Thinking of bugs, butterflies, flip-phones and family...

I guess my Random and Willy-nilly link ups are out of business for the time being.  I was sorry to hear that, but I intend to be random anyhow.  So here you are.

On Monday at Magic Wings, we got to check out this great looking bug.  It’s a Jungle Nymph or Heteropteryx dilatata.  The first thought that popped into my head when I saw it was that wouldn’t it be great if people came in that color?  This is a female Jungle Nymph.  The male is dull brown and much smaller.

Also at Magic Wings, it was mating season for the Cairns Birdwing or Ornithoptera euphorion Butterfly.  We were told that they can go at it for two hours.  More power to them!  In this case, it’s the male who is the more colorful.  He's the one hanging upside down.

Get a room, you two!

 And here’s another Cairns Birdwing whose broken wing has been grafted with another so that it can fly easier and longer.  That’s pretty cool.  I just hope it didn't hurt.

I’ve been noticing on TV shows I watch that a lot of the characters carry flip-phones.  It has been years since I’ve had a flip-phone and it seems to me that most people in real life, at least in our circles, carry iPhones or large screen Droids, which is what I have.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a flip-phone besides the one my daughter Carrie carries.  She’s not a Luddite exactly, but she doesn’t really care that much about the latest technology.

  Anyhow, I’ve been thinking about why they use flip-phones in TV shows, because even the richest TV characters use flip-phones and rarely the latest iPhone model.  I think I have the answer.  I think that they use flip-phones on TV shows for the dramatic effect.  Snapping them shut is sort of the current version of slamming down the receiver like in the days of yore.

  You just can’t do that with an iPhone.

Mr. Birdwing is flipped shut.

Today is National Siblings Day.  I have three sisters and three brothers so I feel justified in celebrating.  I believe this picture was taken in 1976 or so and was a gift for my mother.  While there are hundreds of photos of us individually and in small groups, there aren’t that many photos around with the seven of us together.  It’s just too hard to get us all in one place.  Here we are:

I'm the one in the back row, third from the left in the brown turtleneck.  You may have noticed that there's an extra person in this photo.  That little blond kid in the front is my nephew Jim.  I think he was the only offspring around at the time, but there have been plenty more since.

Have a great weekend, y'all!