After spending most of the summer away, my yard is a mess! The grass is patchy brown, plants are leggy and covered in spent blooms; weeds are abundant. Besides the latter, the only things that seem to be flourishing in the garden right now are small things. Mind you, small things are often the best.
Pacific Treefrog (Hyla regilla)
Treefrogs are tiny – usually 3-5 cm (up to 1-3/4”). This Pacific Treefrog wasn’t much bigger than my thumbnail. They can be green, bronze, grey, or all colours in between, and always have a black stripe across their eyes and nose. I like them because they eat spiders and other insects, and also because of their wonderful “ribbit” chorus during springtime evenings.
Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)
As much as I don’t appreciate spiders (that’s being tactful; I can’t staaaaaand them!!), I appreciate what they do in the garden, catching mosquitos and other unpleasant flying things. I must say if I have to encounter one, I prefer it be a smaller kind. Some of the dangly large ones raise goosebumps on me.
Our begonias surprised me, petite and delicate-looking – they are obviously sturdier than I thought, since they received absolutely no watering during the dry weather of our last month-long absence.
Begonia (Fibrous root) “Prelude Pink”
Small things. Sometimes, rather than a big idea, it’s a tiny spark of inspiration that fuels a writer’s creativity. A brief vision of what could be, or what might have been. The small alpine lake with its miniscule log cabin pictured in my previous post was just such inspiration for me. It provided the setting for a plot that had been brewing over the past several months, a story that had nowhere to happen.
Now it’s written and I can move on.
What small thing inspired your most recent writing?
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This is beautiful, Carol! Love the froggie.
Awesome picture of the frog! Tree frogs are so cute.
“A brief vision of what could be” — those glimpses of possibility and potential can really keep me going, especially in the midst of messy first-drafting.
Also, yay for your story being done!
Carol, I agree that small things often provide us with inspiration. I can’t think of anything right off hand that has inspired me recently. I’ve been busy revising a story that was written some time ago, and work has kept me busy and tired this past while. I love your photos, as usual!
Your photos always make me smile. You have such a talent, Carol. As for small things I’m quite thrilled that I was able to capture a butterfly and set him free outside yesterday. Isn’t he suppose to be on his way by now? I’m not sure. As for spiders, I haven’t met too many people who love them. But again, I don’t mind take the time it takes to capture them and take them outside. I don’t understand why DH thinks that’s weird.
Carol, you’re living in my brain. Time and again I find myself in total agreement with your thoughts, likes and dislikes. Regarding the frogs and spiders, I love the little jumpy critters and take comfort when I hear them under the deck and porch knowing that they’re eating all the ugly wolf spiders and little jumping black spiders that I hate. Years ago I asked God to take away my fear of spiders. He did, but I still don’t like them. He’s kind enough, though, to always let me see them before I bump into them o they don’t startle me.
There always has to be a Joylene who will sympathize enough with leggy creeping critters to capture them and put them outside where they live to return to the indoors and startle me! Me? I smash ‘em. Sorry, Joylene. (I do like butterflies, though.)