The Queen of Seaford: 2025

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 10

Another week is done. This isn't as easy as it would seem. Every day I am looking for something to photograph. Trying to photograph a different view or a different angle and keep it interesting for everyone is truly a challenge

Day 62-

Playing hide and seek with my grandsons. See the little toes behind the curtain? It was the giggling that gave them away. One is 5 and his brother is 2 and they love to play hide and seek.

You Don't See Me

Day 63-

Once we got home from visiting the kids, we needed to retrieve the dogs and cat from boarding. Once we were in our small neighborhood, the rear window was lowered so Liebling could survey her realm.

The Ride Home

Day 64-

We have been behind in our rainfall totals this year, so every raindrop is appreciated.

Raindrop Prism

Day 65-

Once again I am drawn to backlit items in the yard/ garden. From afar, this looked like a bloom and I couldn't figure out what it might be. The Post Oak leaf glowed golden in the sun..

Backlit

Day 66-

Thursday was a busy day, I hosted our neighborhood book club, and a little later we picked up a friend and drove to Walhalla for a concert. The sunset was brilliant. While sitting in the backseat I kept trying to get a good photo of the bold colors.

Sunset from the Backseat

Day 67-

Spring is beginning to pop, every day there is something new emerging. Today was a fern, unfurling its frond- from a tight spiral. It wasn't until I looked at the photo on my cellphone that I noticed the dog hair hanging on the new growth. This is a Southern Shield Fern or River fern, it goes by many common names. Thelypteris kunthii, a native fern in our area. The Fibonacci sequence is where each number is the sum of the previous two numbers. This sequence is found throughout nature, from seed patterns on sunflowers to nautilus shells. It is the Golden Ratio.

Fibonacci with Dog Hair

Day 68-

This photo may not seem too exciting, but it is our attempt to block the opening around our dryer vent round tube. For the past few years, we have had an Eastern Rat Snake living in the space around the vent. The builders cut a square hole to place a round pipe for the vent. That little triangle was the perfect spot for Mr. Snake to reside. We had some temporary blocking but this should be more permanent. Goodbye Mr. Snake! If you are not keen on snakes, do not scroll any lower, I have included a photo from a few years ago with our 'friend'.

Dryer Vent

Many thanks for stopping by again this week. Time marches on, I am writing this quickly as I was stung after we were working with the bees this morning. After we were done, I reached for my phone in my back pocket and there was a bee on my phone. She stung me on my finger and I am sure as it swells, typing will be harder.

Here's one of the photos from a few years ago when the snake had taken up residence in that spot.

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 9

Week wrap-up a couple days late. We were on the road and I am old school with my blog posts, always write it on the computer. Bouncing down the road and writing on my cellphone is an open invitation to many mistakes!

Day 55-

I always clean and sharpen my pruners in the early spring. Additionally, they will be sharpened after each pruning session, but it is good to do a thorough cleaning regularly. These pruners are 27 years old and have been used every year. One of these days I might break down and buy a new blade!

Sharpen and Clean

Day 56-

Springtime daylight has long shadows and windows of bright light shining through the garden. Yellow daffodils really pop with these rays of sun.

A Spot of Sunshine

Day 57-

This home has a brick column at the entrance of its driveway. On top of each pillar is a horse of some sort. I don't remember if this is a replacement for the matching horse's head on the other pillar. Just makes me laugh.

Wanna Ride?

Day 58-

The Great Blue Herons have nests, high in these trees along the creek. I have counted eight different nests as we drove by. Before the leaves open on all the trees, I will have to bring my camera with the zoom lens with me to get better photos

Turkey Creek with Great Blue Rookery

Day 59-

Something I have not seen before, fire hydrants on a truck. Not sure where they were going, we were going to Nashville.

Splash!

Day 60-

Walking to get coffee in my daughter's neighborhood, telephone pole with staples and nails, but no posters or messages left. It is a nice walkable neighborhood, so advertisers or folks with lost pets know this is a good spot to post their message.

Message Center

Day 61-

Not sure why all these shoes are hanging from the line, but thought it was a good picture.

Shoes

Another week is done, follow along as we move forward.

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 8

Our weather has been nice the last few days, so I spent a good deal of time outside pruning those shrubs whose time is now. While showering I remembered I needed to post this past week's photos. All photos this week were taken with my cellphone.

Day 48-

I have three Amaryllis bulbs on the laundry room window sill. They bloomed Christmas time in 2023 and spent last summer on the screened porch, each putting up a lot of foliage but no blooms. Once in the house for the winter, I noticed a flower stalk. I watched and watched, and then on Monday morning, I didn't see the flower bud, just a long stalk reaching up to the window. It had opened and put forth two beautiful blooms behind the curtain!

Reaching

Day 49-

Outside our dining room window, there is/was a bird feeder on a shepherd's hook. This was one of the feeders I didn't ordinarily bring in the house overnight. I guess this was a mistake! I imagine it was a raccoon that wanted the birdseed. The pole bent almost to the ground and all seed was gone!

Raccoon?

Day 50-

We have rocks throughout our yard, some of it is really pretty. This one is about the size of a basketball or more. I believe it to be white quartz.

Rock

Day 51-

Just outside our neighborhood, in the same yard that I shared last week with the bicycle and pink blooming tree, is a cute Gnome house. The tree stump has been disintegrating, so I think this little house is on borrowed time. It used to have an above-ground pool and clothesline and lots of Gnomes lounging about the yard.

Our house is a very, very, very fine house...

Day 52-

Liebling, our German Shepherd, loves to play fetch. Both the dogs are always excited about going out front to play. Their stare is intense, waiting for the rings to be tossed.

Laser Focus

Day 53-

Edgeworthia chrysantha blooms every winter. Many of my winter-blooming plants have been blooming later this year than usual. The fragrance of these blooms is amazing! The honey bees love its nectar, on warm days you will see bees all over the shrubs.

Edgeworthia Aglow

Day 54-

Washington Hawthorn shrubs are native to our area and true to their names, come with large thorns! This is Crataegus possibly uniflora.

HawTHORN

Thus wraps up another week of photos. Come back again next week.

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Photo-A-Day Week 7

These weeks go by so quickly. We are already done with week 7.

Day 41-

Spring comes in bits and spurts in our area of South Carolina. We had a week of 70-degree highs and a week of low 50s. Really mixed up! Many of my Crocus have disappeared over the years, most likely due to chipmunks eating the corms.

First Crocus

Day 42-

Our drive to Costco takes us through Simpsonville, on a crowded corridor of fast-food places, stores, and motels. There are so many electric lines. Power outages would be less often if they were buried.

Bury The Lines

Day 43-

This metal rooster was a gift from my daughter. She knows I like The Bloggess and the metal rooster is a favorite blog post. Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess, is a funny author.

Knock- Knock

Day 44-

I am not sure what kind of tree this is, but imagine it is a Prunus of some sort. We have early blooming cherries, apricots, and plums in our area. This is a neighbor's yard, the bicycle often has flowers in its basket.

Early Bloomer

Day 45-

Heart-shaped leaves in the garden are a treat on Valentine's Day. This is a Cyclamen neapolitanum.

Happy Valentine's Day

Day 46-

Down the street from the flowering tree above is this grand oak. I believe it is a Post Oak. We lost so many mature oaks from the hurricane. I am happy this one is still standing.

Stand Strong

Day 47-

Missouri vs Georgia basketball game at Georgia. The arena may be glowing with red Georgia colors, but the Black and Gold of Mizzou won the day.

MIZ-

Another week of photos in the books. Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 6

Day 34-

This week's photos started with a picture of Fiona with her toy, coming down the driveway. I used the app on my cellphone called Prisma to change it up.

Prisma Filter

Day 35-

Remember the crystal in the cabinet I shared on Day 23? Well, the setting sun shines through the dining room window and creates rainbows across the room.

Rainbow

Day 36-

A lone pinecone on the driveway, the sun shining behind it creating a perfect shadow.

Pinecone

Day 37-

On the drive into town, I noticed a group of dead pine trees. I was surprised they were still standing after the hurricane that came through at the end of September. I used a black-and-white filter to enhance the photo.

Dead Trees

Day 38-

This one was a challenge as I was walking the dog when I saw this snail. If I paid too much attention to the snail a rather nosey puppy would have interrupted the photo.

On The Move

Day 39-

Every morning I enter our closet off the master bathroom and check the progress of the Camellia blooms. When I planted this Camellia the deer sampled its buds on the front part of the shrub. Over the years the buds have increased front and back. It is a no-name shrub I purchased years ago. I do not like it when plant tags just say "Camellia" no further information.

View from my Window

Day 40-

The Prunus mume 'Hokkai bungo' is starting to lose its flowers. I was worried the freezing temps we had when the blooms first started opening would kill all the flowers. The tree bloomed in abundance this year to my pleasure.

Fallen Petals

This wraps up another week. See you next week!

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 5

Another week in the books. Trying to keep the photo offerings interesting. Also don't want to be too repetitive.

Day 27-

Two dogs who think their job is to keep the squirrels at bay and away from the bird feeders on the deck. Wish there was a way to discourage the squirrels from coming on the deck, but think that is a lost cause!

Squirrel Patrol

Day 28-

Making bee fondant. Yes, we keep honey bees and in the winter we feed them with a solid sugar cake that is called bee fondant, not to be confused with culinary fondant. Once this sugar/water mixture is cooled we put it in the top of each hive. At current time we have three hives.

Bee Fondant

Day 29-

Our front room has a southern exposure, the only room (except our closet) with windows facing south. My houseplants winter in this room. With the low angle of the sun and our trees, even this window doesn't provide enough sunlight for the plants. Was able to find a plant light that has a timer so I can give the plants a good amount of light.

Plant Light

Day 30-

A very cloudy day. This is a view of our driveway. I play with the dogs every day, tossing a ring or a disc up and down the driveway. They love it. As I write I have a white fluffy dog bothering me to go out again.

Winter Sky

Day 31-

Our driveway is lined with rocks, kind of like bumpers at a bowling alley to keep us from going off the edge. Some parts of the driveway have a bit of a drop off. Sprouting up between the rocks are some Spleenwort fronds. This one is Asplenium platyneuron, Ebony Spleenwort.

Ebony Spleenwort

Day 32-

I have a number of daffodils in my woods, field, and gardens. They vary in bloom time from early to mid to late season blooming. I believe this one to be Narcissus 'Grand Soleil d'or'.

Raindrops on Daffodil

Day 33-

One shelf of gardening books. I have a good collection of books. When I first graduated from my Master Gardener class in Virginia I bought the A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. It was my first 'big' book to better learn plants and how to identify them.

Garden Reference Books

Many thanks for joining me again this week for the photo-a-day images. Have a great week.

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 4

Welcome back, hard to believe another week has zoomed by. Here is last week's photos, enjoy!

Day 20- A very cold day, clear blue skies. I have had a flurry of Eastern Bluebirds at my feeders and on the deck. As I said last week, I purchased a big box of dried meal worms for them to enjoy. As they wait their turns at the feeders they sit in the tree, fluffed up to keep warm.

Eastern Bluebirds

Day 21- Mature Bald Eagle, sitting in a pine tree, overlooking the lake. In the winter the lake level is drawn down and we have lots of Bald Eagles taking advantage of fishing opportunities. Always a treat to see our nation's bird.

Bald Eagle

Day 22- As I mentioned above, we have had some very cold temperatures lately. Ice has been forming on the top of the lake. We also got some snow that sat on top of the ice. It made for some interesting photos.

Snow on ice on the lake

Day 23- Lots of cut crystal in our curved glass curio cabinet. Many of these pieces were either my mom's or my husband's mom. The curio cabinet was also from my mother in law, a perfect place to showcase our treasures.

Cut crystal sparkles

Day 24- As the planets are on the minds of those who like to stargaze, I find myself outside quite often, either getting photos of the moon or on very rare occasions, an Aurora Borealis! Our night sky out the back includes the lights on the other side of the lake.

Evening sky

Day 25- Our dogs get their food delivered by Chewy and our kitty, Millie, thinks the box is hers. She loves hiding in the box. No one can see her, right?

Box!

Day 26- Long time readers may remember my mermaid table. You can read more about her here, or here or here. I named her Gilmore, after the siren Lorelei, then to Lorelei Gilmore from the TV show, ending up with Gilmore. She still is in our living room. Now that we have grandkids we are extra vigilant that they don't sit or lie on the glass. We did get a lot of fingerprints over Christmas.

Gilmore

Thanks for joining me again on the Photo a Day posts. Come back again!

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