A new life

Today is a difficult day - it would have been my brother-in-law's 59th birthday.  He's been gone a little more than a year and a half and it still feels like the world is just a bit smaller without him in it.  So, in a strange way, this is a little tribute to Philip.

I was pottering in the garden when I happened to see the smallest bit of green floating in the watering pail.  Something about it didn't look quite right so I stuck my finger in ...and this is what I came out with.  Turned out to be the tiniest of katydid nymphs - I've never actually seen one this tiny.  Happily, it was able to dry itself off while perching on my finger.  Once it seemed to have regained a bit of swagger, I let it toddle off my finger onto a daylily plant which I know to be a favorite of the young katydids.  We can't always save the lives we want to save, but we can do our best.  

I also observed Flossie, the patio chipmunk, receiving a gentleman caller. After a bit of nuzzling in the burrow entrance, she chased him off the patio, but I sense love in the air.  And she allowed me to take some very close shots using a macro lens - my favorite is HERE on Flickr.

Happy to report that Charlie has nice clean teeth and is back at home.  Phoebe is not all that keen on the way he smells so she's keeping her distance, but at least no serious histrionics.

Nothing from my neurosurgeon yet, but I expect to hear from him tomorrow.

Be well...

Debbi