My mom got a new kitten. She'd been whining and begging for one for quite some time now, but Dad didn't want one in the house because of the cat hair thing. (I wonder what he thinks when he comes to our house.) He loves cats, but not in the house. Well, I can tell you he is quickly getting used to it and he loves Ivy. We all love Ivy. How can you NOT love Ivy?
Shortly after we moved here in 1977, my mom and dad bought a Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens var. glauca) tree for us, which we planted in the front yard. It has grown to be a gorgeous thing and we just recently purchased two more and planted them somewhat nearby. Planting those may prove to be an act of replacement rather than addition.
I was out taking pictures of the sunset a few weeks ago and happened to notice the pine cones hanging from the large blue spruce, except that they didn't quite look like pine cones exactly. A closer look told me that the pine cones were bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis). UGH.
I had seen one earlier in the summer on our Bald Cypress and was grossed out when I removed that one and cut the bag open to reveal the disgustingly ugly worm inside. That thing looked like it belonged in the Marine Corps. I swear, it was wearing full battle dress and when I tried to fry it with the lighter, it took it forever to die. I know, that's macabre, but it was just that ugly and capable of mass destruction. 
So when I saw all those bags hanging on our beautiful blue spruce, I went into somewhat of a panic and got Romie out there and we began pulling those things off by the tens. In the end, we probably removed close to a hundred of them and then we prayed they hadn't done too much damage.
But last night, we noticed the tree had yellowing and some dead needles. It may be that it's due to the drought we have suffered this summer, but it just might be those bag worms causing it, too. We won't really know if the tree has been fatally affected until next year, but it will be a shame if we lose this 30-year-old, 20-foot-tall majestic beauty.
In the meantime, we'll be more vigilant in the spring and summer and watch for these things so we can prevent them from doing their damage. Ichneumonid wasps are a natural predator, and we had some of those this year, but apparently they missed each other in the hall...
On occasion, I mention a business in my blog that I've visited or made purchases from. Some are virtual and some are bricks and mortar visits, but I probably do the bulk of my shopping online. Today I'm blogging about an online business that sells one of my favorite things - FLOWERS!
I also enter contests on a somewhat regular basis. Whether shopping online or entering contests, the less that's required of me to type in, the better. RoboForm is free auto-fill software that I've been using for many years now to fill out forms and it saves me a lot of time and typing.
I recently came across a contest featuring photos of flowers from all parts of the world on 1-800-FLOWERS website. You choose your favorite from ten finalists and just for voting, you get a 15% discount on any purchase from their site.
The real winner will be the one of the ten finalists with the most votes, who will have their photo featured on a billboard in Times Square in New York City, a trip for two to NYC for the unveiling of the billboard, a four-piece Delsey luggage set provided by Macy's, and they will attend a flower design workshop with Jane Packer, world-renowned floral designer. Their entry will also become the next Fields of the World® bouquet. If you've never seen any of the bouquets, they're gorgeous.
Three of my favorites are:
Germany ~ In a beautiful salt-glazed pottery vase, there are blue delphiniums, yellow roses, double white lisianthus and variegated pitt.
Thailand ~ Orange 'Mok OJ' and yellow 'Mok Jitty' orchids are gathered in a brown and orange hand-blown glass bubble vase.
Ireland ~ This is a refreshing bouquet of Bells of Ireland, gathered with white gerbera daisies, green 'Yoko Ono' poms, white poms and ruscus in a Marquis® by Waterford® 24% lead crystal vase.
I've voted for my favorite photo in their contest and if you'd like to vote, too, go to the Fields of the World® contest and choose one. Then head on over and browse the beautiful bouquets they have available for delivery. (Don't forget - you get a 15% discount just for voting!)
"Bejeweled"
