The last days of May were marked by a mix of sunshine and rain showers. Sparkling pearls dance on the leaves of the garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus). A beautiful spectacle that inspires admiration and reflection. The plant not only lets the drops roll off, but also collects them. All the light and water flows together and forms a large whole. These radiant pearls clean the leaf surface and are then passed on to the roots. It is native to the oceanic mountain meadows of North America, where the weather is very changeable, including fog and dry periods, so this adaptation could be an advantage. However, its abilities (which go far beyond this) are so good that it is now an invasive species not only in other regions of North America, but worldwide. In Germany, the plant is often used for greening, as here at a road junction. However, it tends to become wild and is already listed as an invasive species. We live in a world that is constantly changing. I can only admire and revere nature, but I also feel so humble in the face of its unforeseeable development. Life is a constant coming and going. However, I am optimistic that we will find our center and return to our roots together: Earth.

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Our grandparents visited me and my little brother in the children's home. Both loved animals and fed me lots of books and cakes. My grandmother was an artist and painted animal portraits with make-up on paper. She was a cousin of the German painter Rudolf Kortokraks. That's probably where my artistic streak came from. Both were politically active. My grandfather had a great sense of humor and was the son of the German founding father and humanist Dr. Werner Hilpert. Despite this, we grew up in simple living conditions. My brother and I lived in children's homes for about three years in total. My mother was homeless for 9 years. Life cannot be put into categories. The first children's home was privately financed and offered a little luxury (e.g. computer room, sauna, excursions, supplies), but we were always used as advertising figures (e.g. newspaper reports on company XY, which sponsors the children's home with a toy race track, etc.). The second children's home, where the photos were taken, was much simpler and was only able to afford modern equipment such as new furniture and computers - a few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall - thanks to a generous donation from the Lions Club. Instead, we often went out into nature together to pick mushrooms and berries and learned to haggle at every opportunity. Many of the residents of the children's home were mentally handicapped. Then I made friends and learned early on what the true qualities of being human are. It is being human.

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We are cuddle buddies 🥰

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View of the panel buildings on Karl-Friedrich-Schinkel-Straße in Plauen (Vogtland/Saxony) in 2000. I lived there for a while on weekends. The rear row of buildings and the building on the right have since been demolished.

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🖌👹 Devil's paintbrush, Pilosella aurantiaca

Due to its rapid and extensive appearance, it represents chaos. Like a brushstroke that suddenly sweeps across the landscape.🔥

Chaos by Stanley Moss: "[...] Chaos is not a “sometime thing,” its face and back are turned to and from us, what I cannot see is beautiful, or an isthmus that connects almost nothing to almost nothing — the great unless, either/or. I grab on to metaphor, uncertainty, dark matter, gravity specific. The motto I nail to my door: The Devil generalizes, angels are specific. Chaos makes me merry, string or rose-by-any-other-rose theory, romance of the rose, roses that go with any other flower, from devil’s paintbrush to huckleberry. From fertile Chaos sprang Eros and Night: Chaos danced first with Eros, then jealous Night. Time carries a scythe, women and men sound the hour. I model for myself, I pose in north light. [...]"

You can find the complete poem on the Internet. It is very complex, unusual and, if read carefully, reveals a fascinating interweaving of chaos and order.

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🥳 I'm officially 38 years old now! 👾

It's clear that you find me creepy. But I'm not a robot and I'm not a vampire. I owe my irresistible, everlasting youth to chocolate and cheesecake.🥧 And to my sunflower mentality.🌻🌞

The picture shows me in my 1999 version in the children's home. And the other in my 2024 version on my daily walk through exciting adult life. In both photos you would see the same smile, in the second one the shutter just took too long...

I hope you all live to be as old as me - it's absolutely worth it! 🫠✨️

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Catching the teardrops of the broken-hearted 🪻

In the past, the love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) was given by young women to their admirers as an expression of rejection.💔

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Should I stay at home or go to a rave? We all know the feeling when a certain position feels just right. Bruce, in keeping with the natural nature of leopard geckos, probably just happened to get into this exact position and stayed like that for a few minutes. If you see your animals doing things like this frequently, you should be careful. It could indicate weakness, for example due to illness. But Bruce is in great shape and probably just appreciated the relaxed moment. The photo is a few months old and shows him shortly after moving into the newly furnished terrarium.

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You can say exactly which day that was 🤓🕰

The Zimmer Tower, originally the Cornelius Tower, was once part of the city's fortifications in the 14th century. In 1928, the astronomer and clockmaker Louis Zimmer gave the city of Lier his clock mechanism "de Jubelklok", which shows various times and astronomical events, to mark the upcoming 100-year anniversary of Belgium's independence.

1. Phases of the Moon:
Displays the current phase of the moon, such as new moon, first quarter, full moon, or last quarter.

2. Metonic Cycle and Epact:
The Metonic Cycle is a 19-year period after which the phases of the moon repeat on the same days of the year. The Epact is the number of days by which the lunar year differs from the solar year.

3. Equation of Time:
Shows the difference between solar time (as shown by a sundial) and clock time, accounting for the Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt.

4. Zodiac:
Indicates the current zodiac sign, which is determined by the position of the sun relative to the twelve constellations of the zodiac throughout the year.

5. Solar Cycle and Dominical Letter:
The Solar Cycle is a 28-year cycle used in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The Dominical Letter is a system for determining the day of the week for any given date in a year.

6. Week:
Displays the current day of the week.

7. Globe:
Shows a representation of the Earth, indicating the current position of the sun relative to the Earth.

8. Months:
Indicates the current month of the year.

9. Calendar Days:
Displays the current day of the month.

10. Seasons:
Shows the current season (spring, summer, autumn, winter).

11. Tides:
Indicates the state of the tides, which are influenced by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun.

12. Age of the Moon:
Shows the number of days since the last new moon, indicating the moon's age in its current lunar cycle.

Another astronomical clock, "de Wonderklok", has been located in an annex to the Tower. The clock mechanism contains, among many other displays, the slowest rotating hand in the world.🐌

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Please put something sweet here! 😒

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