Waiting for the Solstice

It was pointed out to me today that my blog posts are mirroring the lengths of the days - as the days get shorter, so do the blog posts. I had not noticed this, but it's true. However, in a little more than two weeks the days will start getting longer again, but I very much doubt there will be blog posts at all at that point. If there are, they are certainly not going to be getting longer. January is the coldest month around here. I can't wait for the days to start getting longer, though. I look forward to the day after the solstice, because even though it's not yet noticeable, the days start lengthening, and psychologically it is a relief. I am, after all, photovoltaic.

There was a weird moment this afternoon in the backyard when I thought I had gone deaf, because all the sound stopped. The person in the neighborhood who was using a chainsaw stopped. The birds stopped. I couldn't hear any cars from the highway. The wind stopped. The person who I think is learning to drive a diesel stick shift on the road behind us stopped. There were no squirrels rustling in the leaves. Everything stopped. And there were no insect sounds. Of course, all of the other sounds started up again, except the insects. The backyard is so, so quiet without them. And yet, when I went down to the bedrock out front, I think I heard one, very briefly.

Even though today was about the same temperature as yesterday, it felt colder. And there wasn't much to see, except a lot of flies, none of which I got pictures of, and one of which somehow got in the house and has been annoying the heck out of me all evening. My big surprise today was that I spotted a tiny beetle, but I didn't get a picture, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Here, by the way, is the first of the fruits of my efforts in choosing pictures for calendars. At a certain point I just had to stop looking at anymore: Click HERE to see the Beautiful Bugs calendar.

So, today's bugs...

 Seeing a Hemiptera was sort of unexpected.

 I think this is a mite, which means it's an arachnid, which means it should be in Arachnid Appreciation, but I don't think anyone is going to freak out upon seeing it, so it's here instead.