So its been quite a while since I’ve really updated. The last post was actually drafted quite a while ago, I just forgot to post it. I didn’t really have any good pictures to go with it either. Oh well.

Anyway, at the beginning of May or so we decided the mud hole in our side yard that kept ending up as dirt clods on the side of our neighbor’s house really needed to be taken care of. Cement was the answer. I love it. It makes quite a bit more space for the kids to ride around on their bikes and took away the constant temptation to get the hose out  and play in mud. 

As part of this change I wanted to make our lawn a little bigger, so we moved the shed on to part of the new cement. We were out in the back yard admiring our work and picturing the future lawn when we saw this:

What the heck is that? We had to know (especially because the colors made me think it could be poisonous).

Its an iron cross blister beetle. Have any of my local friends ever seen one before? I haven’t, but I found out they are native here. If they come in contact with your skin they cause blisters. I’m glad we didn’t touch it.  It actually climbed over the wall and I haven’t seen it or anything like it since!