A Veritable Entertainment Center

I think that I am easily amused. Not complaining. I think it is a good thing that I seem to derive sooo much enjoyment from the silliest things in life. Well, more specifically, from the simple things that are found right outside my front door. Take for instance the bee-u-tee-full butterflies that must be one of the healthiest creatures in my yard. They absolutely love the echinacea flowers which are doing so well this year. Mainly because the deer have not found them yet. There is one whose left set of wings are shredded and look like my lace dining room tablecloth and I am worried about him. However, I see that he is flitting around as unencumbered as his friends and I feel better.


I place my finger next to the flowers and gently encourage the butterflies to hop onto my fingertip, hoping that they do not realize that I am tricking them into doing so. I tell them how pretty they are and ask if they would like to sit for one of my paintings. Apparently, none are interested and they fly away. Getting far away from the bothersome artiste and they are conspicuously absent when the picture below was painted. I have no friends. :(

Next, I check out my zucchinis and pumpkins to see how much they have grown in the past hour. Always hoping the chipmunks have not found them yet. These little critters, cute as they are, can be quite the little destroyers. Nibble, nibble, nibble without ever finishing a thing. Very wasteful. Although truth be told, I have had just enough zucchini this year and am quite ready to share with anyone right about now. Zucchini bread, zucchini soup, breaded zucchini, zucchini in spaghetti sauce....

And then there is the baby bunny who I think has claimed our backyard as his new home. I stare at him in amazement as he chews away and wonder if he ever gets bored on his diet of grass, grass, and more grass. And I always think of the very famous painting by Alfred Durer. The Hare is featured here. LOL. I guess rabbits have not changed much since 1503.

I always stroll over to my cannas and immerse myself in their REDness. They are such bold, strong, and exotic displays of beauty. The bumbling bees also seem to enjoy these huge flowers for they are always crawling inside of them, presumably for pollen but then they do the strangest thing. They just stay in there and hang out - interminably. Their bee-hind and furry legs are the only things visible. I am nosy and wish I knew what they were doing in there. Snoozing? Snacking? Do they ever decide to come back out? This is a frequent occurrence and I find it quite comical.

You may have heard of the expression "you'd watch a bug walk across the TV screen." Well, I have not done that....Yet. I may be missing out on a very interesting composition for my next painting. Tee Hee. I sincerely hope you too, are able to enjoy the bountiful gifts to be found in Nature's Summer. Thank you God.