Feasting on the nectar of neglected pears, on this beautiful late summer eve near dusk, royalty dined before me as I was deciding what to post about this week. I decided to share some pictures like I'm paparazzi and ramble a bunch.

I've had a nice hiatus from steemit and discord while I try to kick this whateveritis. I'm still congested when the expectorant wears off, but the swollen lymph nodes, soar throat, fevers, and nausea have lessened back to "normal". The insomnia is still bad but also back to "normal".

I've been a daily participant on the #minnowsupport #PAL discord starting the third week of becoming a steemian. Here and there I have taken short breaks of a day or two but otherwise have been hanging around since early January. I needed to focus on rest so I hunkered down. I haven't been on either steemit or discord for the past week. I might not be for at least another day or two, minimum.

I am trying to catch up on things neglected while also doing a better job of resting. Discord can be a somewhat addictive place for a hermit like me. I needed some alone time rather than immersing myself in the stimulating shenanigans. Also for the first time I will be helping my Uncle with the farmer's market where he sells gourmet oyster, shitake, lionsmane mushrooms, and whatever produce that's ready for market. That means I will have to be awake at 3:30 am to get ready. That's going to be super difficult because I don't usually fall asleep until after 3:30 am. Sometimes I'm not even sleepy until dawn.

If you're wondering what I have been doing to occupy my time while I've been away, I'll tell you. It's possible I have a new obsession. You see, I don't watch television except for a few times a year. Usually I research things online or watch some instructional YouTube videos about permaculture and sustainability. That was what started this trek into the abyss of this new subject matter I've never delved into. Bushcrafting.

What happened was I saw some video, I forget now what it was, which showed how to make natural soap from lye water. Next thing you know I was in no mans's land by way of what my friend @vladivostok and I call "going through cornfields". This is a specific reference to being in the middle of something, usually chatting in discord, then going to a YouTube link someone posts in chat. Usually that person disappears into the rabbit hole, or the cornfield. If you have ever been deep within a massive cornfield, you know that it can be a difficult place to be in to find your way out of. LOL. Well, I was lost for days.

From that first video of someone making soap from soaked ashes I searched for more videos. In short order I stumbled on "TA Outdoors", "Nagualero", "Survival Lilly","carlisle195", "My Self Reliance", and "Fowler's Makery and Mischief". I've become absolutely consumed by watching their videos on bushcrafting. Now I want to learn to whittle and make a supershelter. LOL.

The idea of full time camping has taken hold. Sleeping on a raised bed made of chopped branches and spruce under a tarp in front of a fire blocked from the wind by a windbreak made of logs sounds like a peaceful way to live. I've started trying to round up all of my camping gear that's been packed for at least 5 years. I've even eaten a meal last night and today in my stainless steel camp cookware with spork. While watching these videos, of course.

I've been avoiding going outside much, even though it's been cooler weather. There is so much pollen and mold in the air that I don't want to be outside while having this allergycoldfluthingy. I've been outside to water what's left of the garden but otherwise have been resting. Not keeping up with the time sensitive task of harvesting the pears meant a lot of them started decaying on the trees or falling to the ground. I tried to collect some pears to make some juice, vinegar, diced canned, and pear butter, but by the time I got out there the flying insects had swarmed all of the fruit. Notably the hornets. They love the fallen fruit. Because there were so many hornets, I made the decision not to risk it.

Apparently butterflies are fond of juicy pears and apples, as well. They were everywhere! I saw at least 10 different species of butterflies. Many buzzed by or flew into me in their excitement. I expected a good number of butterflies this year because of the numerous native plants they like to breed and feed on being more plentiful this year. Especially the common milkweed. Eventually I want to have a dedicated butterfly garden. For now, I can just watch with joy as they huddle into groups on each overripe fruit.

Usually we pick just a bucket or two of pears. We tend to miss the window of opportunity for more substantial harvest. This year I only got about 10 lbs off the tree. I left a couple dozen on a patio table but forgot about them. Between the multiple types of bees, wasps, butterflies, and moths, the majority of those pears are all but shriveled up to the size of walnuts while they work on the rest of the fruit. It was an awesome sight.

Here are several pictures I took just before dusk

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Let me tell you. It's not easy getting a good picture of butterflies when they are flapping their wings. Luckily there were so preoccupied drinking the juice from the pears they didn't fly away. Here we have a Monarch and a White Admiral butterfly dining together. At least I'm pretty sure that's what these are. I am no expert on identifying insects. I am trying to learn, though.

If you don't already know, Monarch butterflies are endangered. Pesticides have killed so many off they are a threatened species now. They only lay eggs on Milkweed plants, which are native plants. Where I live the Missouri Department of Conservation has good information about how to grow milkweed plants that provide habitat for them in case you might be interested in helping them. I did not specifically plant any butterfly garden. It's so wild and natural here I really don't need to.

Those brown pieces are the mummified remains of the pears being consumed. Thought I would say so since you can't tell what they are because they're so decomposed.

White Admiral Butterflies and Red Spotted Purple Butterflies supposedly can mate to produce butterflies that have these colorful wings. This website talks about the butterfly.. At least they look the same to me.

It wasn't just the butterflies enjoying the buffet-like feast. What to me looks like a Blue Orchard Mason bee, Yellow Jacket wasp, and a Flesh Fly were also partaking.

Here's a video showing yellow jacket's eating fruit which, combined with hornets, get to most of the fruit before we do. A couple years ago there was even a bald faced hornet's nest in the pear tree. This is a full sized pear tree, too, so we can only reach the bottom branches even with a harvesting pole. The wasps and hornets have mostly ignored us except one time while mowing under the tree where there were a couple of stings to the mower's forehead. That being said, I avoid the area.

Close up of the wasp and blue orchard bees.

So beautiful.

The camera missed the mark, not picking up the splendor. These guys are a lot deeper blue. I've never seen such beautifully colored butterflies. They are blue, black, orange and white and slightly larger than the Monarch. At first I thought they might also be Monarchs but the colors and markings are not the same. Plus, I couldn't find any reference to blue Monarchs.

Hungry little thing. The couple of ripe pears I was able to eat were AMAZING. I understand White Admiral. I tasted the sweet nectar, too.

I'm not sure I've said it recently but nature and all of its creatures are a genuine treasure. Nature is peaceful. Nature is vibrant. Nature is soothing. Nature is brilliant. Nature is grounding. I love nature. I could use some grounding.

While I'll probably never become a legit bushcrafter, I have the itch now after binge watching YouTube channels about it. I want to be immersed in the wilderness. My favorite YouTuber is Nagualero because he really takes in the environment of the forests he spends time in. He doesn't just set up a shelter and eat over the campfire. He makes his own wood carving tools, forages, makes his own dishes and paints scenery. He takes his time video taping close-ups of mushrooms. Of the stream sprinting by.

His videos make me yearn for the birch and spruce forests. If the trees in my spring-fed creek weren't covered with poison ivy and the allergens weren't permeating through the air, I would seriously hug a tree. More like I would cuddle with it. Maybe I will try practicing some of the techniques the bushcrafters use on some of the property. Anyhow, those are the things that have been going in since last week.

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Hope you enjoyed the photos...Please consider upvoting, resteeming, following, and commenting if you like.

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ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT 2018 BY ME, @phedizzle. Hope you enjoyed them!

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Previous posts of mine:

STORIES:

• BAREFOOT IN THE BOONIES: EXPOSING MY ROOTS (introduction post)
• BAREFOOT IN THE BOONIES: Chapter 1
• BAREFOOT IN THE BOONIES: FAMILY OWNED: Chapter 1 Section 2
• BAREFOOT IN THE BOONIES: ABANDONED BASEMENT: Chapter 1 Section 2
• BAREFOOT IN THE BOONIES: REWIND: GROWING UP WITH TURNTABLES

2011 GARDEN:

• 2011: DESIGN AND BUILD
• 2011 BACKYARD TRELLIS, PERIMETER, & VOLUNTEER
• 2011 TIRE PORTION OF THE GARDEN
• 2011 BRASSICAS-TIRE GARDEN
• 2011 DWARF ORCHARD

RECIPES:

• SANTA DELIVERED SHROOMS-SHITAKE OYSTER SCRAMBLE
• SWEET CINNAMON POPCORN
• MOCK ALMOND JOY--CHEAPER AND HEALTHIER
• HANGRY TERIYAKI
• RASHES--WHY I SWITCHED TO THIS COMMON DIY LAUNDRY SOAP AND HOW I MAKE IT
• SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH FORAGED FINDS: FIRST FOOD FORAGE OF 2018
• WHAT'S FOR DINNER? BEETS ME! FIRST GARDEN HARVEST AND RECIPE

POEMS:

• WATCHING THE SPRING WAKE UP
• SHE IS DYING
• WEEPING WILLOW
• LIGHTS OUT BABY ROBIN

PLANTS AND ANIMALS-EDUCATIONAL:

• GRASS IS OUR FRIEND
• LITTLE BLUESTEM--BENEFICIAL AND BEAUTIFUL
• BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE FALSE INDIGO BUSH

WALK ALONG WITH ME:

• WALK ALONG WITH ME 1
• WALK ALONG WITH ME 2--WINTER 2017/2018

2018:

• WILD TURKEY TAIL AND REISHI MUSHROOMS
• HUGELKULTUR BED STARTED BUT THERE IS A LOGISTICAL OBSTACLE.
• 2018 CURRENT HAPPENINGS: FOOD FOREST EXPANSION
• WILD EDIBLES AROUND THE HOMESTEAD
• GRANNY SMITH APPLE FINALLY GOT SOME LOVE
• PICKED MY FIRST PINT OF WILD NATIVE BLACK RASPBERRIES
• TRANSPLANTING WILD PURPLE GARLIC PART 1
• ORCHARD: PLANNING, PREPPING, AND PLANTING
• WILD PURPLE GARLIC TRANSPLANT UPDATE
• ZONE 2 OF THE FOOD FOREST
• COMFREY: ANOTHER QUINTESSENTIAL PERMACULTURE ADDITION TO OUR FOOD FOREST
• ONE OUT OF MANY: MY FIRST TIME GROWING SWEET POTATOES

CONTESTS/REVIEWS

• Chronic and Coffee MSP Review--25 SBD contest for the best MSPWAVES Radio Reviews
• VOICES FROM THE MOUNTAINS Review--25 SBD contest for the best MSPWAVES Radio Reviews

SUSTAINABILITY & DESIGN

• FREE ENERGY COOKING: I GOT A FRESNEL LENS
• OUTDOOR KITCHEN DESIGN: CAD FIRST DRAFT

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Phedizzle signature created by @bembelmaniac

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(Created by @soulturtle)

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Come say hello in the following Discord chat rooms:

#homesteadersonline: https://discord.gg/VKCrWsS
@qurator: https://discord.gg/pJtWp57M
#minnowsupport & #PAL: www.minnowpond.org