Saturday, June 11, 2016

RED BUG & PICNIC TABLE


I saw this flame-red, quarter-inch-long bug climbing up a tiny stem amongst my walkway patch of chocolate mint, gleaming like a tiny jewel within the shadows. I have no idea what it is, though I'd guess some sort of aphid. But you gotta love such an astonishingly bright little creature…and I have enough chocolate mint about that I don't mind sharing.

It rained here most of yesterday, quite hard at times. Brief downpours that seemed almost tropical. I thought the river would be up more than it is. In fact, and in spite of all that rain, it has risen no more than a few inches and is merely murky but not muddy—fishable if I were of a mind to do so. 

Today it's supposed to be mostly sunny with a high somewhere north of 90˚F! Our hottest day of the year so far. Which is fine since we're going to a birthday party this afternoon for my delightful granddaughter, Anya Grace, who turned two last week. Perfect weather for celebrating a perfect girl!

On a side note, I expect the picnic table and benches I recently completed will get their first opportunity to be put to use. I delivered them to my daughter last weekend. A blog post or two back, I promised Gail I'd stick a photo of the end results in here when I finished. Well, I forgot to make a photo before delivery. My daughter, Lacy, snapped one for me after she'd done her painting. Trust me, her multiple coats of white paint makes them look way better. I am a carpenter's son…but I wholly lack my father's consummate skill and woodworking artistry. At best I'm adequately competent. 
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8 comments:

KGMom said...

Very competent, indeed, Scribe.
Nice of you to build something for your daughter that she can use and look at and think loving thoughts of her father.

Gail said...

Hi Grizz - happy, happy birthday to your beautiful grand-daughter Anya Grace - today is a perfect day to celebrate her life :-)

I SO appreciate the pictures of the picnic table and benches - like I said a post or two back - great craftsmanship - I am notably impressed. Your Dad would be proud.

It is quite cool here today, in the low 60's and I love this cool dry feel - I have much more energy when it is cooler and dryer - phew. Yesterday was humid - thick like pea soup - I felt so heavy - but alas, I rested and now have perked up, like a once wilted flower now revived and up again!! :-) If you get my drift.......... MS and humidity do NOT go well together at all. Thank goodness I bounce back, well not bounce but more like a gradual rising - like bread hahaheehee :-)
My jokes and metaphors are sounding ridiculous so I best close for now - have a wonderful birthday celebration - love to all
Gail
peace....

Moonmuser said...

THE red bug is beautiful and so is the picnic table. You are quite handy
Did Ladylove ever look up what you wrote about her paint event? LOL

Had to deal with a cat bite yesterday..already had an up-to-date tetanus shot, so now I am on an antibiotic Not a big deal.
And it is my own fault, trying to break up a cat fight. I picked up the cat who went ballistic on my cats, instead of throwing some water on them. Tuesday, she has an appointment to go to SICSA! Then maybe it will calm down around here!.

I had to slow down and get off the freeway when that Friday nasty rain hit on the way to work.

Later!

Moonmuser

Grizz………… said...

KGMom…

Thank you. Truth is, being hopelessly and fiercely in love, I'd do anything asked to help or please my daughter or granddaughter—including muddle my way through building a picnic table.

Grizz………… said...

Gail…

Anya had quite the party, and received an enormous haul of gifts—including, because she loves bubbles, more than a half-dozen different takes on bubble-making machines and toys! Plus several gallons total of bubble-making liquid. (I had no idea you could BUY 60-oz. jugs of the stuff!) Naturally, several of these devices were put to immediate use, so we had bubbles floating everywhere! It was a puppy themed celebration, with hot dogs, puppy chow, ruff-age (cucumber and carrot munchies shaped like bones) pup-er-onies, pups-in-a-blanket, melon bones (bone-shaped chunks of watermelon), and pupcakes, plus, for each of the 15-20 kid guests attending, small stuffed puppies for "adoption" to choose among and take home, along with their accompanying name certificates.

Re. the picnic table…yes, Dad would be proud, and probably more than a bit astonished that I managed to do it as well as I did. Which astonished me even more! But if I'd have been able to use it (can't because benches require a flat surface for use—floor or deck, not grass) I'd have kept this one and built a second table and set of benches, and done a far better job. This one I had to design and learn along the way. But it will still do the job intended.

It was hot, 90˚F or so yesterday, with more of the same today. I'm going to be working on kitchen remodel.

Grizz………… said...

Moonmuser…

Don't know whether Myladylove has yet read the post, but she certainly now knows about it because yesterday morning a neighbor ambled over for a chat and told her…and said he learned about it from another neighbor! Which, of course, earned me a withering glare. :-)

You, the cat lady, befriender of all things feline, ought to know better than to try and break up a catfight barehanded! Even growing up hillbilly, I certainly wouldn't stick my tender little paws into such a fang-and-claw melee! If you insist on such foolhardy moves in the future, and want to avoid a trip to the ER, you'd better make sure you have your first-aid supplies ready, your tetanus shot up to date, and a round of appropriate antibiotics handy. Cats in the midst of battle simply don't care who they bite or scratch!

Moonmuser said...

Thanks for telling me such great advice, ...of course I knew better. A good sudden splash of water always works to make them scatter! After the incident, the resident cats did the transference thing and picked on each other for awhile.
Anyway, my tetanus shot is good to go for two more years. Always keep hydrogen peroxide and Bacitracin around as well as the band-aids, even before cats. Yes, I went for many years without any pets!

We need a coat-tree at the office...hint, hint!! Actually I think the office manager is going to make one.

Did you get any new photos?

Grizz………… said...

Moonmuser…

I grew up around an ever-changing menagerie of critters, wild and tame, three-quarters of which were often just looking for a chance to bite, scratch, sting or spray you. Think-before-you-grab was a necessary survival tactic. A lesson learned, alas, by bleeding, swelling, stinking, and the suffering of much pain and embarrassment—though one which eventually became fairly ingrained, and which also forced me to become a pretty fair self-treating emergency field medic. I can sterilize, stitch, and bandage with the best of 'em, and trust me, I've had plenty of opportunities to perfect my technique.

Actually, a coat tree is something I've been intending to make for a couple of years. I want it to be rustic, durable, and capable of holding several heavy coats at a time without tipping over. I also would like it to be unique and, for lack of a better term, "artsy." Not just a post with hanging hooks—though I'm generally a fan of form-follows-function. Natural materials, maybe with steam-punk elements and some wrought iron, a fun repurposing of something old and/or industrial. I keep looking and hoping for inspiration. But a perfectly serviceable one should be a pretty easy build.

Never did get away for any photo time the other day. Maybe today?