Insect Time

One of our common types of caterpillars.

 There have been a bunch of these spiders around lately. I don't kill them as they eat lots of bad bugs.

This praying mantis was on an evergreen last evening. It was about 4 inches long. A big one. Hope there is a mate somewhere so their will be more of them next year. They eat lots of bad bugs, too.

After I took it's photo on the evergreen it flew, (yes, they have wings and fly) over to this cornor of the front porch. I left it alone after that as I didn't want to upset it any more.

 This morning there were lots of little spider webs over the lawn. You can see the little spider in the center of this web.

Another photo of the big spider and part of it's web.

Around the Yard

Cat in Cupboard

Of course while we were working on doing a slight bit of remodeling the kitchen we had help from our 4 cats. The cupboards looked odd with the doors off while being painted. Casper had to investage and make sure we were doing a good job.

Kitchen

A few pics of our kitchen once we got the new stove in and finished painting all the cupboard doors The doors were a sickly shade of yellow when we moved in. 25 doors and 6 drawer fronts. There were 4 doors above the refrigerator which is behind me in these photos. We also put in a new faucet after fixing the leak under the sink.

Eldorado

                   Gaily bedight,
                   A gallant knight,
               In sunshine and in shadow,
                   Had journeyed long,
                   Singing a song,
               In search of Eldorado.

                   But he grew old-
                   This knight so bold-
               And o'er his heart a shadow
                   Fell as he found
                   No spot of ground
               That looked like Eldorado.

                   And, as his strength
                   Failed him at length,
               He met a pilgrim shadow-
                   "Shadow," said he,
                   "Where can it be-
               This land of Eldorado?"

                   "Over the Mountains
                   Of the Moon,
               Down the Valley of the Shadow,
                   Ride, boldly ride,"
                   The shade replied-
               "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edger Allen Poe


This poem by Poe is one of my favorites. 

Seeing

I have to look at something a thousand times before I see it once.  

   by Thomas Wolfe 

Life

You get a shot at life only once. Don't waste it. Make something of it.