In Which We Entertain Angels Unaware

It's been a good weekend - a long weekend in the U.S. - with Monday being the Labor Day holiday. We swam on Friday at Whipple Dam, where I was sat on by a damselfly and met the King of the Fairies, stayed home on Saturday and grilled some pretty awesome steaks, and went into town shopping for a few things on Sunday and came home with a ton of bargains. Had some fun, did a little work, got to sleep in, hang out, spend a little quality time with the cat. It's the simple things that make a life worthwhile, that make these the happy times.

It is heading into very late summer - some might even say early fall - with September's arrival. And the butterflies have been on the move. I check the yard and especially the butterfly bush regularly throughout the day when I'm home. We've had quite a few enchanting visitors to the yard - visitors with wings and beautiful patterns, visitors well worn and tattered but still flying valiantly, butterflies still enjoying these late summer days.

On this day, as I approached the butterfly bush in late afternoon, with the sun in my eyes, I saw a flash of white as a small butterfly lit on the bush. Instinct - I grabbed the camera, had time for one hurried shot, didn't even really look, and - SNAP! And then it was gone. One of the quickest butterflies I've ever seen. Like an angel visitor, here one moment, visible for a second, and gone. But the feeling of its blessing - its gentle presence - remains.

The song to accompany this image of one of the tiny angels of my yard is the Scorpions, with an acoustic version of Send Me an Angel. And I dedicate the song to all of us who have perhaps entertained angels unaware . . .