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!

Random thoughts lead to random photos…

The other morning I was perusing the newspaper, as I usually do, when an obituary caught my eye.  While most obituaries say, something like “John Jones, 87,” the heading for this particular one was “Harry Lengas, the Eternal Optimist.”  I had to read that one through and take a second to say good-bye to this person who is someone I would have liked had I known him.

  The Eternal Optimist…what a wonderful legacy.

A bowl of blueberries is pretty optimistic!

We’ve had a weird spring.  Usually, we go from winter to dog days without much transition in between.  But this year it has been cool, overcast and rainy all the way up to Memorial Day.  I don’t mind the cool.  It’s the constant overcast that has me down.  Oh, well, I WILL NOT complain because there is absolutely NOTHING I can do about the weather.

Believe it or not...this photo is in color.

I have less than a month left on my Flickr 365 and I have mixed feelings about that.  On the one hand, it will be nice to not have that obligation hanging over my head even though it’s a self-inflicted one.  On the other hand, the day after my last 365 photo is posted is my next birthday. And that is something I’m not so enthusiastic about. But, as they say, it beats the alternative.

My latest Flickr post.  The explanation is on my Flickr site.  Poke on the green Flickr above if you're interested.

Greg and I went to the Red Sox game last week and came home with our very own World Series Rings.  How cool is that??  Of course, the Sox lost that game and the nine surrounding it, but they won yesterday.  I keep telling myself, the season is still young and while I don’t expect them to repeat with another World Series win, I do have hopes that they won’t end up in the basement.

BLING!!

Thinking these random thoughts made me realize how much I miss our blogging friend Nancy and A Rural Journal.  If you happen to see this, Nancy, I hope all is well with you and your world.