tomatoes and those who eat them

Speaking of tomatoes, my grape, cherry, and lemon tomatoes have made a comeback. That super hot summer put everything on hold, and well, the deer feast didn't help either. But now, we've been getting tons of rain as well as copious amounts of dew every night so my tomatoes are thriving. So much so that it's like a jungle. We can pick a nice bowl full of tomatoes every day now and usually while picking I eat one or two. Delicious. This one, however, will eat as many as she can pick. So that lovely line of tomatoes you see at the top of this post didn't make it into the house. I'm not complaining. She loves her veggies, and fresh from the garden, too. Then, there's this guy...several of them actually. I am thankful it's late in the season and we've enjoyed lots of our homegrowns before the tomato hornworms found our yard. He enjoyed several tomatoes much like he enjoyed this one. But he got his. Take a look at him now. They all kind of look like this now. Gross, yet fascinating. A fly or parasitic wasp has decided to use him as a growing and feeding station for their larvae. Ah, the cycle of life...a beautiful thing...and a great science lesson! Happy Thursday. xoANG

a line must be drawn

As I have mentioned before, and much to the shock and dismay of my own mother, I am trying to love bees. Honey bees, of course. We would like to have a hive or two one day when we have some land. But for now I am making a conscious decision to not scream like a girl and run when a bee invades my personal space. I suppose the same goes for bumble bees, the trying to love them, because they are so fuzzy and cute and seemingly harmless. Although, I am reminded by miss O that the females are the ones with stingers. But still, they buzz around loud enough that I can hear them coming and I think we've reached an understanding that if I stay out of their way they'll stay out of mine. Of course, there is the occasional run in when we're swinging on the swings or playing tag, but accidents happen - we all know that. So yes, honey bees and bumble bees, they're okay.
Here's where the problem comes in...bees are bees to me, whether it's a honey bee or a yellow jacket or a bald-faced hornet. I hear the buzzing, look long enough to see a striped body and very calmly and quickly move in the other direction. Yes, we've checked out many books and read many articles about all stinging insects but my brain just won't pause long enough to think clearly or rationally when I hear a slight buzzing sound invading my personal space.
The reason I share all of this with you is because this is what I found on the back porch light when I got home the other evening.

Yes, right outside the back door. The door we use the most. All day long. It is the beginning of a bald-faced hornet nest. I had noticed what I thought was a yellow jacket flying around the door while we played outside before lunch. I shooed it away - not smart. Then when lunch was over and we waved bye to Daddy (at 1:30) there were no signs of any stinging creatures lurking around. Even at 3pm when I left to tutor there was no sign. However, when I returned at 5pm this was firmly attached to my back porch light. I saw the tail end of the hornet sticking out when I walked up on the porch but when it heard me it flew away. I went inside and asked my mother-in-law what kind of nest it was and she was sure it was a hornet's nest. Yikes! My own mom has hornet nest story that will keep you awake at night so I knew it had to come down right away! After I took pictures, naturally. So I grabbed my camera and took these pictures. Yes, up close and personal. No fear, it was empty. Do you see a hornet in there? No, of course not or I would not have had my camera on macro and my face so close to the nest. Once I was satisfied with my shots my mother-in-law grabbed a Ziploc bag so she could pull it off. Clever, I thought, so we could keep it safe while we studied it up close and personal. However, when she put her hand up there a hornet flew right out!!! There was a hornet in there building on that stupid nest the whole time I had my face up there! Aaaak!! Thank goodness for the bag covering her hand...no one got stung. Our heart rates did go up though.

So here's is where the line must be drawn, hornet. I understand that outside is your domain. I have no problem with that. I don't even have a problem with you doing a fly by while we're playing in the yard. Just don't stop and sting anyone and don't, in any way, shape, or form, build a nest on or near my house. Like I said before, we'll leave you alone and you leave us alone. Are we cool? If you cross that line bad things will happen. I have a huge can of spray that will knock your wings off and I'm not afraid to use it! Well, at least not after the sun goes down--on a cool evening when you're lethargic--oh, who am I kidding? Tim will spray you and he won't be afraid. So like I said...don't cross the line!

***updated***
Upon closer inspection of the inner comb of the nest I discovered that in the short time it took to build the cells and the nest layers the lovely hornets had the nerve to lay an egg in each cell. They sure don't waste any time. Additionally, I am even more thrilled that the nest was removed from the porch before there was an entire busy hive buzzing around.

didn't your mom ever teach you?

I was minding my own business this morning taking pictures of some newly blooming flowers when I felt someone staring at me. Well, I heard someone. I looked up from my camera and there, not two feet from my face was this fuzzy, buzzy little guy. He hovered in front of me for 30 seconds or longer as if to give me a chance to capture his best side. Or maybe he was just trying to intimidate me with his stare so I would back away from the flowers. Either way, it's just not polite to stare. happy wednesday. xo ANG

beware of the caterpillar!

While we were playing in our backyard yesterday Miss O came across a strange caterpillar. Thanks to reading many bug books, she knew that if it looked too weird and dangerous for a bird to eat then it's best not to touch it. Boy was she right! This, my friends, is a Saddleback Slug Caterpillar. Bizarre is the best description. A tiny little guy, only about an inch long, but with some serious spikes and a crazy markings. Also, instead of 16 legs like a regular caterpillar this creature had the under body like a slug...although his sides are lined with sections of spikes. After reading up on this here Saddleback we discovered that touching it would result in many spikes coming out into our skin and stinging worse than a bee...with the pain lasting for several days also accompanied by nausea. Yikes! Plus, anyone with sensitive skin would have a more severe reaction. Double yikes! I thank God that neither of my girls nor Tim and I touched this caterpillar. In all of my years I have never seen one of these, but when I was telling a friend about it she had seen one as well. They are active during the day and can be seen as late as November, so like I said, beware of the caterpillar!

Then in the early evening as I was taking my laundry off of the clothesline I saw this super fast crawling, feathery, tiger-striped caterpillar trucking across my driveway. This was the only descent shot I could get because he just wasn't slowing down for anything. After doing a little more research I found out that it was a Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar. Although bright and dangerous looking, he was safe to touch, although the girls refrained as a precaution. The bright fluffy coat he is sporting was just a warning for the birds. Evidently if a bird eats a caterpillar that's been feasting on milkweed it will die of a little birdie heart attack if it doesn't quickly regurgitate the milkweed stuffed meal.

Fascinating creatures, no? And right in our own backyard. If that's not a lesson in science, I don't know what is! So while you're out and about keep your eyes pealed because you never know what wondrous creature you may happen upon. And you know what? I plan on wearing my gardening gloves all the time while working in the garden...ya know, just to be safe :o) xo ANG

eric carle's muse

The other day I noticed a few little nibbles on my potted tomato plants. The next day I noticed several small green tomatoes missing. Then, I was amazed to see lots of branches gnawed all the way to the main stem and several tomatoes with the unmistakable holes.

Then I saw him. Oh yes, the very hungry caterpillar!

Creepy but beautiful.

Just look at that design. He's going to be a beauty with wings!
I wish I had put my hand in that picture to give it some perspective. He was as long as my index finger but bigger around. I tried to find him later on that day but he was either very good at hiding or he went to munch on the tomato plants in the garden. Thank goodness the growing season is almost over and we already ate our weight in tomatoes. :o) Here's a little video clip of this amazing creature chowing down on my cherry tomato plant. Check out that mouth!


Oh, happy Monday!!! xo ANG

macro love

Oh, how I love the macro mode on my camera!

The other day when we went outside to play this lovely little shell of a guy was clinging to our screen house in the back yard. Fascinating, no?!

This here is one of our sunflowers. Just look at the uniformity and symmetry. The whole design is truly amazing!

One of my favorite wild flowers...Queen Anne's Lace. On my grandparent's farm there was always an abundance of this beauty growing in the fields. Big, lacy flowers..so pretty and delicate. Never in all my years had I taken a close-up look. But wow! up close the tiny individual flowers are stunning!

Now, here is one of my all-time favorite macro shots! It's so crazy! Can you guess what it is?
Oh, come on, take a guess. I'll tell you the answer in my next post.

Have a great day...and while you're out and about stop and take a closer look at God's amazing creations. xo-ANG

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Ecostore USA giveaway!

more rain?

It's been raining for days. Yes, I know we need it. I do. But when the sun shines bright and warm we find so many things to explore outside, ya know, where there's fresh air and open spaces.

We've been missing these little guys. I mean really, can you ever catch and hold too many caterpillars?

We've been missing all varieties of stinging creatures. Okay, maybe not missing them, because even at the sound of their buzzing the girls squeal and run in the opposite direction--or run and hide behind me (while I try to be cool about the stinging ones flying around me) but we sure do like watching them search for nectar in the azalea bushes. We also miss the little creatures that we surprisingly find when we're not even searching for anything. This azalea in all of it's beauty, that the girls thought I should capture, had a little spider hiding way down in the center.

Yea, we miss the sun. It'll be shining here again, soon. And if not...we'll be heading to the beach next week to find it. Because maybe, just maybe, the sun enjoys the sand and sea, too!

monkeys, mushrooms, and moths, oh my!

Monkeys:
As promised, here are some pictures of the monkey pajamas that were such a bargain.

Big sister with her June doll and a big smile!

Little sister, not so happy (still cute though), but better detail of pajamas.

Big sister putting a hand full of rubber snakes in Little sister's shirt could explain the expression in the previous picture! But seriously, those pjs are so cute I'd wear them if they came in my size. Hmmm...maybe I should attempt sewing knit material and make some!

Mushrooms:
A few days ago when we went outside there were a few really big mushrooms growing in the side yard. I had every intention of taking some pictures of them because they looked so neat. The girls really enjoyed looking at them. But when we went out later that day they were gone....shredded by the neighbors lawn mower. I'm not complaining, I just missed the photo opportunity. Well, yesterday morning we found two small mushrooms in the back yard. They got some close up looks at them...and NO we can't put those on our pizza! I got my camera and got one good shot before they were accidentally stepped on by Miss E. It was still morning and there was dew on the grass but it was hot and the sun was shining brightly so when I stooped down to get a close up my lens fogged up a little. The effect, I think, is quite nice.

Moths:
The marigolds that I planted around the edge of our little garden have gotten huge. They really thrive in drought conditions. Until this summer I never really thought marigolds were pretty, I just knew they were useful in and around gardens for bug and animal control. Well, to our suprise and delight butterflies and moths love them. I have seen a few butterflies fluttering around, but the moths are all over the place. They seem to be a little more brave and can withstand the constant observations and squeals of delight from my girls. They are quite fascinating. I captured some great shots of them, with their bizarre, long tongues, sipping at the nectar in each little flower. Okay, okay, I know, that's enough talk. Here are some pictures.

Oh yeah, one more thing. We'll be leaving for the beach on Sunday. It looks as though we may be between hurricanes. Ike may put a damper on the end of the week, but hey, a vacation is still a vacation...rain or shine.

lessons from a cockroach

I know, I know, call me crazy! Go ahead, it won't hurt my feelings, I'm tough...besides, I can't hear you anyway. So, let me explain. First, I do not have a roach problem. Second, yes, I think they're gross. Especially the ones that we had to coexist with on Moloka'i. They were affectionately referred to as 747s if that helps you understand how big they were...and yes, they could fly. Eewww, that gives me the heebee-geebees just thinking about it. I digress. Third, I got this great book at the library on the "new books" shelf. I had to get it. The title grabbed my attention and the illustrations were fabulous. I'm a sucker for great illustrations. The title of the book is Martina the Beautiful Cockroach-A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy...illustrations by Michael Austin. In this folktale Martine Cucaracha (*hee hee*) is ready to choose a husband and her Cuban grandmother offers some bizarre advice. The Coffee Test. Upon the arrival of each suitor (there were many because she was so beautiful) Martina was to accidentally spill hot coffee on their shoes. The suitor's reaction to her in his anger would prove how he would end up treating her as a wife. Needless to say, after many suitors failed the coffee test she eventually found a wonderful husband in an unexpected place...and he also had a Cuban grandmother, so he spilled coffee on her shoes first! :o) Such a simple story, enjoyed by both of my girls, but with threads of profound truth woven into each suitor's character. Crazy, I know, but I really enjoyed this book even thought the main characters were cockroaches. And if you've got kids that love to read or love to be read to, you should check out this book. Plus, since Miss O is always pretending to get married it led to a great discussion about how husbands should treat their wives and how wives should treat their husbands. I know she's only 5 years old, but when the opportunity arises to instill Godly principles of marriage, I'm all over it!

dreamcicles and daydreams

Have you ever smelled something or heard a song that made you remember something that you hadn't thought about in years? Oh man, it's the craziest thing, because then you get caught in a daydream and you want to remember every detail of that moment. So today my girls were wearing these adorable orange and white sundresses from Aunt Mel, my sister, and it

made me think of dreamcicles. Then,BOOM, I love dreamcicles. I know this, it's not a surprise, but I always forget about them. weather is hot.perfect for dreamcicles.need to go to store...then *poof*! Gas is over $4.00 a gallon...I'm not going to the store just for dreamcicles. Okay, so then while we're in the garden picking radishes..really hot radishes that the girls won't eat...BOOM I have a flashback to a beach trip where some relatives, which shall remain nameless, were eating little radishes...cough-sniff..cough-sniff...cough-sniff...Okay, they're hot and make you cough and make your nose run...so stop eating them already!..I screamed to myself inside my head. Oh, my sister could see it in my eyes that I was about to lose my cotton-pickin' mind, so to push me over the edge help me out, she starts the coughing/sniffing/coughing/sniffing to make me forget about the sound...because now I have to concentrate on not laughing out loud. If I laughed I would then have to explain why I was laughing since no one said anything funny...I mean, come on Ang, after all, we're all just sitting around having a little snack, what's so funny? *poof* That one's gone because now I am picking those sneaky little suckers off my tomato plants and BOOM, I am on my grandparent's farm. We spent a lot of summers there, and my grandma always smelled like the tomato plants. Mmmmm it does smell good, now my hands smell like hers and I hope my girls will love that smell, too. *poof* Oh, and one more today. First, our backyard is like a field of clover, really smart clover, that grows really close to the ground so even if I cut the grass the flowers stay intact. All of that to say, I hate bees. It's genetic I think because while watching them swarm around me in the yard as I hung the laundry on the clothesline, BOOM, I remembered countless times at the farm during the summer stopping halfway down the long driveway, screaming because of bees in our baby blue Pinto, jumping out of the car, shooing them, trying to get them out so we could get back in. Now, you know we weren't getting back in until the bees were out! *poof*Now that I am a mature, brave, adult I should have no fear of bees, right? Sorry, I still tend to move away quickly while stifling my tendency to scream like a little girl. I am trying to overcome the fear of stinging creatures by getting some cool close-up photos. So, say hello to my little friend. Yes, I have a zoom lens so I wasn't really that close :o) but isn't he cool...from a distance?!

Now here are some other random flashbacks caused by smells and sounds that hit me every once in a while. When I burn something when I'm cooking, that doesn't happen very often...a-hem, anymore, but it always reminds me of my mom singing "Heaven came down and glory filled my soul" Oh, the burnt toast! Our apartment kitchen would fill with it, probably because I messed with the settings or something, but I blocked all of that out, but every time the kitchen was filled with burnt toast smoke she would sing that song! Also, every time I rake leaves or hear Purple Rain I think of raking the leaves with my sister when we were young. She would put her Prince tape in the boom box and play it really loud while we raked. I can see my sister dancing around the front yard using the rake as a guitar while we sang and acted crazy. Okay, it was in the 80's and we were trying to make the never-ending chore of raking mountains of leaves a little more fun.
Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for joining me in my daydreams...now, I think I need a dreamcicle :o)

humidity, flowers, and gnats, oh my!

Wow, today it feels like summer. This is the first really hot day we've had...hurray! I enjoy the hot weather, although the humidity doesn't really help with the naturally frizzy curly hair. But I'd take a good ol' hot day over winter any time.

So, we had a busy morning. I finally finished the flower bed in the front yard. It was a long process. I know you don't need the details, but it will make me feel like I accomplished more if I write it down. So first, I dug up my tulip bulbs which had multiplied beyond belief. Then I dug up the grass around that section to make it bigger. That was tougher than expected because of the crabgrass that the city planted (when they chopped off four feet of my yard) was a killer to get through. After that, since the dirt was nice and fluffy, I added some potting soil to it (like Miracle Grow) and mixed it in. Then I made three trenches and replanted the tulip bulbs. I know, I know, it's not the right time of year to do that, but I have so many bulbs and such great dirt I just had to get it done. So now my bulbs are replanted nice and deep, but there's a big dirt patch in the front yard,right? So to make it pretty I planted the petunias (from my mom) and some cute little celosia plants in that dirt then mulched the whole thing. It turned out pretty good. Both types of flowers are annuals and they love the sun so I am hoping it stays pretty and they continue to grow. It took a few days to get all of that done but the girls helped some with the digging and planting. They played in the yard or on the front porch away from the gnats and bees most of the time though. Little Miss O and the gnats don't really get along. This picture is from two summers ago when she got gnat bites on her ear and eye. All these years, I never knew that they could bite, I just thought that gnats were super annoying.

The girls helped with washing the car this morning, too. They had their bathing suits on and got pretty wet, but the tires are nice and shiny!

Sunday at church the message about how selfish we are (whether we realize it or not) was very applicable. At the end of the message we read I Corinthians 13. Yes, the love chapter. Everyone knows that is the love chapter, but have you read it lately? I mean really read it, in it's entirety? If you haven't, I highly recommend it. I think that will be the next passage we memorize.