things that go bump in the night...

bump,
ribbet,
the silent weaving of webs,
and meow.

as darkness swallows the day
and the moon rises...

 

the day-time sleepers come out to play
and forage.  munch.

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”
~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 

some frogs have learned to hang out by the year-round twinkling porch lights...
anxiously awaiting the unaware bugs the lights attract.

one...two...three.

mmmmmm, midnight snacks.

trekking up the little frog chime...

and then there are the little frogs that choose to stay a bit closer to the ground...
where the toads are.
hmmmm, i guess they prefer the crawling bugs to the flying ones.  meatier?

 

 

LOOK OUT FROGS!!
this guy is heading to the porch roof...where the lights are...where the frogs are...

(harmless) yellow rat snake

a couple of silent night-time weavers...

Redfemured Spotted Orb/Neoscona domiciliorum

 “You know how it is with cats: They don't really have owners, they have staff.”
  ~ P.C. Cast, Chosen

"give me the magic word, and i'll let you pass."

=O=

so...it's taken me over a week to get this post together.

i haven't visited any blogs since my previous post.

ever feel like you take one step forward...and then two back?!

that's me.

i do visit FB more often than i come here lately.

every few days...check my email...stop by FB...post a picture or two.

you can always find me there (link on sidebar).

 

 

 

i'll leave you now with a couple of pretty day-time pic's.

a few Zebra Longwing butterflies - florida's state butterfly

a Gulf Fritillary

stay cool.  be safe.

laura

hawk.bones.fungi.lizard.spider. and emo.

since i'm trying to

balance

my time better...in 2013...i'm not online as much.

(perhaps driving travis to the day labor place by 5:45 each morning...waiting, and then taking him to the job site...

that may have a little to do with it also, since that was my usual computer time...EARLY!)

anyway,

i want to wander more.

be more creative with my hands.

take more pictures.

spend more time reading books.

so

here's a week crammed in to one post.

and that's a lot of cramming, i even cut it back!!

while we had the 'little climber' outside

i could hear the crows causing a ruckus.

i knew right away what they were up to.

they were trying to chase something away.

i found them...in the same tree with a Red-shouldered hawk.

doing their best to scare the hawk away.

but he held firm.

the crows didn't win that day!  yay!

~~O~~

i found some more bones...already pretty clean...thanks to mother nature.

and dug up some deer bones. still need to be cleaned & sanitized before i can decorate them.

~~O~~

the weather's been very strange.  freezing one day,  up to 80 the next.

the azaleas have buds, some of the lantana & blanket flower haven't stopped blooming...

and the mini daffodils are in full bloom!

i hope winter isn't gone for good.  that would be depressing.

assorted fungi is still popping up too.

fuzzy-wuzzy

mushroom colony

and a HEART 'shroom...

or a BUTT 'shroom...

however you happen to see it!

~~O~~

FENCE lizard spotted in the side yard, soaking up some sun.

now let me zoom in...crop...and take a look at the iridescent blue underside!

ooooooooh...aaaaaaah!!

~~O~~

here's a cool little spider...out back...between a couple of trees.

i've never seen one like this before!

it's a Triangle Orbweaver!!

~~O~~

bare with me.

no, no...you don't have to take your clothes off...

i mean, BEAR with me!

just a couple of more things.  i know, this is all a lot to absorb.

i guess if i had the time to sit and do this looong post, i could have divided it up into many

and just scheduled them to post every few days, eh?

but then i wouldn't have to time to visit your blogs in return, during the week.

just put up with me...for a another coupla minutes!  thnx!

besides working with bones...and doing a little sandblasting now and then...

and making window hangers with butterfly wings...and occasionally clay mushrooms...

i want to be a better watercolorer!!

is that a word?

i want to learn to use watercolors.  i love how they look.  how the colors blend.

i mentioned how i want to spend more time being creative with my hands.

so

this past week i've been fooling around a little.

playing...with pen & watercolors.

i have A LOT to learn, i know.

this weird tree, and uh...ground spiders?? bushes??  was blowing air through straw at blob of india ink. ha.

~~O~~

AND NOW,

last but not least...

it was emo's birthday on the 6th!!

he was FOUR MONTHS OLD!!!

~happy birthday emo!~

here's a good shot to show how high he climbs!!

look at that loooong neck...

i remember when mine was that long...

(te-he)

ok.

that's it.

i'm outa here.

back on tomorrow...before dawn...for more catch up and cyber-space travels!

take care & be safe.

laura

they're creepy and they're...

kooky,

mysterious and spooky, they're all together ooky...

ok, now that you've got the Addams Family theme song stuck in your head...

follow me...if u dare...

yesterday i saw a bug on my hibiscus.

actually,  sam spotted it first and called to me  'what the hell is THAT?!'

wow.  a Wheel bug.

it's a type of Assassin bug!!

what could be spookier than a Wheel bug?

TWO Wheel bugs!!

a perfect sighting for this month!

(sorry for the not-so-good picture, the sun was blaring & i couldn't even see the image in the viewer)

oOo

lately we've had way too many nocturnal spiders 

coming out & weaving their webs on the front porch.

i don't mind the ones that stick to the periphery...

like this orb weaver...

(by day she hides under the base of this old rusty candle holder)

BUT 

the spiders that weave their webs on the porch ceiling...

get relocated!

i brush them off into the garden on either side of the porch.

BUT

night after night...they seem to find their way back to the same spot.

oOo

i was about to put the cover back on one of the rain barrels...

when i saw this weaver swimming...frantically.

he must have fallen from the roof.

yes, i rescued him.

oOo

last week...i made time to get a little creative!

remember the snake bones i found on the side of the road...

here they are after i cleaned them.

snake vertebrae & rib bones

when i have some cleaned bones lying around...

i get that urge to DO something with them!

so i painted a snake (with acrylics) on a piece of wood...

then added some of the vertebrae...

i'll glue them down...

maybe add a few ribs to follow the curve of the snake...

then spray with an acrylic sealer.

i've already added a sawtooth hanger to the back!

oOo

well...enough spooky-ish stuff for now.

thanks for wandering by...or crawling by...or creeping...or lurching...or stumbling...

stay cool.  be safe.

laura

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, 

wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” 

~Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

hallowed be thy moon & bones, fungi & spiders

2012.9.30  -  9pm

“Suddenly the day was gone, 

night came out from under each tree and spread.”   

~Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree

my favorite time of year.

the month with my favorite holiday!

on the 1st of october...skeletons, skulls, goblins, spiders, and other creatures of the night...

start to appear on shelves, counter tops, on the mantel, 

and creeping across the floor...of our home.

some bargain with me to stay out all year long.

it's that time of year to reflect. to remember those who have passed.

out with the old...move on...start anew.

autumn to winter.  the cool crisp clear air.  

the fiery hues of leaves...falling & crunching under foot...leaving behind skeleton trees.

i get energized. rejuvenated.

SO

to welcome october

i thought a little spiders, fungi, bones & the full moon would be about right!

ALL the spiders & fungi were spotted here...around our home...

outside that is!

enjoy!

oh, i know, some of you stopping by don't care for spiders.

don't worry...they can't jump off the screen at you...

and crawl up your face...into your hair.

at least i don't think so!!

Redfemured Spotted Orb Weaver
Neoscona domiciliorum

the underside of the Eriophora ravilla Orb Weaver   (twinkle lights on porch year round)

Golden Silk Orbweaver (Nephila clavipes)

snake bones found yesterday on the side of the road
while we were out on the 4-wheeler

Whitebanded Fishing Spider (Dolomedes albineus)

Yellow Garden Orbweaver (Argiope aurantia)

and one more full moon from last night to bring on october!

8:54pm    2012.9.30

stay cool.  be safe.

laura