If the bug ladies are at work, it must be springtime! I’ve been working with them for quite a few years now, and today they brought it this cool little mantis. Not to show visitors (it’s too small for public appearances yet) but to show me, because they knew I’d like him. 
(Look at the mesh he’s on to get an idea of how small he is;
unfortunately, none of the shots I took with a dime for scale came out
very well.)
signs of spring: winter coat
The Bean down jacket has been put away for the season. Now if only I could put away all my other cold-weather clothing…
signs of spring: in a Japanese House
This is a kotatsu. It has a metal grate on the underside of the table which heats up when plugged in. Add a blanket tucked in under the top surface of the table and you’ve got yourself a cozy place to sit. When the blanket is put away, you know the warm weather is on its way.
signs of spring: April Showers
bring broken umbrellas with fed-up owners.
signs of spring: ‘dills and squills
the blue Siberian squills usually come up earlier in the season, but we think we may have buried them too deep. either way, they look lovely next to the daffodils.
signs of spring: a boy and his dog
The theme this week is Signs of Spring.
This is the neighbor kid on one side playing with the dog that lives on the other side. He doesn’t have his own dog, but he plays with this one all the time when the weather’s nice. They’d been at it for quite a while when I snapped them taking a much-needed rest before they were off and running again.
time is on my side
yes it is.
orgnaizing my time
yep, I still do it the old-fashioned way…with a pen and a paper calendar.
showtimes
There’s a little theater at work where short kid-friendly plays are performed. For many kids it’s their first live theater experience, so it’s important that it includes everything you would expect, including tickets.
timetable
The thing I like about this timetable is that even though it’s digital, it still makes the tik-tik-tik noise when the schedule updates.