Butterflies

 So I was going to add one of these to our Meet the Neighbors post, but dad took so many I couldn't decide which to add, so we made an entire post about them. 

We have a 10 foot tall butterfly bush right on the side of the house, and the blossoms are exquisitely splendiferous. 

The really beautiful thing, however, is the number of butterflies that we see day after day hovering and flitting here and there.  At any one time we can see no less than a dozen or more colorful winged critters, chief among them spicebush, tiger and black swallowtails. 

 Mom's favorite is the black swallowtail that has blue bits on its wings. Someone taught mom and dad way back in the colder months to trim the bush down to about waist-high, saying the results would be rewarding. 

Dad did this, and he and mom waited and waited and waited, mom questioning whether it would ever blossom. 

Well, before we knew it the thing just took off and began sprouting like crazy, and now it's big and bushy and purple like you've never seen.  The photos don't do it justice as many of the butterflies cannot be seen, but here's a sampling nonetheless.

Look closely on the right and you'll notice the Southeastern Tortie Swalloweverything Species

When I first spotted them while soaking up some rays out on the front steps I chittered and chattered like I've never done, but now I'm like, yeah, whatever.  That's cool, now let me get back to sleep.

Meet the Neighbors & a Brief Health Update

 Here's a random sampling of some of my closest neighbors.  Apologies for the poor focus in a few of them.  In at least one case (betcha can't guess) dad just wasn't comfortable getting too close.

Out on our front steps

This little guy was trekking across the rough terrain of a nearby driveway.

Yep, you guessed it.  This neighbor was literally in the lot next door.

This 3+ footer was on a neighbor's front porch

We're surrounded by these guys.  Literally.

Not a bad job blending in with the light fixture pattern, wouldn't you say?

Dad says he doesn't remember the last time he saw a brown Praying Mantis

Note: The berries are mostly in mom and dad's bellies by now.

Mom brought me in this past week to check up on a few things, and overall I'm doing okay, especially for a 17 year old.  I lost a tooth a while ago, the Vet thinks I may have an upper respiratory issue, and I've been limping a bit lately.  My bloodwork came back okay so we don't have to worry extra about my kidneys for now, and the vet thinks there may be a link between the broken tooth and the respiratory stuff.  They sent me and mom home with some antibiotics and pain medicine.  I'm sure you can imaging how THAT'S going...

Monday Morning Laugh

Seen in front of Smoky Mountain Dog Bakery in downtown Waynesville, NC during a break from all the hiking last week.  Said "break" meant about 4 miles of walking around this quaint little town if I heard mom and dad correctly.