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Sep 19
Shh… nobody move!
I happened to look out the window this afternoon and saw what I thought was a grasshopper on one of the flowers. Grasshoppers have been turning my plant leaves into Swiss cheese, so I went outside to go squish it. Instead what I found was a praying mantis! I’m no National Geographic photographer, but I was able to get close enough to snap a few shots before it disappeared into the foliage. Although, after reading up on mantises I’m glad I didn’t get too close; they are predators, they will bite (no venom, thankfully), and while they eat mostly insects some of the larger mantises have been said to eat prey such as lizards, snakes, or rodents!
Click on the photo to enlarge–pretty cool!
Sep 19
State Fair!
Instead of taking one big vacation this summer (like we did last year), Ryan and I are trying out the “staycation” and taking short visits to local sites. Last weekend we drove 40 minutes up to Hutchinson to the Kansas State Fair grounds for the annual fair.
Earlier in the week our region had heavy rainstorms (we had around 5 inches at our own “Lake Rushwood“). That didn’t help the parking situation; we slipped and slid through several areas that look like the sloppy mess below.
We started out in the sheep shed watching a shearing demonstration. The sheep was so docile and adorable as it sat there quietly leaning back against the shearer.
We made a quick stop by the bunny cages…
…and a flying pig cake made by a friend at church.
We didn’t ride any rides because we were headed to the feature event of the evening (and our real purpose for going to the fair):
Huey Lewis and the News!! Ryan has waited to see them in concert since he was 9 years old! Huey didn’t disappoint; they played a great mix of old and new songs and the audience sang along faithfully. What a fun concert!
Aug 26
Lunchtime in the Garden
I came home for lunch today and noticed a flurry of activity among the flowers. There were butterflies and bees surrounding the salvia, getting every last drop of nectar and pollen! As I was walking back into the house I noticed something white on top of a coneflower. Upon closer inspection it was a spider who had just caught a fly!
Aug 23
Research questionnaire
I recently filled out a questionnaire for a rheumatoid arthritis research study in which they asked questions about my current physical mobility. I didn’t think much of the questions until one of them sparked my memories of what my mobility used to be like. It almost took my breath away remembering how much pain I was in and how awful it must have been for Ryan and my family during that time.
But praise our Lord that now I can answer “I have no problem” being able to:
- dress yourself, including shoelaces and buttons
- shampoo your hair
- stand up from a straight chair
- get in and out of bed
- cut your meat
- lift a full cup or glass to your mouth
- open a new carton of milk
- walk outdoors on flat ground
- climb up five steps
Many of you remember when I couldn’t do any of those things without help. I remember not being able to squeeze a clothespin open (or even budge it), dropping the milk container because I couldn’t grip, not being able to bend my elbow to use a spoon, and I remember having to be carried up and down stairs. Those were some of the worst days of my entire life, and yet I am proud to have made it through them and come out on the other side. God provided countless people to help me, fantastic doctors, and a good job that was flexible and had great insurance that paid for the aggressive drug treatments. Because of that I am completely mobile again.
I really hope my answers to the questionnaire help the researchers provide good information to the doctors. My prayer is that those newly diagnosed with RA (like my dad) can be treated quickly and aggressively so that they don’t have to get to the point that I did.
Aug 23
Free iris plants!
These are but a few of the many iris blooms that covered our front flower garden this spring. They started from 9 rhizomes that my mom gave me and now have multiplied several times over!
The crazy multiplying aside, these are the easiest and most fragrant plants that I’ve ever had.
This fall or next I’ll need to separate them. If you would like to have some free iris just comment here or send me an email and I’ll put you on the list.
Aug 23
Engineering Summer Camps
This summer I was thrilled to help out with some engineering summer camps through the university. I taught a session at an all-girls camp on how industrial engineers organize the wait lines (queues) at theme parks, another session at a bio-engineering camp on ways to reduce product packaging, and a third session where we did an egg drop. The students were so much fun and eager to learn; it was such a rewarding experience!
Picture: students carefully opening the egg packaging to see if their egg survived the 12′ drop. I don’t think this one made it…