Carl Sagan Pumpkin

I finished carving this one a couple of days ago, but haven't seen it illuminated yet. 

House portrait in progress

Bolts

Sometimes I'm struck by lightning while I'm just sitting there in my own damn computer chair trying to process travel authorizations or whatever.
 

Recent dampness on pumpkin places

Stephen Hawking pumpkin

This won't be cut for another two or three weeks.

D&D

I played for a little while tonight with Aaron and his sons. Tons of fun.

Ribbit

This past Sunday I caught a frog at Kroger. I'm just making sure I post that here because it seems like something I should record. I think it was a gray  tree frog. 

I also talked to a lady about her parrots. She was very nice and showed my pictures of them. 

When I got to work, a co-worker was dressed as Eyore. It was a strange day. 

Yesterday, Labor Day, I was off work all day. I was still busy, but it was a home at least.  

Pumpkin vine

This summer, pumpkin vines started growing along our porch, presumably from seeds that fell from last year's jack-o'-lanterns. This one is large enough that I have had to fold it back on itself so it didn't block access to our garage, and I have to keep budging it back from the sidewalk. It has two healthy-looking pumpkins on it, and overall it looks much healthier and pest-free than any pumpkin vine I ever grew in my back yard.

At the Parklands in Saturday

Work-in-progress

An assassin bug eating a fly

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Wings of Glory S.E. 5a

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No matter what difficult thing I am dealing with, I know there are beautiful things in my life too numerous to count. I have been incredibly fortunate all my life, and I will remain so.

Flowers in my garden are afflicted with aster yellow. Dammit. I was loving my coneflowers! I had worked on them. 

More bee-on-hyssop

Lunch time on the hyssop

Hanabi

We played the fireworks-themed Hanabi yesterday and scored 18 points. Not bad for four newbies.

Churchill seating

7 Wonders Duel

...with one of my wonderful daughters.

It was our first game.

Memoir '44

I set up the Utah Beach scenario a couple of days ago (D-day + 74 years). Allies lost 6 to 1. Card draws forced the US troops to act in zones where Germans were strongest.

Memoir '44

I set up a game on Monday but didn't get very far before we decided to watch Spider Man: Homecoming.

Red clover in acrylic

This is a little painting I did over the weekend. It's pretty minimal--but I am happy with it. I should probably paint/draw more things from my yard, if I can squeeze it in.

Bunny

Red clover

Spiderword

Before it turns ratty later in the summer. 

Daffodil moves

I just moved most of my daffodils from the back yard to the front. Probably a hundred bulbs. (Conservative estimate. I dunno. Might be 150+.) I hope they do ok, and I can't wait to see them all bloom there. 

There were some white ones in the side yard I moved up, too, but I left most of them there--because I couldn't figure out where to put them if I moved them.

I also moved hostas back to the front. I hope they recover from the move and fill in a little. They were doing better in the back yard than they ever did up front by the porch, so the ones I put back in there will probably not do too well. I left a little ajuga in place there by the porch, and put some yarrow in with it, but the yarrow probably won't expand until next spring.

That spot by the porch is pretty rough. It gets really wet sometimes, and then really dry, and there is a lot of clay and gravel in it. Mostly, for two years, we have let the violets dominate it. Violets love it there and I think they actually look nice, but we'll try something else now.