OniOniOniArt

-Green Springs as described by a visitor in the late 1800s... ...a rare sulphur spring in Enterprise, Florida. 11/2014. Green Springs is a very small public park located north of Lake Monroe in Enterprise, Florida, and is one of my favorite places. Wandering to its ethereal waters, looping its trails, and even picnicking next to the tiny waterfall have all helped restore some of my sanity over the last few years. My most recent visit has reminded me just how rejuvenating the place can be. It seems to absorb my cares and instill in me a creative motivation that few things are able to inspire. It is amazing how such a small place can have such impact. The beautiful jade green waters are not always so. You have to catch it on a good day. The color is the result of an interaction between the sulphur discharge from the springhead (lateral vents) and algae naturally occurring in the water. Sometimes, the springhead stops flowing and the waters darken, more the color of a jar...

Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth ( Cosmosoma myrodora ) on a marigold Whilst planting the winter seedlings today (yes, I'm a bit late...) I was graced with the presence of this beautiful wasp moth (Family Arctiidae). You can see the marigold through its clear wings in the photo above, a trait not shared by all wasp moths. The moths mimic wasps in their general form and shape and imitate either the flight habits or resting positions of wasps. Some feed on poisonous plants as larvae and attain the added defense of integrating the host plant's toxins into its body as a deterrent against predation. Bright coloration is a warning of the moth's toxicity, however this particular moth is banking on everyone else instilling the fear of indigestion on would-be predators since its larvae do not feed on toxic plants; it merely uses the bright colors as a bluff. Both pretending to be a wasp (in form and behavior) and utilizing false warning coloration are examples of Batesian mimicry.....

They may as well be playing with unicorns... I drew this on the dry erase board at work Friday afternoon in response to the epidemic fever I have witnessed and the myriad mascots which mysteriously appear/vanish/reappear in this very spot. I guess I feel left out! Besides, Fantasy Football needs a mascot. I'm looking forward to its reception at the Monday morning meeting (tee-hee). (I don't follow sports if you hadn't already picked up on that).

Devil's trumpet, Datura metel var. Blackcurrant What a glorious thing to wake up to on a Saturday morning! I have been waiting for its blooms since the seed was sown in April of this year. This is the first to open, but there are several buds on what has become a small shrub. This plant, Datura , is often confused with Brugmansia , the Angel's trumpet, which is closely related. In fact, members of the genus Brugmansia were once included in the genus  Datura . The main differences: the flowers of Devil's trumpet point upward, whereas Angel's trumpets are pendulous and point downward (hence their names); Devil's trumpet has herbaceous blackish-colored stems and is a short-lived perennial, whereas Angel's trumpet has a woody stem and is hardier and longer lived. I have a Brugmansia in the Dirt Patch as well, but alas, it is not as happy as the Datura . I think it gets too much sun. I was being closely watched as I photographed the gorgeous Datura ... ...

My cluttered work space made even more cluttered with fresh prints! My day job makes it rather difficult to keep up with the lino printing, or anything else, really. Sometimes, though, you've got to put your foot down - and so I've designated today Lino Printing Day (I've been meaning to get to these for a month now...and is it wrong of me to be singing "Lino Printing Day" to the tune of "Weasel Stomping Day" from Robot Chicken ? I want you to know I wholeheartedly disapprove of weasel stomping).  Then perhaps next weekend I can work on something new, Hoorah! Sometimes the fact that I know I need to make more lino prints prevents me from starting something else...a bit of human psychosis I can acknowledge but can't seem to work around. Brains are strange things.  Today I will print from four already established blocks. I begin by setting up all of my supplies...my inking "plate" (ETA: originally it was a sheet of acetate, n...

Maceo enjoys fresh linens as much as I do... "I have conquered this Task"

Kuhli Loach This morning I woke up to find the kuhli loach on the floor.  The gap in the aquarium lid where it accommodates the filter is so narrow, it is surprising that it managed to make that awful leap. Rest in Peace, loach.

Sliding door pulls from Fukuoka, Japan Recently, I reached a milestone in my little house fund - the halfway mark .  After informing my dear friend J of the happy occasion she said, "you should do something to celebrate."  And so, this suggestion, our discussion of Western Doors v. Eastern Doors (pull-out doors v. sliding doors), and the fact that I've been drooling over these door pulls for at least a year, wondering how I could possibly justify purchasing such glorious items, all culminated in my buying myself a milestone present. I purchased them from an Etsy shop owner in Japan. They are metal, approximately 3" in diameter, feature a pair of phoenixes (or phoenii, as L suggested...I like it), and were manufactured circa 1960. The phoenix feels suited to my life's particular brand of nonsense - burning down to ground zero and beginning again - a common theme in many people's lives that has no doubt maintained the popularity of this symbol. More posi...

American Persimmon (sugar plum)  - Diospyros virginiana Down the dusty road, cicada cacophony and lo! Persimmons! During my evening walk on the long dusty drive that eventually leads to my house, I was surprised to find a persimmon tree full of fruit.  How exciting! I've lived here the last two autumns and never noticed them! (In my defense, they are tiny, perhaps 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter, and I have vague recollections of seeing "tiny oranges"). I must confess, I'd never tried persimmons before, so I had to do a bit of research to know when these would be ripe. They should be soft and close to rotting (but not actually rotten) for them to be sweet; wrinkly, translucent reddish-brown skin is a good sign. If they come off the tree with a gentle twist/pull, they should be good, but if they give you any resistance at all, leave them be. An unripe persimmon is very astringent and leaves your mouth in a pucker that lasts quite a long time. Apparently th...