No pickleball this week! For either of us! It’s been a varied week And, no golf either! We did continue semi-annual medical appointments and Kay had a couple of social events. And, of course, there were a couple of church meetings to attend. For the first time in memory, I did not have anything scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday—should have gone camping as weather was great!

I did get out to shoot photos on Tuesday, May 2, and again on Wednesday, May 3. Tuesday’s shoot was at the Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area. Here are some photos, gallery style. Just click on a photo to see an enlarged version. Of note is the first of Bee Balm blooms, a precursor to the emergence of Diana Fritillaries.

Only a few butterflies were observed.

A Cedar Waxwing posed for a photo along with an Ozark Clubtail dragonfly.

On Wednesday, the forecast was for light winds and mild temperatures—perfect for a day trip to Mt. Magazine State Park. The wildflower bloom was spectacular.

The relatively high number of species of butterflies was surprising, though most of the butterflies were ragged and worn. The Giant Swallowtail and Tiger Swallowtail were the showstoppers!

On Thursday, Kay and I got our third COVID booster injection. For me, 24-hours of misery and despair followed. I have had a reaction to each of the four injections, lasting anywhere from 24-48 hours where my temperature runs about 3 degrees above normal, and I experience flu-like symptoms, This time, after 24 hours, everything was back to normal except for lack of energy from laying in bed all day.

Towards the end of the week a few Baltimore Orioles showed up at the hummingbird feeders. Kay put our orange halves and grape jelly for them, and they bring delight with each sighting.