The Essentials

Between here and there, and then and now so much has happened that it's difficult to capture it all and decant it.

For starters, there is Cuba.

Impossibly blue. Filled with possibility.

And dignified struggle.

Pushing a cart of beachwear, or casting a net for sardines

the clock moves much slower in this world. 

Tourists have taken over the edges, but nature takes notes and marks the

trails where it's safe to wander.

Most of the time.

On the day of the earthquake in Japan, and thousands of miles away

on Veradero beach, a cold front moved in and sent the happy holidayers

sprinting for shelter.

It was a magnificent moment. Nature -1. Sunbathers - 0.

Away from the edge, and into the woods, the struggle is relentless

and the termites never stop.

Their home is impermeable to the winds and rains and seasons and tourists.

Awesome.

The bees have figured it out too. And on this rock, they built their home.

Safe from the scrabble and the scrambling of other creatures.

Essential.

And sweet.

Like Cuba.

Bawh! Hmmmm, Bug!

Today in the Ottawa Valley, you couldn't help but be outside, enjoying the spectacular weather...sunny, clear blue skies, with just a wee hint of fall in the air so that a cotton sweater felt okay.
And off into the world we went to see what we could see....
Crap! First up, a sulphur yellow and black spider, sittin', waitin'....I'm not a spider lover, but I do appreciate them as long as I'm in control of where they are.In this case, just hanging around on the stair railing of a friend's deck. I can look, and he (perhaps she?) can't touch. So we're good.






I continued on my merry little way, and lord knows how I ever happened to notice this fuzzy little critter...again, suphur yellow, with black and white horns, about 1 1/2 inches long and cute as a bug's, er, ear!














It's a bit fuzzy (the picture I mean) but perhaps it's a swallowtail? Time for me to go back to grade 5 I think. I used to teach it for a year or two..now I can't remember anything, and so, no, I'm not smarter than a fifth grader! I do remember pupa, chrysalis, caterpillar, and butterfly stages, but isn't it a little late in the year (September 13th) to be turning into a butterfly or chrsyalis or anything?





While pondering this deep thought, I looked down on my leg -because the two women I was wandering around with were screaming "Oh, my god! Look! I haven't seen one of these in ages and ages!" Look at your leg! So I did...Speechless ( for about a minute) because I hadn't see a Praying Mantis for about 10 years, and never, ever have I had one crawling up my leg to say "Hello, I think I'll eat you!"









So, we moved her off my leg, and introduced her to a teeny martini before letting her loose to meet her sole mate...















Final bug of the blog today was this bee dahlia, just chowing down, barely moving, and humming a happy song...as were we!

I really should have paid a lot more attention in grade five..both taking it and teaching it.