Love Bugs 16: Queen Isabella!

Another banded woolly bear caterpillar (the wool is actually setae, little bristles), this one will turn into an Isabella Tiger Moth. The caterpillar plays "dead" and curls up in a little ball when it is scared.

Queen Isabella of Castille was one of the most powerful women of the 15th century, and supported Christopher Columbus' voyages to America.

Wake Up!

What bugs do you think we will find today?

Love Bugs 15: Be like a Bee

Bug Worship!

It turns out that this is a CARPENTER BEE! What luck! We set him free on the porch after all coming to say hello and STICK IT!

My Masterpiece

A line is a dot that went for a walk.*

*Paul Klee

Love Bugs 14: Fire Breathing Dragon!

Once upon a time...

Dragonflies have strong, transparent wings, multi-faceted eyes, and a very long skinny body. We like them because they eat the mos-quitos that like to eat us. In japan dragonflies symbolize marital success (because the word for dragonfly sounds like the word for victory), and courage. When dragonflies are babies they are called nymphs and live underwater for up to 5 years!

Rio Verde!

I can hear the bullfrog callin me.
Wonder if my rope's still hangin to the tree.
Love to kick my feet way down the shallow water.
Shoefly, dragonfly, get back t'your mother.
Pick up a flat rock, skip it across green river*
*credence clearwater revival

Our First Harvest!

Things here grow like crazy, and everything looks so different from when we arrived! Growing our own food is very rewarding, and delicious. Tonight we are eating squash and beans from our garden. We are also using basil that we grew to make pesto. My garden is 4' x 4' square - just the right size for me to plant and water and weed (Candace is a big help with the planting and weeding. I am very good at watering.)

I watered my feet this afternoon so that I will grow too.

Lazy Susan

Round and round the Mulberry Bush,
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey stopped to pull up his sock,
Pop! goes the weasel!

This is our dinner table before fish(es are delicious) tacos. Pick a farm animal and we will spin it to you!