A Trip to the Pond

Last weekend we were a bit bored {translation: we didn't want to do dishes} so we hiked down to the pond on the neighbor's property and had an adventure. 

It was about a third of the way full and very clear.

You could see right down to the slimy muddy bottom.

There were frogs there but we couldn't find them; they were too well hidden.

We did spot a large assortment of bugs.

I believe this is supposed to be a picture of a bug that wraps itself in mud and pretends to be part of the ground, all innocent like. Very clever.

I was having fun playing with the slimy vegetation built up around the edges of the pond. 

See what I mean? All built up and gooey.

There were pond plants growing through the mud and water. 

We found a lovely bunch of frog eggs and they were already developing into tiny frogs. I'd never seen frog eggs look like that so I thought it very fascinating.

Kind alike how my husband thought it was fascinating to find a younger clump of frog eggs stuck to a stick in the mud.

He went off exploring and I took pictures of him as he scrambled around in the woods and threatened to fall in the pond.

Of course he didn't; but he did come close a few times.

On our way back, we spotted the same alligator lizard we'd seen on our way down. So we cleared a space on the phone and took a picture. He was huge! 

Back safe at my parents' garden, we heard a croaking and spotted this little guy hiding out in the battered pool cover.

He was pretty camera shy and I had to catch him three times before we could get a good picture. When we let him go, he just sat on the cover looking dazed and probably hoping we couldn't see him.

Gardening and Mocha

We had a session of wanna-be spring in about mid to late March {followed by a very wet Easter weekend}, during which my husband and I worked out in our garden and talked about what we want to grow. {See later post on that}. I should say that I worked on the garden while he, having done his part in raking and keeping me company, worked on making a battle ax.

Anyway, I'd planted sunflower seeds {which are now starting to pop up, yay!}, cleaned out the herb bed, turned the dirt a little, pulled out a bunch of weeds and that nasty marjorium that grows like a weed, planted basil and chives, and then watered everything.

Mocha, my family's sweet wonderful Lab dog, spent nearly the entire day hanging out with us.

But after awhile she got bored first with me throwing grass around, and then with my husband making his ax.

So she went and took a nap.

She's so sweet though and posed for a picture before I walked her home.

And just because I don't really know where else to put these, here are some pictures of a lovely flower we have for sale at our store. It was all wet from a rainy day.

So beautiful.

This is the ax he was making. Not bad for a rough draft. *winks*

And this is the dagger my husband is making for me. It's almost done!

Blue Sea Slug

The other day via Facebook and Google, we discovered Glaucus atlanticus, also known as a Blue Dragon, Blue Sea Slug, and Seas Swallow. We were fascinated to learn about this neat little creature that eats Portuguese Man-O'-War jellyfish and is almost more poisonous than its preferred choice for dinner. And yet they're so tiny and cute! Here's a great link to learn more about these interesting little creatures. To perk your interest, here are some really cool pictures of the sea slug via good old Google.

Some Bad Pictures of a Barn Dance

Some very bad pictures of a barn dance. My family has been attending this once a month social event for several months now and last month my husband and I were finally able to attend. It was a lot of fun - my husband especially loved it. He went in not wanting to dance, and he ended up dancing every dance! I only danced a few because they were so fast I was getting dizzy and almost fell over a couple of times. So, in no real order, here are the better of the pictures I took that night. I so wish I had a camera instead of my cell phone!

The non-bleary girl in the denim shirt with long golden hair dancing is my sister.

There she is again!

There's my husband coming to check on me after a dance had concluded.

One of my brothers. He hates getting his picture taken.

That tall skinny boy in the dark green jacket is another brother.

There's my husband way over there dancing.

My kid brother is somewhere over there, dancing with our sister.

Like I said, a lot of fun and some very bad pictures. :) Next time, I'm borrowing my mom's camera!