in amongst the rocks by the pond i have planted elfin thyme. it is doing very well there and i'm always fascinated by how such a tiny flower can draw so many pollinators~!!~ this macro shot of them shows how they look just like teensie tiny orchid flowers and highlights their furry green leaves. clicking on the photo should enlarge it so that you can really get a good look at them.what i can't show you is the fry (baby goldfish) that were discovered in the pond this past weekend. so far there have been only a small handful of them spotted as they are quite good at hiding. there are a number of other bigger fish in the pond so chances are pretty good that most of them will not survive. i had baby's born last year and can only count approximately 14 of those as survivors into this summer. when they were born there were 9 large fish to wait around and pick them off as they got the chance. i think that there are probably hundreds of them born at a time so the odds really aren't in their favor. in addition to the 14 survivors from last summer's brood i have 4 of the larger original fish so this year's baby's are going to have an even tougher time . . .
it's very interesting to watch the the pond and it's various life cycles. there are dragon and damsel flys that frequent the pond and i have seen there strange life cycle within it as time goes on . . . as well as many other pond bugs/critters. one of my favorite things about summer is observing all of this pond life happen.

my rudebeckia also grows near the pond in front of a tall urn full of red petunias. this year the rudebeckia have grown so dense and tall that i can't even see the urn. the red petunias however peek out just above and provide an extra splash of color.

i can't remember what these are called but i do like them. i have many shades of pink, purple and white growing all together. they were actually planted several years ago from seed and have continued up year after year. they stand about a foot tall and this is a photo of just the flower, which grows as a ball of tiny florets.

the next sunday postcard art challenge is "nursery rhymes". i found an old book from my childhood that i still have and leafed through it in an attempt to get inspired. on the inside cover there is a handwritten inscription by my great grandparents. it is dated 1966 and there is a price of $1.95 up in one corner. i was two years old in 1966 and i can remember enjoying this book a lot throughout my childhood. despite that, it is still in remarkeably great shape.
there are many charming illustrations throughout this book but i chose the humpty dumpty and the cat and the fiddle to show here. it is a reminder of my childhood and one of my favorite childhood pasttimes; reading.

unfortunately, i'm still not feeling like building a postcard . . .

get ready Jay as a package will be coming your way soon. i didn't feel like writing a letter or a note to go with the enclosed goodies but had no problem sitting still with the prisma pencils and coloring in this fun rubber stamped image on the outside of the envelope . . . go figure~!~