BUSY, BUSY!!!

Sorry for the delay in posting a new message but I have been trying to get my SpookyTime Jingle pages fine tuned and ready for the August 13 update, plus PFATT piece for the 12th and EHAG piece for the 15th.

This morning Dietrich von Pumpkin started his journey to Canada to join a new family. I hope he doesn't keep anyone in his new family up at night because my cats have blamed him for a multitude of things in our home...you don't suppose my little kitty angels could have been blaming him for something they were doing, do you?!!!! HA!!!

Speaking of kitty angels...Jake decided to help me photograph this morning. Elwood is one of those cats that could go through a china cabinet with no space and not knock a thing over and Jake is the bull breaking and knocking everything over, so when he decided to get near the new

Santa I was photographing this morning I got a little nervous. So, here is Jake with the new work in progress made in another new clay for me. It is another air drying clay, but sets up faster than celluclay and works similar to paperclay. It has some "bugs" I don't find desirable, like it will set up in a sealed plastic bag so there is some sort of chemical reaction in firming up with this clay I haven't experienced in any other clay.

As far as details the clay works great for me. It sets up just enough you can use clay tools to create texture in the beard, moustache and eye brows of the Santa, and in the smoother areas of the body it has a textural surface like the celluclay, which I like. Bought another bag this morning so I'm done experimenting with this material.

Below is a young praying mantis in my hail torn hosta leaves. He was actually hanging upside down and did not like my camera stuck in his face so I only got 2 shots before he moved. I rotated the photo so you could see him better. I never treat my flower beds with chemicals because of these guys. When they first hatch you can't find them they are so small, and I usually don't see them until they are about one half inch long, but this boy was just over an inch. There is a larger one in the same area that is over 1.5 inches long, but had moved off of the lily when I was looking for one to photograph. In the fall when they are full size I will have both this variety and a brown variety that flies. We leave our tall grasses up over the winter because they will lay their egg casings in the grass and we want them hatched before we cut the grass down.

I really enjoy watching them work in the grape vine and flower beds. Of course in the fall we know what the ladies do to the "fellas" so I would have to call them "Queen" of the insects in my yard!!

Happy creating!

Laurie