, the temperature reached 100 degrees on Sunday afternoon. 100 degrees. That's a 145 degree difference from the coldest temperature we have had here of 45 degrees below zero in January a few years back. The high of 100 degrees Sunday afternoon was the culmination of almost two weeks of temperatures in the mid to upper 90s.
Today at noon, the temperature is 84 degrees with a strong 25 mph wind out of the west. What a difference. The weather forecast says the temperature will be back in the 90s by the end of the week. So, I'm going to enjoy this while we have it!
For the past two days, the company that produces electricity for our cooperative, Dairyland Power, has been issuing peak energy warnings and asking people to turn off all unnecessary appliances to reduce the power draw. I refrained from washing any clothes or doing any vacuuming or washing any dishes during the day. And at night, instead of turning on lights (most of our bulbs are compact fluorescent, anyway), we lit a candle lamp and set it in the middle of the table. Our water heater also is on "load management" which means they can shut it off by radio control when they need to reduce the power draw.
I suppose, now that the demand for electricity is less (since I am assuming most people have turned off their air conditioners and/or fans), I could go ahead and vacuum and wash some clothes.
Naaaaa. . .I think I'd rather look out the open window and listen to the wind in the trees. Or better yet, go outside and lie in the grass or the hammock and enjoy the cool breeze.
LeAnn R. Ralph
Saturday, July 16, 2005, 21:09
The Trouble With Butterflies
The trouble with butterflies, I have noticed, is that they don't sit still long enough for me to get a really good look at them. You wouldn't think there are enough different kinds of butterflies to make them difficult to identify, but a perusal of my butterfly book this morning proved the point. Something like one little spot of a different color on the lower part of the wing -- and it's a different butterfly.
I wanted to try to identify butterflies because on my bike ride over to my brother's in the morning to take care of kitty cats and flowers, I am seeing several different kinds of butterflies.
This morning, for example, as I came up the hill by the little woods near our house, I saw a brownish butterfly. I stopped to see if it would sit someplace long enough for me to see identifying marks. Oh, sure. It sat. With its wings closed. And then when it started flitting around, I could tell very little about the markings. I was able to conclude that it *might* have been a Fritillary. Or maybe a Crescent of some kind.
On the straight stretch of road heading over to the farm, I am seeing dozens and dozens of Red Admirals. At least I am able to identify those. These are small Red Admirals, so I think there must have been a recent hatch. They are black with some orange markings on the wings. I see many of them around my barn, too, and I have started dumping a little water in the dirt to make a wet spot so the butterflies can find some moisture. (The temperature was 98 degrees on Friday, and we haven't had significant rain in weeks.)
I saw one Monarch, too, on the way over to the farm this morning. And I saw a Monarch Friday morning on the milkweed plants that are growing in my little garden by the basement. I decided to leave the milkweed plants in my garden because for one thing, the purple flowers have the most heavenly sweet scent, and for another thing, the Monarchs like them. The other day, I saw a Monarch caterpillar.
On my way up the hill to the farm this morning, I also saw a single Alfalfa butterfly. Alfalfas are yellow. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the hundreds of yellow Alfalfa butterflies that would gather around the puddles in the driveway after a good rain. I didn't know they were called Alfalfa butterflies then, though.
After I got back this morning, when I was ready to dump out my bird water pan and put out more fresh water for the birds, I found a Red Admiral floating in the water. I let him climb up on my finger, and then I put him down in the grass. I am hoping his wings dried out enough so he could recover from his swim in the bird water.
I like being able to identify the different creatures that inhabit the environment where I live. Knowing their names makes them seem a little like old friends. Now, if only those butterflies would sit still long enough so I could see their markings. . .
LeAnn R. Ralph