Celebrating Life

Murder In The Flowerbed

When I was barely able to walk, I became fascinated with the garden. My Dad was the gardener in our family, growing both flowers and vegetables. When I was 5, he finally let me help him plant a row of flowers. He showed me how to make the straight furrow in the middle of the annual flower bed. (He planted all the rest of the bed afterwards.) I was very precise in filling the row with seeds, carefully covering each with fine soil. Then I watered them tenderly and waited day by day for any sign that things were growing.

Close Encounter of the Bear Kind

Finally got to see some of Alaska a few months ago. Went to Juneau and linked up with a friend of a friend who arranged an afternoon hop to one of the larger islands in the area. Less than 20 minutes from the Juneau airport, we were stepping off the 10-seater plane at Hoonah on Chichagot Island. The plane carries people to and from work, the mail, tourists, and anything else you can imagine. This is THE way one commutes around here.

Fred Moved On

Well, sorry to report that Fred did not survive. Found a lifeless little lump at the top of the pot one day and realized Fred was gone.

Never will know what Fred looked like in the moth stage and will also never know why he did not make it. But he was an interesting little thing while he was here.

Fred Digs In

Well, after wondering about chrysalis versus cocoon, I read more on the lifecycle of the Tobacco Harn Worm. Turns out their pupa don't seem to be either! They are just brown to brown-reddish pupa. But the more interesting part is that these pupae form in soil. Once the larva has grown big enough and fed enough (as evidence clearly with Fred), they drop to the ground and dig in a little bit. Then they transform into the pupa. That, in turn, goes through the metamorphosis stage, eventually become the Sphinx Moth.

Fred Munches and Munches

So Fred has only been in his cage for around 42 hours and he has already eaten thru two dozen leaves! He is really a poop machine as he processes this stuff. I've had to dump his droppings several times now from the cage. So he does create quite the amount of fertilizer for his size. (Hhmmmm how many of you have walked thru your garden barefoot? Just think about that for a moment.....)

My Sunshine Baby

Just as I was finishing college, a cat at the family home (daughter of a cat I rescued from being euthanized when it became a "bother"... a whole other story) had a litter of kittens. When only a week old, I got my first good look at them. The mother cat was a slender calico who always got into mischief. Like her, 3 of the kittens had the pointy face and short hair. However, they were orange tabby colored. Then there was the 4th one who really caught my eye. She was a tortoise color, with longer silkie hair than her siblings. And her head was more rounded. Clearly, mom got around.....

Latest Dance Craze - Oppa Gangnam Style

TV was on but I wasn't paying much attention and was busy using my laptop to catch up on some work. Then I heard this unique tune in TV. I looked up and burst out laughing at the funny dance by this Korean singer named Psy. Then I heard that the dance has gone viral on the internet. Just like that, I started noticing Psy appearing in various TV shows including Ellen DeGeneres' show. I simply adore Ellen and wish to get a chance to meet her some day. But for now, I am inspired to learn the Gangnam dance.

Olympics Opener

The Olympics have begun.  Such excitement.  Such skill.  Such a level of competition.  Over 200 countries represented AND each one had at least one women competitor.  The USA team has MORE women than men!  Will be great to watch through these next couple of weeks as the various sports are played by the world's top atheletes.

Army Brat finally finds Jesus

I grew up as a daughter of military parents. My mother was naval reserve when she met my father who was in the army. After I was born she resigned, and my father went voluntary indefinite. I am old enough to have spent a year of my life crying myself to sleep every night from mid 1967 to mid 1968, begging God to send my father home safe from Vietnam. My father did return to us, but his easy smile and laugh were gone for many years.