A few weeks ago, PetSmart stopped carrying the cat litter I previously used (a biodegradable, environmentally-friendly paper-based product). I bought several bags and resolved to find it elsewhere. Except, I think it's possible it no longer exists. At least, I did not find it elsewhere, and after attempting to buy it online and being told by the PetSmart webside that they had one bag in stock, I decided I was just going to have to find a new litter.

I tried enough varieties of litter when Oliver was a kitten to know what I didn't want (anything corn-cob or wheat-based was out, and I definitely wanted scoopable). I really, really wanted to find something else biodegradable . . but I found nothing that seemed like to actually work, in that catagory.

So I figured in for a penny, in for a pound, and bought a major brand regular-old-clay scoopable litter, designed for small spaces (the small space shared by me and my cat did require some highly frequent litterbox maintenance in order to keep things breathable, with the old litter).

The litter itself works beautifully - better than the old litter (*sigh* - I am such a sell-out). However, it comes in these big old Rubbermaid-like plastic tubs. I didn't even really think about this in the store, but then I got home, and put it in the box, and had an empty tub that looked suspiciously like something I could buy in its own right for about $10 at Walmart. Huh. I tried, momentarily, to figure out what I could use it for . . before I realized I was going to be acquiring a new one of these about once a month.

I do not need 12 tupperware tubs a year. I really, really don't.

I tried to see if I could buy this litter in more sensible packaging - I recalled seeing other types of litter made by this same company on the shelves in larger cardboard boxes, or bags. But no - not the small spaces litter. The small spaces litter only comes in packaging designed to clutter your small space.

So I wrote to the company, and complained (politely) about how wasteful and unnecessary this was, that I did not want to be contributing 12 rubbermaid tubs to a landfill per year, or to use the energy that would be required to recycle them (they're heavy-duty plastic).

Company replied with a form letter apologizing for the fact that I found their packaging inconvenient and assuring me that my concerns had been passed on to the folks who did packaging research (Dude, there are people who research how to package cat litter? Really?). Also they promised me coupons. I saw no evidence anywhere in this response that my letter had actually been read, but oh well - I suppose I can put whatever money I save via the use of my exercise-in-futility coupons towards saving for a less-small space. And then I can buy the litter that comes in the cardboard box.

In the mean time, anybody need plastic tubs?

So in about 4 minutes (less by the time I post this, most likely), my local township will be spraying my local park for mosquitoes. My father got a phonecall a little under an hour ago informing him of this, and that we're apparently local enough to the park that we may get hit with some drifting of sprayed chemical, depending on the winds. Per the nice township phonecall, this poses "minimal" risk to people and pets.

I'm more than slightly peeved; IMO I ought to get a vote in what gets sprayed on my property (or at least my parents should, being the legal owners of said property - still, I am a tenant, I do live here, I am affected by toxic stuff sprayed in the vicinity). I know they are concerned about West Nile, but I do not want the rest of my insects killed off, and I have a population of dragonflies that controls my mosquitoes, and I have ethical and religious objections to the indiscriminate use of insecticide, and in general there is no aspect of this that does not make me want to go stand in front of the park with a pissed-off type sign. (I won't actually, mostly on account of an hour being too little time to come up with something really witty to write on said hypothetical sign). I don't recall any such program of insect control ever being put to a vote, at least a vote in which I was included or of which I was notified . . . I suppose that's what we have representatives for, but still, I feel disenfranchised and unamused about this.

I caved; a Pentax Optio S12 is winging its way to me via Amazon as we speak (well, actually, it's sitting in an Amazon warehouse because I opted for the free shipping, and ergo it won't ship out until September 2nd; but the process of its eventually reaching me has been set in motion! Just . . no actual motion type motion yet.) I tried and tried to find a store that had one in stock so that I could try it out before I bought it, but nobody within 25 miles seems to stock them - and sadly, gas prices being what they are, it's really not worth driving farther than that as opposed to just returning it if I don't like it. And Amazon had it on really, really ridiculous sale, so there you go.

I will post a review when it arrives and I've had a chance to try it out. I'm kinda bummed that it's not likely to arrive before the holiday, but oh well.

This was brought about in part by the optical zoom on the currently-owned Pentax Optio S7 dying an untimely death on me. I can't blame the camera - I've taken upwards of 15k pictures with it in the last 18 months. It's done its duty. But, never the less, I have a camera that shuts itself off if I try to use the zoom outside of macro mode (yeah, I know, I work almost exclusively in macro mode, but still) and is threatening to give up the ghost entirely. Even in macro mode, the focus is not what it used to be - sometimes it works, sometimes it gives me a big blur. And the summer's not over. This is decidedly not cool.

But I got this one before it started to go wonky on me. This is entitled, "No, Pixar did not make me up, I swear."

Today's Topic: Is The Author Insane?

Yes, I was about 3" away from these guys. Yes, they did notice . .

. . . though not as much as these guys did. The yellow-jackets above were actually remarkably complacent about bright lights being flashed in their proverbial windows. They stared, but it was a, "Huh. That's weird. We'll keep an eye on that," sort stare. These guys above, though? Not. Pleased. There was annoyed staring, there was agitation, there was some vibrating of wings. That was when I decided to leave them be.

The location of either of these is being kept undisclosed, as I suspect it would not contribute to the longevity of the residents if I made their existence known - and they're really not hurting anything, they're out of the way and, obviously, not that aggressive. (Protecting your sources - not just for reporters!)

Look at its eyes. They're striped. How cool is that?

I know this is rather blurry at full size, but it's staring at me. Its expression was just too nifty not to post.

. . and another in the series of bugs with challenges; this guy's only got one back leg. He was getting around just fine without it; I even saw him make a short jump. How in the heck he can get an accurate trajectory, I don't know, but he landed where he was looking, so I think he can.

It seems I did move the preying mantis far enough away from the katydid to prevent the former from eating the latter, 'cause look! It's all grown up!

. . I *think* this is a she, but I'm not entirely positive.

Other things that proved the world is an awesome place, tonight:

Fork-tailed Bush Katydids Have More Fun

I have not dropped off the face of the earth! . . . almost dropped into the pond/pool balancing on the side to take pictures of hatching dragonflies . . but have not dropped off the face of the earth.

Today's post is going to be all about katydids, 'cause they're just cool.

A nymph - if I were really impressive, I could tell you its stage of development and all that. I'm not that impressive. But isn't it cute? It's washing its little foot!

"Hi, big freaky mammal-thing. Why are you flashing bright lights at me?"

"Oh - 'cause I'm cute, with my striped antennae. Alright then."

It's an antennae contest! (Other bug is a cricket)

It's a baby! (I know, I'm so scientific.) But look! It's got bitty stubby antennae and its leg are the width of the ridges in my fingerprint. How adorable is that?

"World veryvery big, and it very dark out. Me tiny. That long way down."

" .. and something's flashing bright lights at me. Me so confused."

Still a nymph, same species, believe it or not. (Not the same individual bug; I actually saw this guy (gal?) a few nights before the two above. When it's a grown-up, it'll have wings.

. . right now it just had these cute little fin-like wing-stubs, which you can see in this picture, kinda behind the knee of its middle leg. It's eating my gladiolas, but I can't really care, 'cause it's posing so nicely.

This is not a katydid, as hopefully even the least bug-oriented of observers could tell. :) This is the preying mantis that was stalking the above teenaged-ish katydid. It was relocated (though possibly not far enough, 'cause I haven't seen that katydid again). However, it gets a few cool points of its own, on account of turning itself pink to match the daylilies.

Discovery of the day:

This . . . . . . is a fork-tailed bush katydid nymph. http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/063dev.htm