Good meeting tonight - Return of the Preying Mantis - Poem: Are you never satisfied woman?

Carole Hodges worked as the Greeter. She does a fab job running the Loved Ones Group.

 Gail Hill, director of Peace Valley Nature Center, gave a fascinating talk about the wonderful park.

She brought some of the animals that frequent the park and also the surrounding areas. Scott often sees a skunk when he walks through the little woods in back of our houses. The skunk is as tame as a household pet.

Gail said the skunk does a little warning dance before he shoots his juice at the enemy's eyes, which is the best place to demobilize him.

Mr Skunk will even do this when he's crossing the street but his enemy, the car, kills him anyway.

As a gift we gave her Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.

It's a staple in our family.

At last I'm listening to good audio books. In the kitchen it's the late Frank McCourt's TIS:  A Memoir. What a great storyteller.

In the car I'm listening to Kevin Mitnick's Ghost in the Wires. He's a world-famous computer hacker.

Read about his book here.

This morning I stepped out on the front porch

Got this carton for junk mail from the beer dept at the Giant. Filled it with groceries but when I got home it was leaking!

I put it out on the front porch where first it gathered grubs underneath, later ants.

Yuck! I carried it to the side of the house.

er.

Can you see the preying mantis on my window?

Click to enlarge.

As soon as I saw him - and they come round every fall - I thought of my late father. When he was dying of cancer, I saw a mantis and considered it good luck.

Here's a couple of poems.

This is a secret so please don't share it. I'm getting tired of my red couch. That's quite ridiculous but I can't help dreaming of buying another one.

Here's the poem I wrote about on FB. No one has noticed it yet.

ARE YOU NEVER SATISFIED WOMAN?

That's one of the lines from a
film noir I watched last night
A broad in a long silky peignoir
and lighted cigarette was looking
through a brochure that came in the mail.

Darling, she said, to one of three men
who fancied her, I'm sick of my
raggedy old couch and want a new one.
Might you, Darling, just might you....

He took her by the shoulders, looked
into her deep brown eyes, How fine she
looks, but said nothing

and out tumbled the exact wrong words,
Of course my darling Ruthie, anything
you want. Shall we head to Gamburg's
now?

Gamburg's, she mewled. It's Lord and
Taylor in New York or NOTHING.

And cool Johnny Ice walked out
of her life forever.

***