Tiger Swallowtail Pretending To Be Stained Glass

Well, it was a week for whacking stuff in the yard. The big almost-twister that took down our star lettuce plant also knocked some other bushes out of kilter in the front hedge. They were hanging down over the driveway and obstructing the path of the cars. So they had to be whacked. And that's just my game.

So I whacked for three hours, and I filled up three yard carts with detritus. I had three different whackers, of assorted sizes (the number of the day is . . . apparently . . . three). The hummingbirds, whose feeder hangs nearby, were not at all impressed. In fact, they were quite unhappy with my efforts.

By the time I was done, I'd about had it, but the driveway was clear. I cleaned up my mess, dumped out the carts, and we ended up moving the hummingbird feeder. The little birds found it pretty quickly, and they jockeyed for positions.

Two little birds might sit down together, but then, there would be a chase! It was like watching John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd in that diner scene in the film Grosse Pointe Blank (one of the best John and Joan Cusack movie pairings): a quite uneasy surface truce, with underlying hints of ready violence, plus a bit of humor tossed in.

My husband and I had a little lunch and then I walked up Tow Hill, hoping to run into Jensen the orange kitty. Well, Jensen was not available but he sent out two butterflies to keep me amused and amazed: a fritillary and a swallowtail. Here is a shot of the gorgeous tiger swallowtail, pretending to be a stained glass window, supping on bee balm, also called monarda.

So I did not get to visit with Jensen, but I got some lovely photos, and my visit with the butterflies was quite soothing, which was a nice change indeed. So here is our photo of the day of one of the finest butterflies I've seen this summer.

Now, my husband and I just finished watching the film Grosse Pointe Blank, which I remembered as both a violent and a funny film, and it was even better than we remembered. I bought the awesome 80s soundtrack when it came out, and was disappointed that it only contained less than half of the songs in the film.

Today, in searching Amazon, I find there is a Volume 2 of that soundtrack! Who knew? But shipping for it is $22!!! Yikes! No digital version available. So anyway, that is a long way around of saying that my tune for the day is from that movie soundtrack: here's Pete Townshend, with Let My Love Open the Door.

I'm also tossing in a link to a funny scene from the film, where John Cusack's character saves the life of the father of the girl he loves, but whom he left behind 10 years before. It's called "Newfound respect for life."