Hop To It

It is a cold and dreary Friday here in the home swamp. I am off today and had grand plans to paddle the pond. It has been ages since I have been in my canoe. Alas, it's too dark for decent pictures and as I look in the kitchen I see a pile of dirty dishes that need to be washed. The floor could use a good sweeping, too...at least I think that's the floor. Hard to tell under all that dog hair - Hannah may be old, but she still produces copious amounts of hair. And then there's the laundry. Oh, and some bills that need to be paid.

Oh well, c'est la vie. Better hop to it and get some things in order around here...but still, it would be a great day to find some otter out on the pond. And the dishes, dog hair, laundry, and bills will still be here when I get back...and it is supposed to rain tomorrow ;)

In case you're wondering, the critter in the picture is an American Bird Grasshopper, Schistocerca americana. They are very active here in the winter on our warmer days and usually hard to catch. Treebeard was able to snatch this one on a recent cool day and snap a picture. Very handsome hopper, don't you think?