They Like It Here

Today as I was heading down our street to meet my daughter at the bus stop, I grabbed my camera and started snapping away at our flower boxes. The lobilium is not very good at sharing and has taken over the space, allowing very little room for the petunias to peek out. I sort of think that perhaps I should cut it back a little to allow other things to shine, but I enjoy the lacy texture of the little blue flowers that spill over the sides - and it would seem, so do the bees:

I can't believe I got this shot! The large black bee would buzz the loudest as his face was buried in the sweet periwinkle bloom.

I was a little afraid to get too close to this guy; I'm pretty sure they are territorial.

I am tickled that I provide a sanctuary for these hard workers. And who wouldn't want to hang out in a place like this?

Fuzzbucket the Second

If you ask my husband about "Fuzzbucket", he will fondly tell you the story of a little caterpillar he captured when he was in the fourth grade. This little guy was black and orange, very fuzzy, apparently quite cute. He will tell you of how he made a little terrarium out of a jar and some rocks and twigs, and fed Fuzzbucket an ample supply of leaves taken from a nearby canal. Then one day the caterpillar wrapped himself into a cocoon and weeks later spread his wings as a butterfly. Now the legacy of Fuzzbucket lives on.

This is what the Fuzzbucket looked like. We think it is a Wooly Bear Caterpillar.

Two days ago while building a fence, my husband found another orange and black, fuzzy caterpillar and brought it in for our daughter to see. She was thrilled! She giggled as she held the furry thing in her hands and couldn't wait to make a home for "Fuzzy" as she calls it. After gathering twigs, leaves and rocks, Fuzzy has a lovely home in a jar. The funny thing, however, is that the caterpillar has already wrapped herself in a cocoon! The next time we will see her will be when she unfurls her wings. And a bit to my dismay she will probably be a moth and not actually a butterfly. Yuck.

My daughter, who has chosen to be Tinkerbell for Halloween this year, found it fitting to wear her wings while building Fuzzy a home.

I guess it is a good science project for us all and I am all about valuable learning experiences. Who knows, maybe Fuzzbucket won't be too disgusting as a moth to me if I knew her as a cute, fuzzy little caterpillar first.

Barbie Limbs and Midge Carcasses

Many people do a good spring cleaning after a long, cold winter. However, I do a good fall cleaning after a dirty, dry summer. I tend to start to feel overwhelmed by the bark dust that has been tracked in and the clutter of things we have outgrown. And with fall being my favorite season, I want to be able to enjoy it in a clean and orderly home.

Two days ago I decided it was time to tackle my kids' rooms. My son's room wasn't too bad because he doesn't play in there too often. I went through all of his drawers, pulling out all the clothes he has outgrown, and reorganized a few things. My daughter's room was another story. I went up there with a garbage bag and with a somewhat militant determination to get it all under control. Letting my son roam around her room also helped motivate her. It took three hours, but in the end her room looks tidy, we were able to find all the pieces to her baby talking nursery, and now I don't step on princess crowns with my bare feet anymore - OUCH! To celebrate our hard work she and I had a lovely tea party (with real tea) in her clean room. Plus I think the experience has helped her to rediscover some of her toys and appreciate them more.

Part of fall cleaning involves cleaning the car inside and out. With road trips the car gets cluttered on the inside and covered in bugs on the outside. However, the is no point in cleaning the car now because of a little thing called a "midge". Midges are vile, repulsive and disgusting bugs that swarm the town that I live in.

Between the huge, shallow lake and the slow flowing river that cuts through town, these bugs thrive and mass produce. Most of them are bright green and can get through window screens and collect on your ceiling. Some of them are black and when driving over the river, you see black columns on the side of the road - yeah, these are thick swarms of midges. When driving through a swarm it sounds like it is raining as the bugs smash onto your car. It is indescribably nasty. So, I'll just have to wait for the first frost before I can clean my car. In the meantime, I will move on to cleaning my bathroom cupboards ... fun!

Here are what the midges look like on your car, alive. Imagine splotches of green of the dead midges on your windshield. YUCK!

It's All in My Head ... Right?

Tell me, why do I insist on torturing myself? My husband has been gone since Sunday on a business trip, so it is up to me to provide a secure and pleasant environment for my children and for myself. So, why in heaven's name would I allow myself to get sucked into watching a movie on TV about spiders? Arachnophobia. Why, why would I watch such a thing considering I severely dislike bugs, spiders in particular ... and grasshoppers, but that's another story.

I don't watch much TV, especially in the summer. I have been doing a great job of keeping myself busy to pass the time until my husband gets home. So I am completely puzzled as to why I would not immediately push the off button but instead watch in suspense, unable to turn away from the disgusting, creepy crawlers. All day long I have had the feeling that bugs are crawling on me. In the car I scared my daughter as I screamed, pulling at my hair because I was sure that a spider was moving around on my head. Last night as I was taking the garbage out, I saw a huge arachnid on my driveway. After that movie I am now convinced that it is a Venezuelan killer spider that has set out to breed and come after me. Or is it all in my head? Man, I hope so!