Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth , Hemaris thysbe, nectaring on Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica).
They are sometimes called hawk moths, and are in the same family as those most unwelcome guests, the tomato hornworms.
-----
Thysbe (Thisbe) in myth: the Greek version of Juliet.
One web source suggests that Hemaris comes from the root haem (blood), but another says it derives from the Greek hemera (day). See here.
A hornworm on your viburnum is probably this species. Leave it! It won't eat much. And it turns into this enchanting creature.
-----
I wondered whether this moth's wing motion was the same as a hummingbird's. The second photo would seem to suggest it, but I couldn't find confirmation on the internet.

Photos of Issy.

Issy Morgans,you know her from Sport Climbing Australia.Here she is running through the sequence on Spoonman 28, Coolum Cave of course.Her extensive indoor training transfers to a very smooth style,concentrated and controlled.I was in position for shooting Big Al on Separation Anxiety when I took these snaps. There's some nice ones, I'm sure you'll agree.

The American Kitchen

This is a good read if you're interested in anything you could possibly want to know about the American kitchen from Colonial times up to the present day.

Here is some household wisdom from days past. "Never oblige your servants to tell a falsehood for you, and they will not be so likely to tell a falsehood to you." Godey's Lady's Book, August 1867.

HABITS OF SYSTEM AND ORDER-Monday...is devoted to preparing for the labors of the week. Any extra cooking, the purchasing of articles to be used during the week, the assorting of clothes for the wash, and mending...these and similar items belong to this day. Tuesday is devoted to washing, and Wednesday to ironing. On Thursday, the ironing is finished off, the clothes folded and put away, and all articles which need mending are put in the mending basket, and attended to. Friday is devoted to sweeping and house-cleaning. On Saturday, and especially the last Saturday of every month, every department is put in order, the casters and table furniture are regulated, the pantry and cellar inspected, the trunks, drawers, and closets arranged, and everything about the house put in order for Sunday. By this regular recurrence of a particular time for inspecting everything, nothing is forgotten till ruined by neglect. American Woman's Home-Catherine E. Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1869

MAKING OF CLOTHING-With the present facilities for sewing, it is practicable for every housekeeper to cut out and make up all the articles worn by the different members of her family, with the exception, perhaps, of dress-coats and overcoats. The saving which she will thus make will more than pay the wages of a domestic, who will perform all the drudgery of a household such as washing, cleaning, ironing, sweeping, etc. The Philosophy of Housekeeping-Joseph & Laura Lyman, 1869

I am by nature an organizer. I like for things to be in place and for each day to be planned to within an inch of its allotted hours. BUT...I am a lover of spontaneity. I love a routine, and I love to throw it all out the window if something better comes along. I have noticed that our house is in its best-running order when I stay home all day and attend to 'things'. And I like doing that for a time. After that, I need something new. Yesterday that happened to be a trip to Wal-Mart. I'm pretty easy to please.

First Ride of

This morning I had to take the car into the shop for a new battery. Back home, I just could not get moving. Sunny morning, in the 30s, no wind. Perfect - for January in Iowa, at least.
I was able to motivate myself to get ready for a bike ride. Too warm to ride singletrack. Figured the paved trails would be in a mixture of conditions - icy, snow covered, wet, and dry. Aired up the tires of my "Ice Bike" - Trek 4300 with studded tires and combo pedals.
Parked at the Wabash Trace Trailhead. From the condition of the parking lot, I could see that the trail will be in the condition I expected.
Rode the Lake Manawa Trail to the Indian Creek Bridge. Today's photo shows the Lake Manawa Trail early this afternoon. I did not to push it too much today, so headed back.
Detoured to the river (mountain bike trail area). The river level has dropped considerably since I last rode there. Another detour to the lake. There were a couple folks out on the lake. Was thinking of taking a spin on the lake, but backed out.
By the time I was at the Nature Trail, the snow/ice was nearly melted from the trail surface. Ended up with 11.6 miles for my first ride of . Forecast is for more rideable days this week. Xtreme Winterfest Bike Ride should be cool (low/middle 20s) and clean Saturday.

The Mountains Loom...

The Mountains Loom..., originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

In this view, we see the incredible High Sierra jutting up from the desert. I took this photo on a drive back in July near Bishop, California.
On this particular drive, we left the hotel where it was 97 degrees. Upon reaching the trailhead at over 9000 feet, it was 70 degrees! Up at the lakes, clouds rolled in, wind blew, and we were forced to put on jackets. California is the place to be if you like climatic variation!

Comfortable sleeping positions

Cats have funny ideas about comfortable sleeping positions. Trouble is, I always wake them up, trying to take pictures.
I haven't managed to photograph my favorite yet. Sometimes I'll glance over towards the chair, and just see a paw (or two, or four) sticking straight up in the air.
Then I usually wake them up by laughing too loudly, before I can even get the camera.
-----
Submitted to the Friday Ark.

Awesome Riding Weather & a Camera Test

This is the first decent weekend we have had for bike riding. The morning started with fog, but that burned off a little after noon. Loaded the hybrid on the bike rack and headed to Wabash Trace Trailhead.

This time, I had all of the various pieces for the GoPro handlebar mount. Attached the camera to the bike and headed out for Lake Manawa. A couple times, I had to stop and tighten the various connections of the mount.

Temperature was in the mid 60s (I just wore my jersey & bibs - no long sleeve or jacket). Just comfortable. The winds was from the South at 5-10 mph. A bit rough at times riding South on Mosquito Creek. Stopped at Indian Creek Bridge. Decided to head on around the Lake Manawa loop. Before heading into the wind on Veteran's Memorial Trail, I stopped for a slug of my Gatorade and popped a shot blok in my mouth. As expected, there were many folks out on the trail today.

Stopped at the bike shop (Xtreme Wheels). Had not visited with Zach in some time. Also, wanted to pick up a new membership application for Black Squirrel Cycling Club.

Downloaded the video from the camera when I got back to the house. Doing something wrong because I recorded 8 segments of under 2GB each. Also there were regular "jumps" in the video. Oh, the photo here, shows the GoPro mounted on my hybrid, post ride.