Just a few things...

before I go!

M and I are flying out to Chicago tomorrow to see my son "S" graduate from Loyola University! Yikes - this is one of those - I feel so proud and so old at the same time! (I'm only 45 though)

We're looking forward to the trip - it's been a while since we've gone away just the two of us. My son has promised to be our tour guide on Thursday and Friday and then on Saturday I think we'll roam around ourselves for a bit. We hope to meet up with Deb from the Middle Girl blog on Saturday if we can. It's always nice to meet a fellow blogger! The weather is supposed to be so-so, but that's ok. With all the rain we've been getting this spring I've developed web feet and gills so it shouldn't bother me.

I haven't had much time to do any work around the yard this week because of the soggy weather but I've been keeping myself busy by taking lots of naps and trying to plan a trip to the UK for sometime in June. That's my new project.

SOooooo, since I won't be around for the weekend I thought I would leave you with some odd picture of things around my house. These aren't really my artsy pictures that I have but more of the mundane, the odd and the fascinating variety. Or at least I thought so.

First up is this little gem I found in one of my bushes while I was cleaning up the leaves:



It's a Praying Mantis egg sack! I've been watching it closely and it still hasn't hatched yet, but soon hundreds of these little guys and gals will be roaming my gardens eating aphids and spiders. Very cool bugs!

Next up: Two lazy squirrels.



This guy was hanging out on a really hot day last week. It was about 90 degrees and he just looked tired and hot and was trying to just take a break from running around.



Same branch a few days later in the rain and there were two squirrels huddled together. I thought it was adorable how the first one is all tucked in.

Here is one of my completed projects:



My rain barrels! I didn't paint them just left them their industrial blue color but maybe next year I will get the chance. I finished these on Wednesday - and by Saturday afternoon each 55 gallon drum was filled. That is just from a few days of light rain! I was amazed how quickly they filled up. This should keep my house plants and gardens happy for a while!

Last up is an object of questionable nature and if anyone can tell me what it is I will be truly thankful:





It's a blob of some sort. I don't know if it's a fungus or what? It was in my neighbor's cedar tree and I kept seeing this bright orange blob so I investigated. It is quite slimy in nature and sticky so perhaps it's a sack of sap - I really don't know.

Anyone have a clue?

Last but not least I thought I would leave you with this weeks Sugar and Spice selection.

The spicy songs are a bit harder for me to come up with because I'm not really a "spicy" kind of girl, but since I reference Axl Rose in my last music post I thought it only fitting to leave you with him this week.

What a loon this guy is, but they knew how to rock!



I know it's only Wednesday - but have a good weekend all!

Peace!

P.S. The orange blog is Cedar-Apple Rust! (thank you Google)