The Magical Mundane

Lemons: Start to Finish

2012-01-24T20:45:00.000-05:00

This post was months in the making, literally. We planted a Meyer Lemon tree last February and we had to wait to get lemons. I diligently photographed the process from flower to cut lemons in my kitchen. We harvested our first lemons this past November. Happy birthday Ms Meyer Lemon. Hopefully you bless us with another batch of delicious lemons this year.

February - Lemon Blossoms

May - First little lemons developing. This is a close up so they look much bigger than they really were.

June - The lemons are quite a bit larger now.

July - The first hints of yellow begin appearing.

August - Yellow blush is definitely visible but there is still a lot of green left.

October - Almost completely yellow!

November - Our first ever lemon harvest! It was an exciting time to be had by all.

The kids opted to eat one right away, straight into the mouth. Dave and I opted to slice one up for a big glass of rum and Coke. Ahh, nothing beats the sweet tart flavor of home grown lemons.

~Jessica~

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T21:11:00.012-04:00

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain. I have been very busy with work but I did manage to get our decor set up, get us all costumed and have some fun. My oldest decided he was not going to trick or treat this year so no photos to share of him, party pooper. I hope you enjoy these photos from our family festivities.

Outdoor Halloween Decor

Indoor Halloween Decor

Costumes

Fall Festival

Costume Contest at a Local Nightclub

Thanks to everyone for making this year fantastic!

~Jessica~

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-10-21T14:50:00.008-04:00

It's been a very busy time for us the last few months. First the kids went back to school. I went back to work at a new job. My husband had surgery (he is fine and recuperating at home for the next two weeks). But we aren't the only ones busy right now. The Gulf Fritillaries have been busy too.

First, the little caterpillars had to hatch and go to work eating our Passion Flower vine. That is a lot of work!

Next, they had to form their chrysalises and start the process of becoming butterflies. Again, more hard work.

Finally, they erupt from their chrysalises as adults. They are free to enjoy some time at the end of summer drinking up all the nectar they can get before they head to Mexico, or even as far as South America, for the winter.

Jessica

Gulf Islands National Seashore

2011-08-26T07:09:00.004-04:00

All summer long, the GUIS National Seashore, where Fort Pickens is located, has been running a beginning snorkeling program on the sound side of the island. There were only two dates left for the summer so off we went. On Wednesday, we got down there and the event had been cancelled. A storm had whipped up the moon jellies. Even though they are not poisonous, they make people uncomfortable. Even with the lack of snorkeling, we found other things to look at.

The boys hanging out in the pavilion.

Walking along the shore with their dad.

My kids found this Ghost Crab.

Moon Jellies

Spurred Butterfly Peas (purple) and Standing Cypress (red) flowers.

Beach Grasses

Beach Morning Glory

Pine from one of the pines.

These two photos are my Sky Watch photos. The first is a dead tree reaching up into the sky. It was killed when Hurricane Ivan washed the salty ocean water onto the island, causing a large portion of trees to die.

The second is also a dead tree, that an Osprey has recycled as a nesting perch.

Finally we were able to come back for the next snorkel session on Saturday and actually snorkel! Not a jelly fish in sight. Here my mom is teaching the boys the how-to's of snorkeling.

When the hour was up, the rangers had us bring all our treasures to the collection tank. Here are some of the things our group found.

Blue Crabs. Both of these adults were ladies. One of the rangers taught us a little trick about IDing them.

Have a look at the abdomen of this one. Do you see the shape on it? Females have the Capital Dome (rounded shape), males have the Washington Memorial (long, skinny shape). Hence, this is a female.

Baby Blue Crab. He or she has some growing to do!

Baby Florida Stone Crab. To give you an idea of scale, the thumb in the photo belongs to a very small child. This was an itty bity crab! It came out of a shell that also had a hermit crab inside.

Yes, there is a hermit crab inside this shell as well.

For more sky photos visit Sky Watch Friday: http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

~Jessica~

Fort Pickens Revisited

2011-08-25T07:11:00.000-04:00

Fort Pickens is a beautiful fort built in 1834 to protect Pensacola Bay, FL. It is one of only four forts in the south that was never held by the Confederates and the only real action it saw was when the Union soldiers were defending it during the Civil War. Beyond its historical relevance, it is a fine piece of architecture to photograph. Some of you may remember me posting about it last year here, Fort Pickens. You can read more about Fort Pickens in the links below this post.

View from Officers' Quarters

Interior Photos

Mineral deposits (salt) on ceiling

Casemate rooms where cannon sat

Silhouettes of my youngest son

Entrance to lower area

More casemates

More mineral deposits and moss

Cannon atop bastion

Another interior shot

Dave behind the embrasure

Views of the fort below showing the corner bastion that is blown out. They used to store munition powder there. There was a fire and when it reached this area the powder caught causing a massive explosion. Bricks flew all the way across the channel onto the main land some 1 1/2 miles away.

~Jessica~

Sources For More Information:

National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-pickens.htm

ExploreSouthernHistory.com
http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpickens1.html

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Pickens

Wild Hen Chase - SemiWordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T13:41:00.007-04:00

Treasures found in the woods. If you would like to read more about what happened and why it is a hen chase, you can find the story on the baby blog, Id Principle.

Heart Shaped Mushroom

Green Moss

Snails

For more Wordless photos, please visit: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/.

~Jessica~

An Egg Story or How Our Hens Surprised Us

2011-08-16T13:07:00.007-04:00

Today started off normal enough and then one of our Gold-laced Wyandottes, Fiona, decided to lay an egg, on a towel in a patio chair! I wasn't terribly surprised as she has been getting up into the chairs for the last week while we were sitting out there. I figured either A) She was getting ready to lay and/or B) She enjoyed our company.

Little Mama Fiona.

Fiona's egg in the patio chair.

Fiona's egg cupped in my hand.

We cleaned up the egg and celebrated that our hens are finally laying. Here's where it really gets entertaining. A little while later, we saw another Wyandotte, Belle, disappearing into the shrubbery around the fallen log. I went and had a peek and saw she had two eggs in there. I thought to myself, "Aha! We are onto you now." So I wait for her to get done doing her thing with a couple fake eggs on hand to replace the real ones.

Little Mama Belle.

One Egg

Second Egg

Belle on nest hidden in the liriope, vines and other shrubs.

Fiona's (left) and Belle's (right) eggs.

Well, she really pulled a fast one. There were not two eggs but NINE!

Clutch of eggs (does not include the three we already collected)

Although one was definitely not hers. Apparently our Splash Maran, Snowy, added to the clutch too.

Little Mama Snowy.

Snowy's egg.

So in one day we have found ten eggs. We'll need to eat the Wyandotte eggs first. They could have come from any one of the other four Wyandottes but I have a feeling that they are from Belle, which means they could have been there for a few days. I am going to candle them first to make sure I don't see anything.

All the pretty eggs.

Eggs in the carton, just shy of a dozen.

~Jessica~

Camera Critter Saturday - Always Coca Cola

2011-07-29T14:53:00.007-04:00

This is a typical experience in a home that belongs to cats. I take all the soda out of a box and put them in the fridge. I turn back around and the box still is full of something, non-Coke related.

Next all the other animals need to get involved. In this case, Magnus decided that maybe we are playing Whac-A-Cindy, instead of Whac-A-Mole. Wac-A-Mole is an arcade game for those of you not familiar with the concept. You can see it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whac-A-Mole.

Ah, the joys of being a fur momma.

For more Camera Critters, please visit: http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/.

~Jessica~

Sky Watch Friday - Big Clouds

2011-07-29T09:32:00.000-04:00

Seeing large, fluffy clouds is not uncommon in my area. With the close distance from us to the Gulf of Mexico, they are actually quite common in the summer.

Even so, these were some of the largest clouds I have seen yet. It is hard to see the perspective I saw them from in a photo. However, look at how minuscule the tree tops are in comparison.

These cumulus clouds were filled to the brim with moisture.

They kept their promise and gave the grass a good drink.

For more sky photos visit Sky Watch Friday: http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

~Jessica~

Wordless Wednesday - Rain Droplets

2011-07-27T09:23:00.000-04:00

For more Wordless photos, please visit: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/.

~Jessica~

Experimental Filters

2011-07-26T05:32:00.000-04:00

This is a post late in coming, as usual. Sometimes I think I need to put a "go blog today" in reverse on a post-it note, stuck to my forehead. That way, whenever I go by a mirror I will remember. It's not as if I don't remember my blog, rather I get distracted by shiny moments. Anyhow, back to the mad scientist laboratory, ahem, I mean well thought out experiment.

Xtine over at Blipfoto, mentioned creating interesting effects using household supplies. My curiosity was piqued so I gave it a shot. Her results are far more outstanding than mine but it was a very good learning process.

You can read more on Xtine's methods here: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1284688.

I used bags of water with food coloring and the bay leaf trick. My results are below.

Photo with No Flash Filters

Keep in mind, the bags and bay leaf were held over the flash as the photo was taken. Each of the photos are different shots. They do not have any computer filters applied to them.

Colored Water that I Used For Flash Filters

Results

Last try was with the Bay leaf. I think this technique has the most potential. Although I question whether fresh or dried would be better.

The orange filter added this warm glow to the photos I tested it on. For instance, you can see the warmth the orange contributes in this photo of my youngest son. I foresee a lot of good photo applications using this filter as well.

By the way, one of these photos made it onto my Blipfoto entry for that day, complete with witty text. Check it out: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1289229.

~Jessica~

Wordless Wednesday - Mushrooms Galore

2011-07-20T12:11:00.006-04:00

For more Wordless photos, please visit: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/.

~Jessica~

Feather Study

2011-07-19T10:33:00.005-04:00

As most of my readers should know, I am really into taking nature photos, particularly bird photos. To broaden my knowledge and to make birding easier, I recently read Sibley's Birding Basics (you can find it on Amazon. Here is my store link to it). This is not an identification book but rather a book on how to use clues to make identifications.

A couple of the chapters deal with knowing the various feather groups. Now it is one thing to look at an illustrated and labeled picture and another to recognize them on a living bird. Fortunately, I have a whole flock of chickens who were willing to donate their time to my education.

Below are a few head shots showing supercilium, orbital, auriculars, malar and several other feather groups.

Jasmine, Americaucana

Cadbury, Delaware

Mirage, Andalusian

Belle, Gold-laced Wyandotte

Here a few of the ladies donate photos of tail and wing feathers. You can clearly see the difference between the coverts, primaries and secondaries, even on white Cadbury.

Tail feathers of Cadbury, Delaware.

Wing feathers of Mirage, Andalusian.

Lastly, a full body photo of Majora. She decided at the last minute to be part of the photo session.

Majora, Americaucana

The feather study was fascinating and I think it will really help when faced with a bird I am not familiar with. A big thanks to all my wonderful models!

~Jessica~

Magnus Story or Why I Got The "Look"

2011-07-11T21:58:00.006-04:00

A few days ago, I asked the folks over at Blipfoto if they knew why Magnus gave me this look:

Here is why I did in fact deserve the "look". It all started out a very typical Friday. Except, the last few weeks I have been having problems with the fuzziest of the kitties, Magnus. All winter, we had no problems. I can only assume with all the heat and humidity something happened. Both Magnus and I were unhappy with the problem so I decided to get a third party involved.

Saturday morning found us getting loaded up in the car. Not to the vet, not to visit family. No, this was someplace completely new. Fortunately, Magnus liked the gentleman I had help us. Unfortunately, he was not to pleased at the circumstances of meeting him. I will leave you with photos to tell the rest of this story.

The original, uncropped "look" photo.

~Jessica~

Post Script: I do in fact, groom Magnus everyday. However, it had gotten to the point where he was matting while just laying around. He did seem to settle right down and actually seems to like his summer "lion" cut. It probably is a lot cooler.

Hummingbird in Flight

2011-07-10T09:25:00.001-04:00

As you saw in my last post, I added a new hummingbird feeder. Unfortunately, they haven't seemed to found it yet. However, they did find the Million Bells (Calibrachoa) basket. I hope you enjoy the photos of this little female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

~Jessica~

Camera Critter Saturday - Curious Kitty

2011-07-09T09:14:00.002-04:00

I was outside, working in my bird garden. Cindy Lou was inside wondering what I was doing.

"Oh look! Mommy added another feathered critter entertainment station! Thanks Mommy."

For more Camera Critters, please visit: http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/.

~Jessica~

Sky Watch Friday - Silhouettes

2011-07-08T08:55:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I have done a Sky Watch post so I figured it was time. Here, for your viewing pleasure, are some silhouettes of Chimney Swifts in flight. This was taken in the later evening hours after it cooled down a bit.

For more sky photos visit Sky Watch Friday: http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

~Jessica~

Babies Galore

2011-07-07T08:56:00.001-04:00

As you may have gathered from my post a few days ago, the cardinals have started fledging and it has been a three ring circus around the feeder.

As close as I can tell, I have three sets of juvenile cardinals coming to the feeder. There are some that have most of their real feathers in and look like mini adult females. Juveniles all look like females until they are older. The males in this group still are mostly brown but showing more red than the other groups. Then I have a set that still have downy tufts where their crests will be. The last group have more bits of down around the wings as well as the head. This last group depends on their mom and dad to crack the seeds for them rather than helping themselves.

Two juveniles that are different ages.

It has been entertaining seeing them come and go both as families and individuals. But now we also have a new visitor. A mother Carolina Wren has made a nest in our garage and has started to fill it with eggs. I accidentally found the nest, but it appears she has not abandoned it. It also appears she is still laying her clutch as she has been coming to the feeder daily for food. I look forward to seeing her little fledglings too.

Carolina Wren storing up her energy for the babies soon to come.

~Jessica~

Wordless Wednesday - Tufted Titmouse at Supper

2011-07-06T01:06:00.005-04:00

For more Wordless photos, please visit: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/.

~Jessica~

Birth Announcement

2011-06-29T22:21:00.004-04:00

The Magical Mundane has a baby sister! Please go give the Id Principle a big warm welcome. You can find her over at http://www.blipfoto.com/JessicaAFM. One of my former coworkers gave me a heads up about this site. The basic idea is that everyday you may upload one photo and a brief blurb about the photo. The photo must be taken on the day you post it.

No need to worry though. The Magical Mundane is, and will continue to be my, main creative outlet. The photos on Id Principle will be ones that don't necessarily have a place here. Most of them will be random shots and maybe a few outtakes.

I hope you enjoy both The Magical Mundane and the Id Principle. I leave you with a few snapshots of my most recent feeder visitors.

Mother cardinal with her fledgling at lunch time.

Who can resist such a sweet baby face?

Jessica

Gulfarium Continued

2011-06-24T13:02:00.009-04:00

This is a continuation of yesterday's Gulfarium post. I took so many photos they wouldn't all fit in one post. Today we will take a closer look at the indoor exhibits. I hope you enjoy. The Gulfarium's website is currently down but their store, Aquafarm, site is online. You can see more pictures there or shop for all your salt water aquarium needs. http://www.gulfariumaquafarm.com/.

Seahorses

Feather Duster

Cocoworm

Lionfish

This was my husband's favorite fish. I can't remember what his name is.

Various fish from the Reef Tank. I tried to ID as best as possible below photos. If you know what the fish are and they aren't labeled, feel free to leave a comment.

Regal Tang & Achilles Tang

Bannerfish & Yellow Tang

Unicorn Tang

Big Nose Unicorn Tang

Sailfin Tang

Bird Wrasse, Achilles Tang & Yellow Tang

Achilles Tang & Yellow Tang

Bannerfish & Orangespot Surgeon

Back to the individuals, rather than the large reef tank. Here we have a Clownfish.

Fuzzy looking crab

Moray Eel, Maybe a Laced but I am not sure.

Can you see the fish in this photo? It's a Warty Frogfish

Puffer that was not puffed up.

Pajama Cardinal

Some more marine animals.

Clam. This is what it looks like with the animal out of the shell.

~Jessica~

Gulfarium & Cindy Lou

2011-06-23T14:05:00.011-04:00

This post is heavy on photos. Please allow time for loading.

On Monday, we had quite the adventure. We went down to Fort Walton Beach and enjoyed a stay-cation at the Gulfarium. The Gulfarium is a local aquarium that highlights Gulf coast sea life as well as some more exotic animals. Today's photos are the outdoors animals. Tomorrow, I will share some of the coral reef fish and animals.

Dolphins

Sea Lions

Blackfoot Penguins are a tropical penguin. The are found in Africa.

Nurse and Lemon Sharks

Rays

Boys at the Touch Pool, investigating the sea life.

A little crab from the Touch Pool. He pinched onto my younger son when he tried to touch him. Rest assured that both boy and crab are fine. My son said it didn't hurt, just surprised him.

Urchin in Touch Pool.

Horseshoe Crab in Touch Pool.

Sun Conure in aviary.

African Grey in aviary.

More parrots in aviary.

Huge Alligator sunbathing in the shallows.

African Spurred Tortoise

Green Heron

Sea Turtle

All of us with a Cockatoo

In other news, Cindy Lou has become a permanent fixture in our home. Yes, we are now a family of one dog and THREE cats. Lucy and Magnus absolutely love our new family member. Mouser is indifferent. She had her first vet visit two weeks ago and she goes in again on Monday for her first vaccinations.

Cindy Lou and Lucy cuddling.

~Jessica~

Surprise!

2011-05-28T13:11:00.005-04:00

This just happens to land on a Camera Critter Saturday. Oh how the fickle Fates love to play with us mortals. I am grinning ear to ear as I say this. The surprise came in a very tiny package that we have nick named Cindy. Let me go back to the beginning.

This morning I had to take my oldest child to the local Wynn Dixie to bag groceries as part of the SGA (Student Government Association) for his school. I figured while we were waiting for his shift to be over, my youngest son and I could go window shopping in the plaza. We ended up inside the Dollar General in line to check out when the lady in front of us started asking if anyone could take in this little ball of fluff. This is the story of what happened.

While the lady was in the parking lot, a car pulled up and parked. As soon as it stopped, out popped Cindy. No one, including the driver, knew where she came from. At this point a bunch of people started to try and catch her but she quickly hid under a car. One man in particular wanted to bring her home but he had to leave before they could coax her out of hiding. He asked that whoever caught her brought her to the pharmacy that is in the plaza.

Well for obvious health reasons they can not keep animals in a pharmacy where they are preparing medications. Left with no options, the lady who caught her held on to Cindy while she finished her shopping at the Dollar General, which is where I met and chatted with her in line.

By now, you should all know that I can never say no to an animal in distress. I took little Cindy back down to the pharmacy. The women at the front desk tried calling the man who wanted to take her home but they were unable to reach him. After discussing solutions, we decided I would take her home. I gave them all my phone numbers and my email address so when they contacted the man, he can come and get her.

I got Cindy at home now, settled into one of the kennels with some food and water. She has calmed down quite a bit and has a very curious nature. If I don't hear from the man by this evening, I am going to go pick up some flea dip and kitten food as I only have adult cats. Hopefully the man comes to claim her. I'm afraid if he doesn't I will become too attached to find her a home. Please say a little prayer to the Fates that they behave themselves this time around.

Without further ado, meet Cindy.

For more Camera Critters, please visit: http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/.

~Jessica~

30 Day Music Challenge - Group 1

2011-05-24T11:59:00.005-04:00

Here are my choices for the last five days. For more information on the challenge, see this post: The Game.

Day 1 – What Is Your Favourite Song Right Now?

Far East Movement -Girls on the Dance Floor because it is just that much fun to dance to. Video rated Mature for alcohol references and sexual undertones. Use discretion when viewing around kids.

Day 2 – What Song That Was No 1 When You Were Born?

Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive. Explanation... Bee Gees ruled the entirety of the year I was born. Can you guess the year? If you can, great! If not, I will never tell. Well, maybe I will someday. Or you could just check my Facebook page.

Day 3 – What Song Has The Highest Play Count On Your iTunes (Or Other Music Player)?

ABBA - Voulez Vous. Well, I don't use iTunes or a music player that keeps track of play time so I had to guess. Probably a song from ABBA, since I have a back up copy of the Gold album in my truck as well as on both PC's. I don't know that this song is the highest play count, but it is one of my favorites so it is pretty high up there.

Day 4 – What Song Do You Play When You’re Feeling Happy?

Rabbit! - Magic. Anything by Rabbit! really but this is one of my favorites and it has a cute video. I can never be anything but happy listening to them. If you think you haven't heard of them, you might be wrong. They are very much an independent band but they also have done many jingles for advertisements. Most recently you can hear them in the Crayola Glow Chalk advertisement. I highly suggest you check Rabbit! out.

Day 5 – What Song Do You Play When You’re Feeling Sad?

Linkin Park - Shadow of the Day. This song always makes me reflective and it was a big part of my grieving. It makes me miss my brother but it also reminds me that he is just at another beginning. For those of you who are newer readers, my little brother was killed in action while serving in the US Army in Afghanistan. More is posted here: In Memory. Video rated Mature for violent situations. Use discretion when viewing around kids.

I will see you all in five days with more videos.

~Jessica~

30 Day Music Challenge - The Game

2011-05-23T18:40:00.006-04:00

I recently started playing along with a music challenge over on www.Facebook.com. This particular challenge starts whenever you want to join in and lasts for 30 days as the title of this post suggests. I do not blog every day but I thought you might enjoy getting to know me via song so I made a compromise. Every 5 days, I am going to go ahead and post all the videos from the last 5 days. Are you following me so far? If you would like to play along, you can do so over on Facebook at 30 Day Music Challenge or right on your blog. If you are playing just from your blog, here is the list we will be covering:

Each day post that days question, a link from Youtube and a brief description/explanation for your choice.

Day 1 – What Is Your Favourite Song Right Now?
Day 2 – What Song That Was No 1 When You Were Born?
Day 3 – What Song Has The Highest Play Count On Your iTunes (Or Other Music Player)? Day 4 – What Song Do You Play When You’re Feeling Happy?
Day 5 – What Song Do You Play When You’re Feeling Sad?
Day 6 – What Song Do You Play When You’re Angry?
Day 7 – What Song Do You Play When You're Chilling Out?
Day 8 – What Was The Last Song You Listened To?
Day 9 – What Is The Earliest Song You Can Remember From Your Childhood?
Day 10 – For You What Song Defines The 70’s?
Day 11 – For You What Song Defines The 80’s?
Day 12 – For You What Song Defines The 90’s?
Day 13 – For You What Song Defines The 00’s?
Day 14 – What Song Was Your First 7”/12”/Cass/CD/mp3 purchase?
Day 15 – What Song Do You Hate The Most?
Day 16 – Post A Song From Your Favourite Artist/Band Day
17 – Post A Song That You Want The World To Hear Day
18 – What Song Makes You Want To Sing Out Loud? Day
19 – What Song Makes You Want To Dance? Day
20 – What Song Makes You Want To Rock Out?
Day 21 – What Song Is Your Biggest Guilty Pleasure?
Day 22 – What Song Gets Stuck In Your Head The Most?
Day 23 – What Song Reminds You Of A Person?
Day 24 – What Song Reminds You Of A Place?
Day 25 – What Song Reminds You Of A Happy Moment In Your Life?
Day 26 – What Song Reminds You Of A Sad Moment In Your Life?
Day 27 – What Song Would You Like Played At Your Wedding/Union?
Day 28 – What Song Would You Like Played At Your Funeral?
Day 29 – What Song Would You Consider To Be The “Soundtrack Of Your Life”?
Day 30 – Looking Back On Your Answers, What Is Your All Time Favourite Song?

I would love to have you post a comment if you are playing along, but don't forget to include a link to your blog if you do. I am providing an image for you to link back to me if you are playing along. Please save it on your own computer and include in your posts for the 30 Day Music Challenge with a link to http://www.themagicalmudane.com. Most of all, have fun with this.

~Jessica~