So we’ve had a bit of business around here, most good, some less than great- and as I always do when it’s been a while- I wind up in my own head that the first post back has to be awesome and then give myself writer’s block. The only surefire way around this is, of course, a verging on nonsensical picture heavy post.

Let’s see… so we can start with travel, of which there has thoroughly been much too much of lately. It’s also going to get worse before it gets better, since I leave for South Carolina tomorrow, am in Florida the week after that, and then will be in Montana the week after that one. At least my husband can come to the Montana one with me and we’ll be taking some days off to do some fishing while we’re up there- words cannot describe how much I’m looking forward to that!

Mother’s Day was really nice to get up and outta town-  we went to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin then ate on Congress Ave. after that and had Micheladas, then stopped by a garden center on the way home. Perfect.

The toddler fell asleep about 20 minutes before we got there- and we were a bit apprehensive about that- waking her up sometimes results in a less than ideal version of her toddler self. This time though she was in a perfectly fine mood, but it was like she kissed the Blarney stone- she nattered away nonstop the whole time we were there.

In our own garden these little guys…

…have turned into these:

And some have even turned into these, right on the bronze fennel plant:

In other gardening news my husband found this craziness in a tunnel that got turned up while digging a garden bed in our backyard, that I walk around in BAREFOOT.

He picked it up WITH HIS HAND.

In further research it has one of the most painfully hard bites of any spider and is poisonous (As is any creature with patent leather legs- OBVIOUSLY).

I put it on a shovel and dropped it over the back fence to the abandoned house yard, both because I have a shirt that says “I love spiders” (NOT THAT SPIDER THOUGH) and because it was the right thing to do. I hope it lives a long, happy, un-revenge filled life back there.

The tomatoes are struggling this year, but I have one in a bed across the yard in case I can’t get a handle on the spider mites that are infesting the 5′ tall cherry tomato in the main tomato/rose bed right now.  I spent a long time yesterday cutting off the worst of the leaves and spraying the plant with a hard stream of water… what I need is for it to rain nonstop for a week to truly get ahead of those damn things. I had qualms about planting tomatoes in the same spot I did last year. Listen to the qualms- best advice ever in gardening and life.

Outside of gardening stuff, we have another neighborhood craft fair coming up- which the girls are farther along than I am. The twelve year old has made cards and prints out of some pop art bird pieces she made in art class:

The ten year old has made a bunch or origami that we’ll make 10′ garlands from. She’ll have individual ones with string, as well as will be doing custom made-to order origami in her booth.

As for me, I’ve been doing some ice dying again but I’m getting a little sick of the stained hands, so I’m doing some paintings as well.

And finally, as I was locking up the house last night I found this and have to share: