PIC OF THE DAY
This little gem was plucked off a fractal site and I found it oddly charming, even comforting. So I decided to post it here. My one and only complaint would be the colors.

APHIDS AND GLOPHIDS

The little prickles are almost healed and you wouldn't wanna see them anyway. Trying to make the aesthetic most of our arid backyard, I planted a cactus several years ago and the awesome creature is taking over!
I agree that it's quite a beautiful specimen of desert life, but often I see stray pieces of tissue or Buckwheat's ball in between the -- whatever those cactus branches are called! So last week I foolishly stick my arm between the "branches" to fetch a piece of tissue, and those skinny prickly things -- called glophids -- I swear jumped on my arm. They harmlesslessly make their way into the body eventually, but before that they incite a rash the likes of which can only compare to poison oak. Fortunately there is no itching!

Gardening experience # 2: We have a fragrant rose bush on the north side of the house. It's apparently healthy, even fighting for sunshine with an encroaching tree, but come spring the aphids are dotting the poor baby. So I had spray! And I sprayed them good. We have big flying things in the bedroom at night and yesterday Don killed a black widow in the bathroom.

Wild! I love it.