Beardy Guy Musings Profile Photo

Beardy Guy Musings

Experimenting with ways to live a low impact life in a tiny house in the woods. Graphic and web design at Beardy Guy Creative . I often write about the Climate Emergency, Apple and the iPad. Living on the traditional territory of: O-ga-xpa Ma-zhoⁿ (O-ga-xpa) (Quapaw), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Kaskaskia, Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)

Photography

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    Tiny Life Journal - Treating myself to a cup of iced sumac tea! Though, really, it’s very tart and tastes far closer to lemonade than tea. Several bunches of tiny red berries drooping down from a branch with pointed green leaves.

    A fairly common small tree around rural Missouri and much of eastern North America, sumac produces large bunches of seedy red berries that hang from the branches by mid to late August. This particular species is Rhus copallinum commonly called winged sumac, shining sumac, dwarf sumac or flameleaf sumac.

    A bright pink drink with ice in a mason jar

    To make into tea just soak the berries in water overnight in a fridge. It’s better and more flavorful to mush the berries a bit or run the mix of berries and water through a blender for a couple seconds to release the juices. Use a filter of some sort to separate out the berry bits which will contain seeds that can be planted if one is so inclined. I’ve also read that the berries can be dried for use in winter though I’ve not yet tried that. I added 4 teaspoons of sugar to that portion.

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    Tiny Life Journal - I took a walk in the woods yesterday in search of pawpaws. I didn’t find any but I did come across a few Cardinal flowers in and near the dry creek bed. A nice surprise! I’d seen one several years ago in the area but not since.

    What’s notable is that these flowers are a favorite food source of the ruby throated hummingbird which, while in flight and feeding, seem to resemble the flower. There are three lower petals that look like the tail of the bird, two petals each stretched upwards and sidways from the center that look like wings. The central pistil looks like the body and head of the bird. If you’ve ever seen a hummingbird feeding you may note the similarity when viewing the flower from the front or side.

    A close-up image of a stem of ten vibrant red flowers. The flowers are interesting and somewhat complex. Each looks somewhat like a bird in flight. There are three lower petals that look like the tail of a bird, two petals each stretched upwards and sidways from the middle that look like wings. The central pistil looks like the body and head of the bird. What’s notable is that these flowers are an important and favorite food source of the ruby throated hummingbird which, while in flight and feeding, will resemble the flower. A close-up image of a stem of ten vibrant red flowers. The flowers are interesting and somewhat complex. Each looks somewhat like a bird in flight. There are three lower petals that look like the tail of a bird, two petals each stretched upwards and sidways from the middle that look like wings. The central pistil looks like the body and head of the bird. What’s notable is that these flowers are an important and favorite food source of the ruby throated hummingbird which, while in flight and feeding, will resemble the flower.

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    Rosie enjoying the porch on Caturday (though technically from a week ago, whoops). Also, Cosmo looking into the distance wistfully, my guess wondering about his lunch.

    A long hair, brownish gray cat with black markings with the wall, door and windows of a green tiny house visible in the background.

    A long hair, brownish gray cat with black markings sitting on blue cloth

    A short-haired black dog with brown feet and impressive white eyebrows lays on a gray blanket and gazes wistfully in front of him.

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    Tiny Life Journal - A view of the countryside from my morning ride. The mix of fields and forests over the gentle rolling hills of Madison County never disappoint. Not in the image, an immature (2-3 years old) bald eagle seen in a nearby field.

    A green grass field in the foreground with lines of trees further back in the distance. The horizon line of the image hints at forest covered hills. The sky is partly cloudy, broken by multiple gaps of sunlight streaming through and lighting the clouds from behind.

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    Popped up on the photo widget on my iPad, a pretty bit of lichen and moss photographed 15 years ago. The photos widget is such a great feature.

    A small lichen plant with pale, green, stems and brown ends grows in moss, which is a mix of green and orange brown tips. The background is a pretty Boca blur of green and pink and gold.

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    Tiny Life Journal - Photos from a foggy morning sunrise.

    A somewhat foggy field of dew covered grasses and wildflowers is lit by golden morning sun

    A dew covered spiders web hangs from a tall seed head of grass and drapes downward towards other grasses. The web is lit from behind by golden morning sun which also sets the field behind the web in a soft gold glow

    The green unopened flower cluster of Queen Anne’s Lace which consists of the many green stems folded in on themselves, forming a spherical shape

    A dew covered seed head in a field of grasses and flowers is lit by golden morning sun

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    I just felt a sting on my arm and looked down to see this little critter, smaller than a dime. I’d guess 10 mm. Left an easy to see bite and quickly swelling welt!

    Zelus luridus, also known as the pale green assassin bug, is a species of assassin bug native to North America.

    A close-up image of a tiny green bug with six legs and red eyes. The body is long and thin, its head and antennae are raised into the air.

    A close-up image my arm with a red dot, the bite from the insect. The skin around the bite is swelling up slightly.

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    Tiny Life Journal - On my morning walk with Cosmo I stopped to enjoy the smell of a button bush and noticed a little Flower Crab Spider perched on one of the spheres of flower clusters tucked under a leaf. A lone bindweed flower softly lit by from behind was also worth a stop!

    A small white ball-like cluster of small white flowers under green leaves. A small greenish-gray flower crab spider is perched on the top center of the sphere.

    A whiteish flower with a yellow center is softly backlit by the morning sun and it seems to glow. Small dew droplets are visible on the petals.

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    Tiny Life Journal - My mornings start with a dog walk followed by a 30 minute bike ride and, finally outdoor chores. Lately those chores start with picking blackberries. A beautiful view of the nearby Missouri countryside then, while picking blackberries I met a female widow skimmer dragonfly that was sunning itself.

    The widow skimmer is one of the group of dragonflies known as king skimmers. The nymphs live in the water, molting and growing until they are ready to emerge from the water and then molting a final time to reveal their wings.

    A landscape photo with a foreground of a field of tall grasses. The field turns into a line of trees and shrubs and fades to a background of wooded distant hills set against a mostly cloudy sky illuminated by the morning sun. A black and yellow dragonfly perched on a plant branch and photographed from above. The four wings are translucent but half of each wing is black at the point they attach to the body. A black and yellow dragonfly perched on a plant branch and photographed from behind showing the side. The four wings are translucent but half of each wing is black at the point they attach to the body. A black and yellow dragonfly perched on a plant branch and photographed from the front at an angle that nightlights the eyes and shows the side of the body. The four wings are less visible at the edge on angle of the photo.

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    Two flowers with long pinkish-purple petals and a center head of unopened styles that appear to be small orange spikes with dark red tips. The petals are thin and there are spaces between them Flowers with tightly spaced yellow petals and centers of dark brown to black A three leaved vine. The leaves are a medium green, smooth and somewhat pointed.

    Tiny Life Journal - In my woodland garden, two of my favorite native wildflowers: Purple Coneflower and Black-Eyed Susan. Growing nearby, the American hog peanut which has edible seeds I hope to try this year.

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    A field of wild grasses and flowers is the foreground. Further back in the field is a line of shrubs and trees and the morning sun illuminates a partly cloudy sky. A pale purple flower with five large rounded petals. The center of the flower is white with darker purple lines. The flower is covered in dew droplets

    Tiny Life Journal - A morning dog walk is the start of my day. One mile on a gravel road that takes me through a mixed ecosystem of woodland, open fields and small meadows. A visual and aural mix of birds, butterflies, flowers and more. It’s simple, quiet and beautiful.

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    Tiny Life Journal - On a short evening walk with Cosmo we passed by this very small, delicate flower, Iris domestica, commonly called leopard lily or blackberry lily. Also making an appearance, Misumenoides formosipes, white banded crab spider.

    A peach colored flower with dark red spots covering its six elongated petals. There are three pollen covered yellow anthers rising from the center of the flower. Another flower on the same plant is blurred in the background. The background is blurred dark green forest. A tiny pale yellow spider is sitting on the right-most petal. A peach colored flower with dark red spots covering its six elongated petals. There are three pollen covered yellow anthers rising from the center of the flower. The background is blurred dark green forest. A tiny pale yellow spider is sitting on one of the petals.

    A peach colored flower with dark red spots covering its six elongated petals. There are three pollen covered yellow anthers rising from the center of the flower. The background is blurred dark green forest. A tiny pale yellow spider is sitting on one of the petals.

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    Tiny Life Journal - I've been seeing a lot of smallflower desert-chicory mixed into the various tall grasses. It's such a pretty flower to visit! Soundtrack: Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting and White-eyed Vireo.

    A close up image of a many petaled yellow flower with a darker yellow, orangish center that has 20 or so dark brown to black colored stamens, each tipped with a yellow anther. The tip of each petal is fringed. Dark green foliage of trees and bushes are visible behind the flower.
    A close up image of a many petaled yellow flower with a darker yellow, orangish center that has 20 or so dark brown to black colored stamens, each tipped with a yellow anther. The tip of each petal is fringed.
    A close up image of a many petaled yellow flower with a darker yellow, orangish center that has 20 or so dark brown to black colored stamens, each tipped with a yellow anther.
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    Tiny Life Journal - My morning walk with Cosmo was, as usual, a feast of birdsong and sun sparkling on dewy grass.

    The gold light of the morning sun lights the top half of a close view of dew covered grasses. The image becomes more green in the lower half where a cluster of tiny white flowers forms a bowl-shaped flower of Queen Anne's Lace in the mid-right portion of the image.
    A lush green carpet of grass in the soft light of a woodland. Somewhat hidden but in plain view a whitetail deer looks out at the photographer. The image is frame by a foreground mix of tall native plants.

    A few minutes later bike ride takes me past an opening in the understory of the woods lit by soft light over lush grass. I stopped to admire it and saw a friend in there.

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    A small white porcelain bowl full of ripe blackberries
    A mason jar of dark purple blackberry smoothie with a straw.
    A yellow bowl containing baked oatmeal in front of a window. The oatmeal is mixed with blended blackberries so it's purplish pink with apple wedges across the top

    Tiny Life Journal - The first blackberries of the season have been teasing the past few days. I harvested a small bowl today, half for a blackberry lemonade smoothie and half for blackberry-apple baked oatmeal. I eat oatmeal almost everyday, sometimes twice a day. It's at least 30% of my daily calories so I buy it in bulk in 50lb bags. It costs a lot less and I can compost the paper bag.

    I say baked but really, it's microwaved because I don't use the oven in the summer as that works against my effort to stay cool. But what I've found is that it's entirely possible to make baked oatmeal in the microwave. A recipe for a one person meal or perhaps a 2-3 serving snack:

    First I do this bit: 1/2 cup oatmeal blended into flour with 1tsp sugar, 1/8th tsp salt, 1/4th tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup oatmeal

    Then 3 tsp sugar and 1/4 cup soy milk blended into blackberries for a second. Mix that into the oatmeal. It's thick like batter, evenly wet but not soupy like oatmeal. I usually make this without the blackberries in which case I use 1/4 cup soy milk and 1/4 cup water to get the right consistency.

    Then slice a small apple or half a large apple. And put it on top, kinda push it into the oatmeal a bit so some is mixed in, some is on top.

    Microwave 2-3 minutes. Cover it with a plate and let it sit for 10 minutes.

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    A screenshot of a Siri response with the following text: Each blackberry fruit is made up of multiple drupelets that are typically deep bluish black. The white bumps are most likely caused by heat or sun scald

    Filing this under Siri is better than pundits will admit. Some parts of my blackberries are white (the individual berry bits) so I asked Siri "why are some of the parts of a blackberry white" and it came back with a real Siri Knowledge answer and a link to a page about White Druplet Disorder.

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    Tiny Life Journal

    Morning sun rays shining through trees along a gravel road.

    I've been pondering a change in what I post here. In the past year my tendency has been to post several times a day, usually links to recent climate or human rights news which I'll continue but to a lesser degree. I want to shift to more personal posts about aspects of living a simpler, climate adapted life. What does it mean to live with an intentional goal to draw down energy consumption? What does a low energy life look and feel like? I'm thinking I'll call it Tiny Life Journal. I could just as easily call it Slow Life Journal.

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    In a field of grass and wildflowers, Queen Anne's Lace and smallflower desert-chicory greet the sunrise.

    A complicated photo of flowers and foliage. In the foreground on the left is a cluster of tiny white flowers with an underside of green stems that form a bowl. To the right is a single flower, bright yellow. Both flowers are facing the morning light of the sunrise. The flowers are set against a field of mostly gold colored grasses topped with green seed heads covered in fine hairs covered in dew. In the distance, behind the field at the top of the image dark green foliage of trees is visible.
    A complicated photo of a flower and golden grassy foliage. Rays of sunlight fall from the top of the photo onto a cluster of tiny white flowers with an underside of green stems that form a bowl. The flowers are set against a field of mostly gold colored grasses topped with green seed heads covered in fine hairs covered in dew.
    A complicated photo of a flower and golden grassy foliage. A cluster of dew covered tiny white flowers. At the center is a single, tiny deep red flower. The flower cluster is set against a background of mostly gold and green colored grasses.
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    The plump seed heads of a grass meadow and a dew covered daisy were bathed in sunlight along my walk today. Soundtrack provided by Wood Thrush, Yellow-throated Vireo, Northern Paula, White-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird and some bull frogs!

    A close-up image of seed heads of grass, likely foxtail. Behind the grass is a mix of plants in a meadow lit by morning sun. The sun is in the top center of the image with blue sky in the background
    A close-up image morning dew drops on a white daisy with yellow center. Grass can be seen in the background.
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    The sights and sounds of a morning walk. Birds songs identified as: Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Cardinal, Yellow-breasted Chat and Acadian Flycatcher.

    A close-up image of seed heads of grass, likely foxtail. Behind the grass is a mix of plants in a meadow lit by morning sun. The sun is in the top right corner of the image and the longest ray of light seems to bend as it crosses over the top of the seed head. Trees and a hint of blue sky are in the background of the meadow
    Morning sunlight streams through the branches of trees falling on a gravel road in the near distance. The rays of light contrast against a dark green background of trees that form most of the background of the image.
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