Beautiful Blessings - 9/13/15

~ Getting a pair of reading glasses to see if it helps with my reading. Especially after migraines. They are the most basic pair but they seem to help already. :~)

~ Passing by a restaurant and seeing pure joy in the faces of the employees as they greet a friend!

~ Having people pray about my migraines for me...tis an immense blessing!

~ My sisters being okay after they got stung this afternoon!! (3 of the 4 got stung)

~ Watching how God works throughout the day throughout our lives. Its amazing to see His perfect timing!!!

“If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.”
-Corrie Ten Boom

Beautiful Blessings - 8/19/15

~ Watching a bumblebee enjoy the goldenrods.

~ Having people around town ask how Im doing.

~ Seeing the skipper butterfly flit about the yard.

~ Watching Lil' G watch an archaeology dig....she is entranced!

~ Homemade peppermint iced tea. <3 

Science Saturday: Hares, Asters, and Bumblebees!

(A white aster with a bumblebee! :~D My lovely Mommy took this!)

A few interesting facts that may be slightly beneficial to your brain:

•  Hares and Rabbits are completely different animals. Hares tend to have big ears, big hind legs, and a a larger body. They are from the genus Lepus.
• One of the more-common Hares is the Snowshoe Hare. They grow extra fur on their feet to help support their weight when they are in deep snow.
• They enjoy eating grasses, green leaves, buds and twigs in the summer. In the winter they eat needles and twigs from conifers, bark, buds, and twigs from deciduous trees. For water they drink dew in the warm months, and snow in the cold months. 
• The name Aster comes from the Greek word for "star". Fall is a perfect time to see the "star flowers". 
• Asters are a perfect example of a composite flower. They have tiny individual flowers called florets. The ones in the middle of the flower are called disk florets. Surrounding the disk florets are small thin ray florets.
• Asters are perennials, so if you find them one year, they are most likely going to be there for the next several years.
• Bumblebees still can be around after a few frosts. Some of the females are still buzzing around looking for mates. After they mate they will bury themselves in the ground in an inactive state.
• If they survive the winter they will come back out in April or May. Honeybees prefer hives in trees and so forth, but Bumblebees tend to live in burrows in the ground.
• As the colony slowly gets bigger in the warmer months, the Queen is busy laying eggs. The older workers spend time foraging for food while the younger workers help in the nursery. Then the cycle continues.

Science Saturday: Centipedes & Millipedes, Thistles and Goldenrod!

Someone is enjoying the goldenrod in our yard!

Some interesting things to know:

• Usually Millipedes have have more legs than Centipedes. Centipedes have 1 pair of legs per body segment, while Millipedes have 2 pairs. Though some species of Centipedes have more than Millipedes.
• While the names sound the same, they look totally different! Both of them have segmented bodies, but Centipedes tend to have a hairier appearance while Millipedes look more like worms, it's body is cylindrical.
• Millipedes are vegetarians while Centipedes tend to enjoy bugs and things. (In the Amazon Rainforest, there is a 12in one that likes mice and things to eat! O.O Eeek!!!)
• Most Thistles are a part of a 2 year cycle. The first year the seeds germinate and sprout. The second year they flower, produce the seeds to continue the cycle, and then die off.
• If you try to get rid of the Thistle by chopping it up into many little pieces, each of those pieces will take root, and then you'll have more Thistles on your hands.
• While most wildflowers are pretty to pick for bouquets, Thistles are not that way. They are covered in sharp spines all over the entire plant. If you try to pick it, your fingers will not be happy with the pain you will receive. ;~)
• Goldenrods join us at the end of summer, so it can be disappointing to see them as it means summer is drawing to a close. I love to watch for them as their bright splashes of color are beautiful!
• Goldenrods are popular with insects including, honeybees, bumblebees, several beetles, and flies!
• Goldenrods are native to the U.S.! There are over 100 different kinds of species. They are often confused with Ragweed as they bloom at the same time, so Goldenrod gets the blame for causing allergies instead of the troublesome Ragweed!

Science Saturday: Bees, Wasps, Hornets, and Inchworms!

A wasp nest from last year!

The irony about these topics, is I got a bee/wasp/hornet sting on Wednesday. I guess it was good timing for this post! ;~)

Anyways, a few interesting facts! :~)

• A bee is not a wasp, a wasp is not always a hornet, but hornets are wasps. (A tongue twister indeed!)
• Bees are hairier and rounder than wasps, which tend to be slimmer and smoother.
• Wasps and hornets tend to make nests while bees usually live in trees, man-made hives, or underground (depending on the type.)
• Inchworms have 2 defense systems to prevent from them being eaten. One is blending in with the tree, and if that doesn't work, they can repel from the tree out of reach. When the danger has passed, they climb back up to where they were before.
• They are the caterpillars of the Geometer Moths.
• Inchworms don't have the same number of legs as the average caterpillar.

"Inchworm" with Danny Kaye in "Hans Christian Anderson"

"Inchworm" with Danny Kaye with "The Muppet Show"