A Week of My Own

I’m off work from 6/13 until 6/20 – seven glorious days to do projects & visit folks.  Nothing like some quality time to do with as you will to brighten one’s outlook on life.  I slept for a few hours after I got home from work on Monday, then mowed half the yard,  went to Lowes to buy more paint for the exterior trim on the house & read several chapters in a book. 

I’ve been watching for the little orange lizard in the back yard as well as keeping an eye on the various Praying Mantis in the yard.   I haven’t seen the lizard since I last mowed the yard, but the mantis are now an inch to an inch & a half long.

Here its noticed the knat at the upper edge of the leaf its been sitting on

Picnic lunch in progress

I’ve also been watching for either of the two snakes I saw under the kitchen porch – I’ve seen each of them just once.  But they or others like them must be about since I found this shed skin in the grass at the base of the porch this morning.

It seems large for either of the snakes I’ve seen but my memory could be off.  I haven’t seen all that many snake skin sheds in my life & thus I’m not sure how they relate to the living snake.

Monday evening I sat outside watching the lightening bugs rise somewhat longer than usual as I made a phone call.  The “J” pattern bugs had risen thickly around 7:30 pm & were mostly 8 to 10 feet above the ground when a 2nd rising began of different bugs.  This 2nd rising consisted of bugs that flashed a single long horizontal flash.  They weren’t as numerous as the “J” bugs & quickly moved into the wooded area behind my yard.  The “J” bugs stayed mostly in the yard proper, moving into the yard trees & bushes but seldom going into the woods.  About 10 to 15 minutes after this new lightening bug was flashing about 3 feet above the ground in the woods a 3rd pattern appeared, 3 short horizontal blips from down among the ground cover in the woods.  All in all it was quite a show.

Today I worked on various projects.  The laundry is done, the lawn finished, the pine limbs hanging over the left side of the house have been cut back, the motorcycles moved into the driveway where I can easily charge their batteries & the pine trimming have been burned.  Tomorrow I start trim painting.  The week has started well.