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I found a millipede in the basement the other day.  Time to break out the macro lens.

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I liked it better overexposed , however.

While I had everything set up, I decided to photograph some multicolored Asian lady beetles.  We have plenty of them in the basement.  This was done by request (of Nancy) and because it's just a good idea.  I tried to capture some of the range of coloration and pattern expressed in this species.

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More of them look like this—dark red/orange with heavy spots.

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They can also be pale like this with almost no spots. A group of them may look like several species, when they are actually all the same one, Harmonia axiridis. These are the pesky ones that invade houses and buildings every fall.  We have our share, but not as bad as some people. My friend Terry wakes up with them crawling on him in the night.  Just to be clear, they are ladybugs, just not one of the hundreds that are native to the U.S.  They are not Japanese beetles, which are green and come out in the summer.

Wednesday in Ecology we dissected owl pellets.  For the first time ever, a student found a bird skull in one.  Other than that, it was the usual mice and voles. 

Thursday morning I looked over the back porch rail to find a decapitated cottontail.  Gee, thanks, Boots.  He often kills small bunnies, but this one was full sized.  He's now ready to take on the foul beast of Caer Bannog.  I tossed the carcass into the woods before it began to smell.  I took Gretchen in to the vet that morning and got her three different shots and was microchipped.  She wasn't too happy about all the poking and prodding, but she really made me proud when she did a "sit" on command in front of everyone there.  I took her rabies certificate down to city hall and got her registered.  Then it was off to work.  I gave an exam and we did part of a soils lab.  I hung around and read for awhile, then went to the basketball games.  We won the women's game easily.  The men's game was turning into an even bigger blowout, so I left at half time.  We played Maryville, which just moved up into our Division.  They still play like an NAIA team.  It was weird that I recognized a player that I had seen play against our high school team a few years ago. 

That night Savannah went into her room and I heard, "Oh, my God.  Are you kidding me?!"  Boots had barfed up the partially digested remains of the rabbit head—on Savannah's bed in two large gouts.  I guess it didn't sit well with him.  She ran to the bathroom and began making retching noises.  She was not happy.  All she wanted to do was go to bed, but she had to deal with this mess first.  I told her that much of life is this way: it's a bitch and then you die.  I grabbed some paper towels and picked up the major chunks.  Savannah stripped the bed and Stacey washed the sheets.  That's teamwork. 

I guess the ears don't taste as good.

Friday I had a couple of meetings on campus, at which I learned some interesting things.  I got some grading done.  I stopped by the pet store and got some crickets on the way home.  I fed the two geckos, who were quite hungry.  Then I got the idea: give one to Gretchen.  I put it on the floor in front of her and she went nuts.  Her tail wagged like never before.  She chased and pounced on this cricket.  She was like a hunting dog when it's "birdy."  We'll stick with these small game for now, but schnauzers are supposed to be rat dogs.

Saturday Lowell and I went to the QU basketball games.  We won both the women's and men's games, and handily.  There were a couple of slam dunks in the men's game.  In the women's game, one of our freshmen recruits threw a one-handed, over the head, no-look pass that her team mate didn't see coming.  It went out of bounds.  I remember her highlights from high school on the TV news.  She has some moves.

Sunday I let the cat in in the morning.  He ate too much food too fast and started making that characteristic horking sound that generally precedes barfing.  I hurriedly grabbed him, flung the door open and threw him out.  Gretchen thought this was the greatest fun, and was jumping around like a maniac as if to say, "Can we play another round of Throw The Cat?"  I spent the morning on yard work and stuff, as our internet was down. 

Monday we woke to a nice coating of snow on the ground.  Gretchen loved it, and ate it.  I took the opportunity to get some artsy snow shots.

Sweet gum ball.