This looks like it came right out of a science fiction movie.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen flowers like this before.   I think they are really pretty with the small flowers in the middle and the larger flowers circling them.

I wonder if the crisscross of the pollen is because of bees.

It’s spring.  There are flowers everywhere, and I take all of their pictures.  If you don’t like it, tough!

Tree blossoms are always so beautiful.  It’s a pity they don’t last longer than they do.

Pretty, little, yellow flower.

Hrm . . . how did these ever slip by me?  Very good question.  Well, I suppose late is better than never, or so they say, right?

This isn’t the best picture of a dragonfly that I have taken, but I really did love his color.  I chased him around for  a good ten minutes before he decided to sit long enough for me to get this picture.  I tried getting closer, but he kept flittering away like I was scary or something.  The nerve of some dragonflies!

If it is purple, I might take a picture. If it is purple and happens to be a flower, I must take a picture.  This little flower reminds me of a picture I took at the Wanshi Botanical Garden in Xiamen, China, way back when, but it isn’t quite as frightening. Still pretty, though.

My camera may be awesome, but it wasn’t quite as awesome as I needed it to be in order to capture this little guy in complete focus.  There were a bunch of lizards out and about that day, but he seemed especially interested in the Canon I had hanging around my neck.  Had I not hear him scurrying underneath the leaves, I seriously doubt I would have ever seen him.  He almost blends in perfectly with tree.

Once upon a time, I used to take pictures of benches, and I had this crazy idea that I was going to make a coffee table book entitled, Bitch’n Benches and Some Pretty Flowers.  Like many of my ideas, he never took off, and I never made my coffee table book.  I still take pictures of benches, though, just in case.

Even though spiders freak me out, I love taking pictures of them.  I love looking at and admiring them, but the instance they touch me – all bets are off!  I have an awful habit of getting too close when I try to use my macro lens. On more than one occasion my lens has touched the spider or the web, and well, I might as well have petted them when that happens because I always instantly transform into Little Miss Muffet and start screaming as I aim for the hills.  Spiders are beautiful, but I hate each of the eight freaky legs!

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I am always very excited when postcards arrive in my mailbox from countries that either A) I don’t get often, or B) I haven’t gotten at all.  This is my first postcard from Spain.

I don’t know what to say about this postcard.  I tried looking up information on the artist, Malcolm Greensmith, but I couldn’t find a whole lot about him, other than that he is a renowned military artist.  I don’t know when he was born, or if he is still living.  I’m assuming he is from Great Britain because that is where the card was printed, but who knows if that is a correct assumption. If you like his artwork, there are several sites offering cross stitching designs created by him.

I’m not sure how ploughing is related to the miltary, so perhaps this was drawn by a differnt Malcolm Greensmith.  Either way, I like the postcard because it’s cute and has animals on it.  Perhaps, that is why the sender chose it for me.  I like the old feeling the postcard has, too.  It reminds me of the country.  It would be nice to have a horse to help me plough my garden this year.  I am not looking forward to hacking away at the ground again, even though the hard work eventually pays off.

PS  If you by chance know more about this Malcolm Greensmith guy, be sure to share your knowledge in the comment section.

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I can only imagine what type of people are going to end up at my blog with a title like Blue Tit.  I guess it doesn’t matter how they get here, as long as they get here, and most importantly, stay.  Although, if they are looking for anything other than a Blue Tit bird, they will sadly be disappointed when they do arrive.  🙂

The sender of this card said, “It is a very common bird in Finland and stays here the whole winter while most birds are spending winter time somewhere in warm southern countries.”

I at first thought she was talking about a type of bird we have here in South Carolina called a Tit Mouse, but when I looked it up in Wikipedia, I found they are different types of birds, although, they do come from the same Tit bird family – the Paridae.

In Finnish, a Blue Tit is called a Sinitiainen, and they only have a lifespan of about 1.5 years.  Blue Tits are considered valuable destroyers of pests, like aphids, but can also be annoying pests as well.  They sometimes pull off the buds of various trees in search of insects to eat.  Another thing I found interesting, is that a pair of Blue Tits will use the same nesting box year after year.  When that pair dies, another pair will take its place.  Wikipedia didn’t say, but I guess that means they mate for life.

This spring I want to go bird watching. I hope that I can take pictures like the one above of the various South Carolina birds.  I’ve tried getting pictures of the ones in my yard, but they hide too far up in trees and won’t sit still for nothing.

I was going through the pictures on my computer and decided to post a few that have never made it on this little blog of mine before.  As you can tell by the dates on the pictures, they are all rather old.  I need to go through all of my China pictures and see if there are any interesting ones I forgot to post.  I’m sure there has to be a few.  Phil and I took something like 5,000 pictures.  And if there aren’t any more photos, I’m sure there are still a few blog worthy videos.  I’ll try to find some this weekend.

I’m anxious for spring to roll around again.

I love taking pictures of flowers for some strange reason.

I am pretty sure that this was taken at Swan Lake in Sumter.

Maybe I will go again this year – get their when more flowers are in bloom.

RIP Dopple

Dopple was my favorite orange cat ever.  He totally could have been a real life Garfield.

RIP Morgan Rose Ireland Yvette DeWitter

She was the best kitty ever!

RIP Thames

Thames talked with every step he took.  He was one strange kitty, but I still loved him.

I found this grasshopper behind One Eared Cow Glass several years ago.

He stayed on that stick just long enough for me to snap a picture of him.

I don’t even know what this is, but it’s scary!!

Anyone have any idea what this critter is called?