It was Sunday. A day to rest.
And rest I did.
During my yo-yo migration between, Oregon, California, and Mexico these last two months, my "nightstand reading" -- as we called it in another life -- managed to accrete to Mississippi delta levels.
Mostly magazines.
Reading two-month old National Geographics seems almost a pre-pubescent indulgence. But two-month old news magazines take on an entirely different tone.
It is a bit disconcerting to read that Congress will inevitably pass a health care reform bill before the end of the year -- when I have a hint that is not quite how things turned out. My eyebrows can arch only so far.
The hammock was a great site for my trek through history's re-edit room. Carrots. Water. A warm day.
Somewhere between the Peru floods and the story about who would win the Super Bowl, I reached for my water bottle. Only to discover that it was being defended by a praying mantis. Even though it looked far more like a boxing mantis -- in its defensive mode.
And a young mantis. Perhaps, the smallest I have ever seen. But even the youngsters have the look that they were left behind on Earth by disciplinarian parents from Neptune.
I have shared photographs of as many of the interesting creatures that I can capture with my camera. This one almost got away, though.
I grabbed my camera and tried several shots -- all out of focus. I have not yet learned to use my macro setting effectively. What you see at the top of this post is the best I could do.
A hammock. A fascinating insect. A good rest.
What better way to spend a Sunday?
6 comments:
Watching reruns of "Lost".
I love Mantis. When ever I find one, I let them ride around on me for a while before I set them free.
Aha, so now we have to wonder: was that a boy mantis, doomed to lose his head over some female someday? I hear the males are smaller...
Not so sure that's a praying mantis. We have an insect here in Merida that is exactly the same as the one you've capturd on film. I originally thought it was a baby praying mantis, but a friend informed me it was not! Sorry, I forget what the heck she called it, but it sure does look like a baby praying mantis.
Laurie -- Television? Not in this house, young lady. My libertarianism only goes so far.
Chrissy -- And the one on my water bottle was free to stay as long as it wanted.
1st Mate -- I never thought of that. He could have been the next tasty treat for the Madame LaFarge of the insect set.
Mikey -- You may be correct. The abdomen did not look like a praying mantis. More like a leaf. I will do a little research. A followup for another post, perhaps.
Now this is a Praying Mantis caught on "film" at the Milwaukie City Hall last spring.
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/43834/2395769500037479021S500x500Q85.jpg
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