Awaiting Inspiration

There are days when inspiration seems elusive.  Often it is due to distractions such as things on your mind that are troubling or perhaps a restless night.  At other times it is as though your mind shuts down and refuses to be creative.

It seems that I have run out of recent photographs that I wish to use on this blog, so I spent some time this morning digging a little further back into some older ones.  The one below is from October of last year.  It is of a Green Anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis) which is common throughout the southeastern U.S.  The photo was taken near Bellville, Texas.

I frequently see lizards.  Most are skittering quickly out of the way into a place of hiding.  The Anoles seem to be much less shy and accommodate human presence more readily.   Many are able to walk up a vertical surface as easily as they walk across the floor.  Like many lizards, their coloration can morph through a spectrum.  In this case, they range from bright green to a dull brown mostly determined by their location and surroundings.

The ability to change color in order to blend with surroundings has inspired scientists to attempt replication of that ability for use in human applications such as the military.  Becoming somewhat invisible through use of coloration and stillness can be useful for hiding from enemies.

It's amazing what we can learn from nature.  Scientists from many disciplines work with chemists and engineers to mimic what occurs in various species -- both plant and animal.  Writers also borrow from those behaviors -- especially in fantasy and science fiction.  I guess I was inspired after all.

 

 Backroads and History

We always take the backroads when we have the time.  Occasionally we will just take off exploring the backroads.  We almost always stop at historical markers that we find.  If you look back to some of my older posts, you will see them sprinkled in here and there.

 Yesterday, upon the recommendation of a new acquaintance that shares a penchant for history, we took a short trip to see the marker near the site of Jonesboro.  It was one of the first ports of entry into Texas and crossed the Red River north of what is now Clarksville.

At the time of its heyday, Jonesboro was in the United States and Texas was part of Mexico.  The Red River Valley is deep, fertile soil and would certainly have provided an encouraging view for those earliest Anglo settlers to the future Republic of Texas.

A couple of notable people are mentioned on the marker -- Sam Houston and Davey Crockett.  Houston had a long and notable career after entering Texas while Crockett's career was cut short at the Alamo.

Crockett is known to have visited Honey Grove which lies to the west on his way into the interior of Texas.  If you a draw a line from that point of entry at Jonesboro to Honey Grove, it would cross very near where we currently live.  It's kind of cool to think Crockett could very well have crossed what is now our small piece of Texas.

 Faster Than Sight

Can you imagine flapping your arms as fast as a Hummingbird's wings?  Can you imagine a mechanical model doing the same?  The friction alone would wear it out in a very short time.  The engine that drove it would have to be tiny but very powerful.

Think about how minute changes in the wing surfaces of a Hummingbird allow it to move in any direction with amazing agility.  The control necessary to keep from dashing itself into an object or the ground is astounding. (I'm running out of "superlatives" here.)  It is essentially fueled by sugar water.

Starch is the most abundant source of energy in the human diet.  It is a polymer of glucose which is a monosaccharide, one of the simplest forms of sugar.  It is created within plants to store energy by bonding multiple glucose molecules.

Most table sugar and sugar added to foods is sucrose which is another simple sugar.  It is concentrated in plants such as sugarcane and sugar beets to such extent that it can be easily extracted commercially.  It is often victimized as the source of obesity in humans.  It really isn't the sugar's fault; it is ours because we eat too much of it and don't burn those calories off.  Sugar is pure fuel to our bodies.  If we don't burn it, we store it as fat.

If we burned energy at the same rate as a hummingbird we probably couldn't consume enough of it.  Instead, we invent things to save labor and in that saved time we consume more sugar.  It seems crazy to me that we buy riding lawnmowers to save labor and then pay for gym memberships to burn off calories.  I think a better solution would be to flap our arms faster.

My wife caught a number of great pictures of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) at the feeder this week.  The photo below intrigued me because the wings were beating so fast, they were essentially invisible to the eye.

 A Close Neighbor

There is a small Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) that lives on or around our front porch.  I often see him skittering across the concrete steps toward a birdhouse which sits on the corner (simply for decoration) or headed to an old whiskey barrel which sits in another corner.  I enjoy watching him as he goes about his day.

Yesterday my wife was sitting out in one of the rocking chairs when he decided to explore a flower bed which is in front of the porch.  He was probably out looking for food.

He must be confident that we are benign neighbors because he allowed my spouse to take several photos of him.  Perhaps he is simply young and naive, or he might be seeking stardom as an Internet personality.  We probably should give him a catchy name that folks will remember.

I find the Latin name for his Genus to be interesting.  "Plestiodon" sounds like a dinosaur.  I suppose we link dinosaurs and lizards in our minds.  The Species is "fasciatus" which makes me think "face" which is especially relevant when you look at the photos below.  I think someone was on her hands-and-knees to make at least one of the pictures.

 Finding Shade

Summer has come to our part of the world.  It is more moderate than many places but with added humidity the heat index frequently exceeds 100 degrees.  What's interesting is that in the mornings when the temperature is more moderate the humidity is higher and it is often more uncomfortable then than in the afternoons when the heat reaches its peak.

The heat drives people and animals to shade.  People seek air conditioning inside while animals find deep shade and typically sleep.  Lower levels of activity generate less heat and allows their bodies to dissipate that which is a result of simply being warm-blooded and alive.

You will see livestock in the shade of trees or standing in the ponds during the heat.  As long as they have adequate forage, they will be up and eating during the early hours and again in the late hours just before sunset.  If they are eating during peak heat, it is a sign that they are having to hunt for adequate feed or that they are of a breed type that has high heat tolerance.  Typically, Brahman, or Brahman-influenced cattle have higher heat tolerance.

After sweating profusely the other morning, we sought shade to sit and cool down before coming in for lunch.  We have a seating area in a shaded spot beneath a couple of large Red Oak trees that we often will occupy while listening to the birds and enjoying being outdoors.  Maybe it was a sign of some kind that a large, Red-spotted Emperor Butterfly (Limentis arthemis arizonensis) kept lighting on one of the chairs. I hated to disturb him but perhaps he was only pointing out that I should be sitting in the shade rather than sweating out in the sunshine.

 Hidden Fruit

Sometimes you find things in unexpected places.  I probably say that quite often in the things that I write in this blog.  Perhaps it is because I am always looking for the unexpected.

While piling up some brush the other day I realized there was a large American Persimmon Tree (Diospyros virginiana) In a somewhat untended area near an old shed on our property.  I noticed it because some webworms had become established in a part of it and I needed to discourage their spread to other trees.  As I began to examine the tree I noticed the fruit.

We had persimmons on a previous place that we owned and were familiar with them.  We have never eaten them but did receive a bottle of Persimmon Wine once as a gift.  The fruit is eaten by wildlife and also can be harvested for human consumption if well ripened.  The small fruit -- about 1 inch in diameter -- is extremely astringent when not fully ripened.  It usually ripens around first frost and will be similar in color to an apricot.

Persimmon trees produce a very dense, straight-grained wood which is fairly dark in color.  Commercially it is not typically utilized unless over 100 years old when the heartwood becomes an extremely dense ebony.  When younger, the sapwood is a creamy yellow while older wood near the heart is dark.

During the Civil War persimmon seeds were ground and used as a substitute for coffee.  The leaves were also sometimes dried and made into a tea.  In the Spring it is covered with beautiful white blossoms.  It is truly a useful tree.

We sometimes discover Persimmon Trees in other areas of life.  It may be the quiet employee who is always productive, or the volunteer in an organization that always manages to get things done.  We need to learn to appreciate them more.

In the photo below you will note a couple of the green fruit near the top.  The quality isn't great, but it was taken primarily for identification purposes.  Maybe this Fall I'll get some pictures of the ripe fruit.

 Simple Pleasures

Homemade Ice Cream

Watermelon under the tree

Campfires and S'more's

Front porch rocking

Early mornings

Sunsets

Summertime

Grandkids visiting

 Down for the Count

It appears to me that the water level in our pond is much higher than in years past.  We've only lived here about 6 months, but I am basing my thoughts on the number of trees which normally would not sprout in standing water that are completely surrounded by water now.  Spring storms have caused a number of them to fall which had no sign of disease, but whose roots are simply in water-logged soil which failed to anchor them in high winds.

Yesterday while out walking I found an American Sweetgum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) that is around 6 inches in diameter lying across my path.  Its base was several feet out into the pond, and it had fallen across some other, smaller trees, which propped it up.  The long trunk is very straight due to growing within a shaded area of large trees.

Normally I would write something about how the other trees are propping it up to keep it from falling to the ground.  We all need people around us who will help us when we fall, however, in this case the tree is down for the count.  I will get out in the next few days and harvest what I can with the chainsaw and consign the unusable to the burn pile.

I wish I had a good way to make something of the long straight trunk.  The American Sweetgum is prized for furniture making.  It would be nice to be able to build something useful with it.  We shall see, but no promises.  It really isn't quite large enough to make good-sized boards to build with.  They would be narrow slats.

We have a lot of Sweetgum and Red Oak trees on our place.  This fall they should be gorgeous.

 Discovery

If you want to find something you first need to look for it.  That's not to say you won't stumble across something interesting totally by accident, but too often we walk by remarkable things daily and never notice them because our head is down and our thoughts are locked onto the daily tasks.

Pay attention to the things around you.  It might be as simple as an insect crawling on the porch rail or an Indigo Bunting peering from a nearby tree branch.  It could be as complex as the way nature recycles nutrients that inspires an earth-changing invention.  It could be in observing the interactions between two people that lets you know that your understanding is flawed.

Observations should trigger questions.  Too often we look but don't truly see.  We hear but don't really listen.  We notice but don't observe critically.  By critically I don't refer to being critical but to thinking about what we see, hear, etc.  We tend to be so wrapped up in ourselves that we miss much of what is around us.

Discovery is not only the realm of Explorers and Scientists.  Discovery is available to everyone who opens their eyes and asks questions -- especially the question, "Why?"  It is key to growth.

In previous posts I have used photos of Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus).  It is growing wild behind a short retaining wall at the entrance to our place.  It almost went undiscovered by me due to its location which not only is hidden by the brick wall, but is surrounded by trees, weeds, and a gate that is left open.  I obviously wondered how it got there.  I suspect it is there because some bird ingested a seed elsewhere and later deposited it along with some nitrogen-dense fertilizer while sitting on the retaining wall.  Now I have to keep the invasive weeds from covering it back up.  Sometimes discovery requires work.

 In The Shadows

All around us are things we either don't notice or ignore as we go about our day.  It might be poverty, abuse, sadness, struggle or some other challenge.  Conversely, it might be something good such as charity, help, caring, or spreading positivity.  Such things often exist in the shadows, and we continue about our way without a passing glance.

It needs to become part of our consciousness to notice such things.  But not only should we notice, we should recognize and assist where needed and acclaim when deserved.  As you go about your day on this and every other day, look for what is in the shadows.  Help when and where you can and contribute to the positivity when possible.

The photo below was taken by my wife the other morning as she sat drinking coffee in one of the rocking chairs on our front porch.  The young doe briefly stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight for just a moment.  It was a beautiful sight.