Random Pictures and Thoughts

Just a few random pictures and thoughts...

I don't typically take pictures of my food, but these strawberries were the most beautiful I've ever seen. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost. ;) They were deeeelicious.

The dogs are enjoying the new landscaping, especially the pea gravel which gets the full intensity of the sun well into the afternoon. Indigo in particular loves the heat. She basks in the sun, and when she comes inside, her fur is practically hot to the touch. Despite this, I have never seen her pant.

As usual, Nook saw that Indigo had a good idea and copied her actions, joining her in the basking. With those two, it's easy to tell who is the brain and who is the brawn. :) Nook is adorable, but not the smartest dog. Whatever her Chihuahua heritage is mixed with, it's not Border Collie. ;)

I enjoy the new landscaping, too, though I'm dismayed at the number of weeds that have sprouted up due to the rainy spring we've been having. Fortunately, rainy weather means overcast days, so I've been able to get outside and keep up with the weeding.

Unfortunately, weeding gets me up close and personal with my yard's insect and arachnid population... estimated at about fifty-two gazillion. :P Ants, spiders, grasshoppers, pillbugs, mosquitoes, and tiny black creatures I call Leaping Speckbugs.

What's interesting are the vast size and temperament differences between Colorado bugs and the bugs in Georgia, where I grew up. Colorado bugs are tiny and docile compared to the huge, aggressive monsters in Georgia. Colorado grasshoppers are about the size of a pinky fingernail; Georgia grasshoppers are as big as a whole thumb. Colorado ants are teeny and will move away from you; Georgia fire ants are enormous and will rally 100,000 of their closest friends to assault you with painful stings. And while mosquitoes in both places are out for blood, you can see the Georgia mosquitoes coming. Colorado mosquitoes are so small, I first thought they were gnats.

However, I did find evidence of one big Colorado insect - the molted exoskeleton of a large dragonfly.

I made a short video of a nighttime lightning storm, from which I captured some cool images.

That's all for now. I haven't been feeling well, so haven't done much DIY lately. I hope that changes soon and I can get back to posting projects.

Craft Along with GIY: June 2017

Oops! June sneaked up on me and I'm a little late with the craft-along post.

During June, I will work on a craft project for the monthly theme. Around June 28, I will post my completed project. You can share a link to your project on that post or at any time during the month on this post. On June 30, I will compile the links on the Craft Along with GIY page.

To participate:
1.  If you're a blogger, add the Craft Along with GIY icon to your post. Link the icon to this page:
http://gothityourself.blogspot.com/p/craft-along-with-giy.html

2.  On either this theme announcement post or my completed project post, leave a comment with a link to your project. You can link to your blog, webpage, Instagram, or anywhere else readers can see it.

Your project can be big or small. It can be in any style, goth or otherwise. The fun is in the crafting! :)

The theme for June is It Takes Two. As always, you can interpret this broadly:

• knit a pair of socks
• make a pair of earrings
• sew a two-piece outfit
• paint a pair of candlesticks
• draw two portraits
• decorate a pair of shoes