Creeping Me Out!

As the mother of two adventurous and outdoorsy little boys, I've grown accustomed to the non-stop parade of creatures and critters paying visits to our home. Since a very young age, Muffy in particular has been enamoured with anything that creeps and crawls. Although I don't share his deep passion for insects, I can "live with" the wide variety of pet bugs he likes to collect, adopt and study. Although I sometimes find myself creeped out, I try to push my foolish fears aside and embrace the boys' curiosity and enthusiam for nature So.....what's a mother to do when my darling sons arrive home with a GIANT mammoth of a bug that they have "fallen in love with"? The mother grins and bears it I guess, and invites the creepy critter in for a sleep over. Check out this crazy bug we scooped up with our pond nets this afternoon. With some help from Amy Lynn over at Flandrum Hill, he's been identified as an Uhler's Water Bug. I'm not sure how well I'm going to sleep tonight, knowing this guy is under my roof. He may end up in the garage when my bed time rolls around......just in case is is an escape artist! .

Onto a less frightening topic, I was finally able to get the greenhouse plastic installed on my mini-hoop tunnel this week. I spent Monday morning planting seeds and dreaming of fresh veggies. It is amazing how quickly the space heats up. Since we live in such a windy, often foggy location, this might just be the key to my success in the garden! Wish me luck!

Rain or shine these days, we've been spending so much time outside - the garden, the pond, the woods, the beach. It's obvious that both Chi-Chi and Muffy are feeling inspired by all that is going on this spring. Chi-Chi set to work building his own caddis fly case from sticks and dried grass last week. I think it gave him an appreciation for how amazing it is that an insect can fabricate something so accurate and symmetrical.