It's a Spittlebug

Well, here’s another insect post. 

I hope there are some kids out there

who might enjoy this. 

And some grown-ups too! 

My three kids and I were walking through the recently cut

 hay field with their Grammy the other week. 

Along the way we found some really fun bugs.

 

 I used to love these bugs as a kid.

 They’re what we called “spittlebugs”. 

They live on the stems or leaves of plants.

 While they eat, they keep safe from predators

 by hiding in a wad of foamy, slimy “spit”.

 Ewww.

 But not too Ewww.  

Actually, Coool!

After doing a little research, I learned that

 they’re the nymph stage of a Froghopper insect.

They’re actually somewhat of a pest,

 since they eat gardeners’ an farmers’ plants.

 But I still think they’re cool. 

And these were sucking on weeds in the hay fields,

so maybe they were being helpful. 

But those weeds were plantain,

which can be useful.

 (Just not when they’re taking over a hay field.)

 Maybe there is a little lesson here

 that I didn’t see before. 

Even good things in life can be harmful

in the wrong place. 

And sometimes things that seem

not-so-helpful in life can work for good.

"And we know that for those who love God

 all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to his purpose."

 Romans 8:28

The Woodpecker Tree

Since it’s April for a few more days,

and April is poetry month,

I’d thought it would be fun to share these pictures

and the little ditty that goes along with them.

There’s a good sized Ailanthus tree that’s dying

below our house in “Grandpa’s” backyard.

The Pileated Woodpeckers are showing off

their skills at its base.

The amount and size of chips would make

you think a beaver had been there.

Amazing! 

Grandpa has made up a little sing-song,

and the grandkids all like to sing along.

“Woodpecker pecking on the Woodpecker Tree,

Don’t come pecking on Grandpa and me!”

Andrew loves his Grandpa.

I’m so glad the two of them can spend time together.

Family is such a blessing.

“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.

Ask your father and he will tell you,

your elders, and they will explain to you.”

Deuteronomy 32:7

I’m Back, Our House is a Work in Progress, and A Christmas Surprise

I’M BACK

Well, it would appear that I did exactly

 three posts last year.

 And I got my “real” camera out only a few more times than that.   

2018 goes down in the books

as the craziest year of my life.

 Not a bad crazy. 

Just a “how did we do that?” kind of crazy.

 And a “very good” crazy.

And an “I’m loving this” crazy.

 I’m pretty sure we’ll always remember 2018 as simply,

The Year We Built the House.

  Because, really, not a whole lot of other things happened.

The craziness begins. 

Changes happening!

painting, painting, painting

  

I’m adjusting back to my normal roles; mother, teacher, wife. 

Although I do still randomly find a teacher’s pencil

 stuck in my hair or behind my ear, carpenter style.

  Muscle memory I guess you’d call it.  Ha!

that random teacher's pencil

A WORK IN PROGRESS

For those of you who would love to see pictures of the house,

 I really am planning to share some… sometime!

 Right now, we’re finding our new normal after our move in November. 

And there’s still a list of “house things” to finish up.

 Time doesn’t stand still.

 We haven’t hung a single picture on the walls.

(Unless you count the old aerial photo poster

 that’s stuck to the upstairs wall with sticky-tac.)

 There are still boxes to unpack and organize.

But even though there’s some chaos,

there’s a whole lot of happiness and contentment.

  We’re so grateful for what God’s given us.

 We have a home!

  Here are a few random pictures I found on my phone

 that show a few rooms.

The living room.

Also the living room.  (at Christmastime)

Adding shelves in the kitchen.

Here you can see the kitchen.
You can also see raw meat from Kadence's buck.
So sorry about that if it bothers  you.

The school room on a cleaned up day.
Actually, you can't see the stuff I threw out of the picture behind me.

A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE

Do you know what a praying mantis ootheca looks like?

 (That’s that foamy brown egg sack – I had to look up

 that word again, ‘cause I can never remember it.)

 For your own benefit please take note: 

if you EVER  find some such thing

on a branch of your Christmas tree,

do yourself and the mini-manitises a favor.

  Cut that branch off and move it right outside

 to the temperature nature intends it to be in December!  

Warm weather is what causes the babies to hatch.

 We had quite a surprise a few days after Christmas

when our school room was crawling with

a hundred or more teeny tiny baby praying mantises!

discovering the Mantis mayhem.

  If you happen to know us well,

you know some of the people in our family care about bugs. 

Especially praying mantises.

 So what is a mamma to do?!

 We collected a great number of them

and left the rest to parish away.  

Sob. 

But what do you feed fifty insect eating infants

 that are less than a half an inch long?

 There are no insects/food to be found outside in December.

 I tried hamburger and chicken breast. 

No luck.

 I looked into buying fruit flies for pets.

 Too expensive. (I’m cheap.)

 I read that mantises become cannibalistic if there’s no food source.

 So we left them to survive as best they could.

 Shudder!

 Their numbers dwindled and then…

I started seeing fruit flies in my kitchen.

 Never thought I’d be glad for that day.

  The last seven mantises began to have meals. 

And I began to do my best to propagate fruit fly larvae!

My husband says anyone who’s cultivating fruit flies

 could be considered crazy. 

I don’t argue.

Mantis home.

supper on a skewer.

  Three baby mantises made it to their first molt,

 but one didn’t survive that process, and another fell by the way.

hunting.

uumm.... I think you missed.

Gottcha!

Chowing down.

 Today finds us with ONE praying mantis. 

He’s growing and looking very smart.

 He knows that when the skewer with the fly comes close

 that means food. 

We’re hoping he makes it until spring. 

 And I will be scouring every single branch of next year’s tree.

“Unless the Lord builds the house,

    those who build it labor in vain.”

Psalm 127:1

Before the Leaves Come Out

The leafing of the trees has been put on hold in Virginia

by the reappearance of Winter this March. 

I like the trees without their leaves. 

True shapes – twisted and gnarled, just beginning,

straight and slim, or ancient and spreading –

the trees are vulnerable and real in the Winter.

And without leaves you can see what was. 

Last summer’s nests are visible.

Who knew there were so many nests,

 tucked away, so near and yet unseen?

We went on a walk on one of Winter’s tricky “Spring”

 days back in January. 

The objective of the stroll was to search for last year's nests.

 Kadence climbed to retrieve a nest.

 I’m not sure what kind it is -- I’m not very good at nest identification

(that’s my Mamma’s specialty.  Here’s a link to see her collection!)

Collecting Sycamore seed balls that are fun to crush

and scatter in the wind.

The beauty of what’s left bare on the Tulip Poplar trees

 after the seeds have long gone.

 Cassia has finally spied her first nest! 

It’s number ten on our walk.

 I’m guessing at this one being a Cardinal’s.

 This Kadi girl had toted her pen and notebook along

 and sat down every now and again to quickly sketch something. 

She does remind me of the girl I used to be!

"Let love be genuine. 

Abhor what is evil; 

hold fast to what is good."

Romans 12:9