Katydid and Feather

 I was out trimming the white red-bud tree in our front yard 
when this katydid jumped on me.

I put him next to a feather.

 He looked like he was bracing himself. I relate.

I lifted the feather. He tried to climb over. 

I set him on the front-porch railing.

While I was taking a picture of the two of us, 

he got curious about the camera and climbed over onto my hand. 

 So I put him back on his tree.

Our Baby Tulip Tree Update

Apricots

It's the summer of the apricots.

Our neighbors have an abundance.

They share.

Light connection.

Perfection.

Ballet 

Hope

It wasn't just about the tulip tree. 

There were other, bigger things that were upsetting. 

We're pretty sure the would-be-tree destroyer was a cute little three year old at play.

She was also the spreader of rose petals.
And that is according to witnesses.

Five minutes ago.

Two days ago.

We didn't give up on the tree even though it looked like we should.

It's had constant water, space, and time.

It's surviving. 

Some day it will thrive.
This time I mean it literally.

Waiting for the Supermoon

I was looking for the moon too early,
 but I caught the sunset from the church on 27th East and Ft. Union. 

We should have driven out to the salt flats like last time.

The mountains block the moon from being visible for about an hour after moonrise.

My daughter joined me on the wait.

It took a while to figure out exactly where the moon would rise. 

Once we did, we sat on the sidewalk in front of our house.

If only my camera could capture what our eyes could see.

It was definitely bigger, brighter, and more beautiful than usual.

Coping

"Someone pulled off all the leaves on the tulip tree," he said when he came in from watering the lawn.

We've been babying that tree, trying to get it to survive. I was already dealing with troubling news and didn't need to hear more.

"How do you know a worm or bird or something didn't eat them?"

"Because the leaves are on the ground next to the stem. Someone put rose petals in the circle."

"Why would someone do that?"

"I don't know."

Why?

That stick you see with the shadow-- the tulip tree.

Those leaves on the ground behind it-- the evidence of deliberate destruction.

Are the rose petals a sign of play or regret?

Sad, senseless things happen. 

Sometimes there is nothing we can do.

It's hard to forgive, to hope, and to be patient.