Meet My Friend!

  This morning, Mark and I were out wandering the new paths when we spied a slender, dragonfly-like critter flitting alongside of us.  Ahh, a damselfly!  It took some doing but, finally, I was able to capture the thing in a photograph.  What a beauty this creature was!  In fact, this was a male Blue-tailed Damselfly!  They are easy to distinguish from the females as the females have a more reddish tint to them.  The males are more black with a blue tipped tail.  The are both lovely, little critters!  Listed below are several "facts" about these fascinating beings.

1.  Damselflies are not dragonflies.  They both belong to the order Odonata making them cousins but they are not one and the same.
2. Damselflies have antenna but they are so tiny and short that most folks never notice them.
3. Damselflies are found just about everywhere in the world except maybe Antarctica.
4. Damselflies come in many different colors!  Red, blue, black, teal, brown, yellow and even purple!
5. Damselflies lay their eggs in water like dragonflies but some females completely submerge when laying eggs unlike the dragonflies which lay theirs on top of the water.
6. Damselflies (like dragonflies) eat a lot of other insects such as gnats, mosquitoes and moths. 
7. Damselflies (like dragonflies) catch their prey while in flight!
8. Unlike dragonflies, when at rest, damselflies hold their wings above their bodies!
9. Both damselfly and dragonfly nymphs are voracious when it comes to consuming prey.  Mosquito larvae are a favorite food of both!
10. Neither damselflies nor dragonflies can do much walking.  Their six legs are purely for catching and holding prey.  The legs have sharp bristles that help hold the prey.
11. Damselflies are much more slender than dragonflies making them appear to be more delicate.
12. Damselflies do not bite nor sting.

  So, now you know a bit more about this lovely and beneficial creature that, not only lives on the Bayou but probably near your place of residence!  Keep a watchful eye to see if you can spy one!  Amazing life is all around us but sometimes we are just too busy to notice.

Was That Even A Compliment???

  After painting the screen doors, it was time to crank up the old lawnmower and head to the woods.  I was becoming bored with the same old hiking paths so it was my intentions to start a new one.  The underbrush was thick and pushing that old mower through was one tough job but I was relentless!  I figured if I wanted a hiking path so I could get exercise, creating the path would give me just as good of a workout.  It did!  I gnawed through that underbrush like it was no one's business! I pushed.  I pulled.  I walked a good 20,000+ steps.  (Yes.  I did wear a step counter...20,704 steps today.)  Almost 4 hours later, I was purely exhausted!  I figured I had done enough for one day.  In fact, I was rather proud of the whole effort.  My new path was looking good and the walking meter said it was a little over 7 miles.  Oh, I am good!  Oh, I feel great (tired but great!).  Oh, I accomplished something!

  Just after returning the push mower to its designated "parking" spot, Son stopped working on house repairs long enough to share a glass of water with me.  "You know, Mom.  You are not doing half bad for a woman your age." he deadpanned.  Ok.  I took that as a compliment...for a short moment.  Then, it hit me.  "For a woman your age"....was that an underhanded punch to the gut??  Am I THAT old that I have reached "woman of your age" status?    Hmmm.  I think he meant it as a compliment...right?  Ok, so I admit it.  I am old but did he have to remind me?  

  Aside from the conversation that left me perplexed, I still felt good about my work.  The new path is coming along nicely.  It will require a good bit more work with the mower and then a saw and snips will come into play.  There are a lot of low limbs that need to be cleared to make the path safe.  Hopefully, this old lady can keep the current burst of energy going for a bit longer.