Pushing through

The little plants are growing fast, reaching for the sun, pushing winter debris aside. It makes for some  interesting juxtapositions. Plus the first insect of the year. A ladybug emerged from under some debris while I was watching. I double checked to make sure it wasn't an early lily beetle.

My buddy Julie posted something thoughtful on Facebook about her experience with social assistance  some years ago. She described how humiliating it was, and how it made her feel like a loser, which she totally isn't, but the system didn't know that.

There's lots of reasons why people might need social assistance. Sometimes all it takes is a little bad luck when you don't have much to fall back on. Maybe it was a bad decision that seemed like a good idea at the time. Or you might just be starting out, pushing through adversity, hoping it's a leaf and not a huge rock that gets dropped on you.

Once again I'm struck by how much plants can look like predators, mouths gaping...

This is my favourite of today's batch. The one plant looks like it's wearing a little crown, and the others are peering out, wondering if it's safe.

Hello little ladybug!

This is the lawn just now. I know, yuck!