It is finally nice enough outside to escape the bonds of home. It being my flex day yesterday — and also in the mid-twenty-cees — I think it would be a fair calculation to say that I spent more of my waking hours yesterday outside than in. Lovely. Claire and I enjoyed the backyard for about an hour and a half after breakfast, she continuing the effort of breaking in her swing set while I made sure that every plant in the backyard was sufficiently soaked. The little girl was absolutely fascinated by (a) the water, trying to help out whenever she could, (b) the flowers, which I’ve finally convinced her not to paw and pluck, and (c) the spiders, who require her protection as [...]
Tags:
backyard,
fresh air,
fresh bread,
independence,
library,
outside,
park,
picnic,
playground,
running man,
slide,
spiders,
sprinklers,
stroller,
sunny,
swingset,
walks,
weeds Comments Off |
Read the rest of this entry »
In light of discovering a wolf spider scampering across my strawberry patch last week, a cerulean blue egg sac nearly the size of a marble clenched dorsally to its abdomen — and in particular the disappointing difficulty I encountered attempting to classify it using online resources — I ordered and just yesterday received a copy of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. I’m very excited. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I should have been an entomologist. Alas, I am but a mere bug enthusiast just trying to brush up on his Latin.
So — it’s the last day of my holidays (for now) and the sun is out in full force. Not a cloud in the sky. Barely a cool breeze to rest the soul. Sparkle and I spent some time in the yard, resting and relaxing. Well, I was reading and she was chasing the various bugs and spiders that have taken up residence in the bits of grass and weed taking root in the wet backyard clay. I skimmed through the newspaper and then switched to some heavier novel-reading. She flopped onto her blanket up against the side of the house and fell asleep in the sunlight. Things I didn’t quite finish on my (shorter than heck) summer vacation: :: didn’t do much in the [...]
I arrive at work this morning with a new friend living in the bottom of my coffee mug. Have a look at a couple of the photos and see if they induce the same screams of terror they emoted from my co-workers. Brad’s tips on effective volunteer management #723 Never show volunteers large creepy spiders caught in the bottom of unwashed office coffee mugs, especially if said volunteers are a couple of easily startled girls with high pitched screams.
