I know I am close to finishing Cha but I don't have the energy or focus at night to work on her this week. Too much is going on! Oh, well, things should calm down shortly. Right? RIGHT?!!
In the meantime I started the third step (of five) in SharonG's brocade variation stitch. You can see that it is changing the background substantially. I may have to outline the skulls to separate them from the background. I didn't expect that but it is easy to do. Part of the fun of this stitch is watching it change as you add another layer of simple stitches.
Even though it is very hot here, the seasons are starting to change. I found my first frog in the garage this morning. Reptiles try to sneak inside where it is cooler during the heat of the day. Thankfully it was a baby toad this morning, not a snake! Above you see him just before he hopped out of my hand onto the mossy ground out back. Yes, I washed my hands!
Speaking of which, the thing on the screen and in my hand is a jar fly. You know them as cicadas. They love the heat and spend all day sitting in the tops of trees, buzzing to each other. Judging by the racket, there must be thousands of them all around us. Despite the numbers, I rarely see them as they are usually very high up, but yesterday I found this baby sitting on the screen. He is about 2/3 grown. (Yes, I did wash my hands again.) He has the same bulging eyes that the toad did. Odd how nature creates a similar look in different creatures.
The critters we share Chilly Hollow with are fascinating to me. It's a sign of the summer season changing to fall when I start actually seeing them. Usually we hear, but do not see them, as they are shy around people. I hope you enjoyed a quick look at a few of them.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
6 comments:
I love the sound of the cicadas, it is the song of the beginning for the change of seasons.We had 9 of them hanging out on the back of the house this morning but you are a better person than I. I like to hear them but touching them is not my bag.
Also the crickets are beginning to sing for their mates...
Nature is such a wonderful thing if we just stop to see and listen.
Thanks for sharing your "critter" experiences at Chilly Hollow. You remind me that last week I actually did find a snake in the house. It was a small blue racer, easily caught by turning a bucket over him. But it did have MY heart racing for a while!
Nancy
Wow, Jane, that's a lot of nature. That toad is cute, but the cicada . . . I feel like I need to go take a shower just looking at the picture. How brave you are to hold him in your hand. Yikes. Love the way that the composite stitch is developing.
Jar flies are very docile. They look like a frog with wings and insect legs, but they won't hurt you. The most they do is buzz in your hand, which is rather startling the first time you hold one.
Chilly Hollow is still very wild. We are lucky to see things like salamanders and racoons and red foxes and weasels. We share our land with many critters, some of which I wish lived elsewhere (like the poisonous snakes) but they were here before us so we just watch them and keep them out of the house.
Cicadas become really annoying in the large-horde years, particularly the 17-year one. They're everywhere you look and walk, riding along on your back into the house. The noise becomes a constant roar not too far in the background. This year they are few, thankfully.
SL, even when the 17 year locusts hatched here three (?) years ago and the noise was deafening and something out of a sci fi movie, we rare saw one as we live among so many trees. A jar fly will definitely prefer sitting on a tree than sitting on me!
I've always liked insects, though. Those who don't will have a different opinion!
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