Going home

I'm off to Iowa for the week. This last two weeks has been quite an emotional rollercoaster, and I'm desperately needing some time to get my head straight, work a little, and spend time with the family. I'm especially looking forward to doing some antiquing- like my house isn't already filled with eclectic little baubles and trinkets. I can always find a spot for something new.

Nighttime visitor

A huge, beautiful parasitic wasp was flying around my kitchen light last night. She was very cooperative in posing for pictures, and I let her go afterwards. I already know these wasps have huge mushroom bodies, so I didn't need to take her into the lab...


The long ovipositor is only used to lay eggs in a host, so I wasn't worried about getting stung.

Sigh

That's the name of the band, Sigh. This song has a very bittersweet feel to it, and I'm in kind of a bittersweet mood today so I've been listening to it a lot.

Photo day

Kind of a gloomy day here, but I decided to get the camera out and take some pics. Jade accompanied me as I walked around the yard, followed by an angry catbird (above).




The lilies are in bloom, I've got several varieties that seem to thrive under my ultra-low maintenance gardening style.



Must take pictures of the insects, of course.





I finally finished my custom Blythe, she now has beautiful new hair. I've named her Asenath after a character in the H.P. Lovecraft story "The Thing on the Doorstep."

Fun with Flickr

Some pictures I like on Flickr, reflecting my various obsessions. I used the mosaic tool at Big Huge Labs to put them together.


1. Three Houses Close, 2. The grass in never greener., 3. Custom Blythe Ninia Veneno pic 2, 4. ATC - Wishes Granted ~Unavail.~, 5. Fable, 6. Saffron, 7. Lady Alpinist, 8. Steampunk Ring with blue Crackle bead, 9. Steampunk Jewelry - Clock part inlay, 10. Steampunk Gear Bracelet with Purple Crackle Beads, 11. "GENTILS COQUELICOTS MESDAMES", 12. The Giver, 13. Dreaming Mona, 14. *KiTTyLaND THeaTRe* PuLL ToY, 15. something to crow about, 16. Their Love Was a Forbidden Love, 17. The Queen of the Sea Circus Cart, 18. Altered Tin "Home" - inside, 19. No Joke, 20. Spider sculpture Paris., 21. A Spectacular Image to Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy: A face-on spiral galaxy about 22 million light years from Earth., 22. o rly?, 23. Skipper Face, 24. Black Wasp

A mystery

What is that amazing crumby-stuff that gives crumbcake it's name? It's magically delicious. I think it's the same stuff that is wrapped around the raisins in Raisin Nut Bran (aka Crack-Wrapped Raisins).