The article reminded me of the Golden Orb spiders that used to spin their glorious webs around our apartment in Knoxville, TN, and it made me wonder why I hadn’t seen any of these lovelies here in Georgia. So, imagine my glee when friend and neighbor Louise stopped by the house today with news of a spider sighting. “Grab your camera, Cory,” she said. “I think you’re going to want this for your blog!”

She was right.

I have also uploaded some new Magnolia seed pod images on Flickr. Click here to see my photo stream or click on the Flickr sidebar to the right.

Just for giggles, I’m throwing in a Soldier Bug image, too. I love these guys! This one was out front on my magnolia tree. Its giant seed pods are beginning to burst.

Source: Hubblesite.org

Source: Hubblesite.org

Source: Hubblesite.org

Source: Hubblesite.org

Source: Hubblesite.org

Susan Boyle sings the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.” Just plain gorgeous.

For me, it was a Tuesday blissfully void of radio or TV reports during the morning prep for work, and even on the drive to the office. I remember walking into my employer’s small office building at around 9 a.m. The air had a palpable tension. Then I heard one of the assistants call out, “Can anyone get CNN online? It just went down.” Later we would discover they were suffering from overload from too many people trying to access it. I stuck my head into my boss’s office to say good morning. She looked stricken. “What?” I asked. “What do you mean, ‘What’?” she said. “Haven’t you heard?” I sat with her over the next hour listening to the radio on her desk. Except for a few gasps and “Oh, my God’s” I don’t think we said much as we sat transfixed.

The rest of that week is not a blur. Aaron and I were supposed to travel to NJ to visit my folks on the 14th. No planes were flying. Subsequent visits to the Newark airport still bring a tear when I happen to be on the side of the airplane with views out to where the Towers used to be. Family visits to the South Tower’s observation deck and dinner at the North Tower’s Windows on the World are vivid memories of my childhood.

Since Aaron and I both had our vacation days reserved, we drove to Savannah instead. The radio was on the entire time in the car. I remember hopeful reports that people might still be found alive in the Towers’ debris. I remember not seeing a single airplane in the sky during the drive. I remember rain the whole time we were in Savannah. And I remember wherever we went for our few days there TV’s were tuned to the news about the attacks — including in our hotel room. I couldn’t not watch … and cry. I also remember leaving a day earlier than we had planned because the situation and weather being what they were, it was a pretty miserable vacation.

These days I don’t start a day without listening to the news. I still have the American flag decal on my rear window — a Lowe’s giveaway in the weeks that followed the attack. It’s faded now, but it’s still there. Much as I suspect sentiment about that day is now.

Tonight, I was thumbing through a book published in 1852 that once belonged to my great-great grandmother — my namesake — searching for images to scan for my Freebies4U section of this blog. Amazingly, I found a giant four-leaf clover pressed between the pages of the back of the book. Ever the optimist, I take that as one of those cosmic messages of hope on this 9-11 day.

Four-leaf clover discovered in my great-great grandmother's book, "Buds and Blossoms" published in 1852.

]]> https://bcreative2day.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/a-lucky-omen-on-9-11-09/feed/ 0 380 bcreative2day clover https://bcreative2day.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/more-garden-guests/ https://bcreative2day.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/more-garden-guests/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:30:39 +0000 http://bcreative2day.wordpress.com/?p=339 I freely admit my penchant for the critters that show up in the garden. Now, I suppose, I’m reveling in it! Soldier bug and Swallowtail. Both are welcome in my yard any time.

Soldier Bug on Cinnamon Bark Crepe Myrtle.

Swallowtail on Obedient Plant

Swallowtail on Obedient Plant

I stumbled upon this one after noticing a goldfinch was just way too interested in the Rose of Sharon bush by our back porch (click on the images for a larger view).

Honey bee brunch in the sun

She's almost smiling, isn't she?