April 11

What a glorious day we've had!
Considering I was dreading today, as it's damn cold still, and have been awaiting the weekend and its divine temperatures All Week, it has been a fabulous day.
We headed out early to take Daddy to work - that north wind squashed his dreams of biking to work today, so we dropped him, off (sorry, Eric!, we missed you today!) and went to lunch.
After that we headed to Costco for a quick trip (no real goodies there today), then over to a kitchen specialty shop (Orson Gygi) in search of a few very particular things - a jumbo bag of gumballs for our machines, and some flavourings to make lollipops. We picked up some geometric-shaped molds, some sticks, and apple and watermelon flavorings. Mmmmm!
Can't wait for that one!

Next we stopped at Home Depot to check on their plant selection - Mama was in search of some sort of lacy fern, and Trev's longed-for Venus Fly Trap.
They had a few, but they were in poor condition, and Trev said he didn't want those.
I thought a local neighborhood nursery (Cactus and Tropicals) might carry them, so we made our way over there.
The babes and I were so delighted to be there. We soaked in that glorious, clean, damp air for an hour, touching plants, playing in the rocks, running our fingers through the fountains, marveling at the beauties we saw, and in general feeling quite splendid.
I was very brave and determined and picked up a lovely little Rosemary plant. (I don't do well with them, for some reason.)
And they indeed had Venus Fly Traps!
Trev was thrilled at one of them that had six pods on it, and that's the one we chose. (Turns out it has two more little ones coming in - which means that it's started another plant, they only have seven leaves.) It is a beautiful plant, and we're very excited about it.
After the shop we headed to another neighborhood nursery, which is practically across the street from us. It is where I buy most of my perennials every year. Jacob's Ladders, Foxgloves, Columbine, grasses, Cup and Saucer plants, and another Shasta Daisy or two.
What fun!!!
I can't wait to get my beauties in the ground this weekend!

We initially thought we'd put Kermit (the plant) in the terrarium, but Trev has decided that he wants him separate.
I've been reading up on them. We thought that maybe after the plant ate the bug that that particular pod might die, but we have learned differently. They'll just open up again with the little exoskeleton resting on the leaf til the wind blows it away.
Oooh. How exciting. Not that we kill things around here, you understand, or don't respect all of life, but it's very cool to see Nature happening, none-the-less.

Maddie has been up on the table pretty much since we got home inspecting it with the magnifying glass - checking out it's "teeth" as we call it, and the little spikes on the surface of the leaves, the ones that when bent cause the trap to snap shut.
She has also already put her finger in there to see what would happen.
It was fast! I was amazed.
Tomorrow or tonight we may put a little centipede in there to feed it. We'll see.
Or maybe we'll take it over to our friend Aubrey's house and let her feed it Box Elder bugs! :)

The big ol' monitor died a couple of days ago, so I thought I'd try out the tiny one that's been sitting in the driveway for a month, and since it was semi-sheltered it didn't get drowned, and it still works.
Trev's happy about that, and happy about the fact that a new (used) computer is coming on Monday, and our computer aggravation shall be over.
He's back there playing the Dinosaur Hunter game - it's the museum one that you can excavate for bones that fit into your particular animal's time period, and after you put the bones together properly, the skeleton comes to life to wander your museum. It's just one of the games on the cd, but a favorite, and is a really great game.

We're happy.
('Cept Mama really ain't happy about the camera refusing to work altogether, now.)