So, this is a sketch I did about a year ago at a pioneer village outside of town. This was a piece of machinery left over from days gone by for what I don’t know. They were outside the carpenter’s shop so I am sure something to to with wood. Thought it looked almost human, and probably one of the first “robots” in service.

This is one of the pieces I did for the Scottsdale Artists’ League Plein Air Paintout for the month of March. We had our big sale last weekend, and I sold three of my six paintings. This one named “Garden Goddess” is of one the sculptures by artist Manolo Valdés, a huge head over 10 feet tall placed in the wildflower garden area titled “La Dama.” This particular piece by Valdés was also displayed on Park Avenue in 2002.

The Desert Botanical Garden has a photo on their web site www.dbg.org from the home page follow the link titled “Manolo Valdés Sculpture in the Gardens.” Papago Park is in the background. I have always felt that Papago looks like many faces carved into the rock and dirt, so the sculpture juxtaposed with the rocks really intrigued me. Luckily I scanned the paintings before the sale, because this one is now in a private collection!

See, I bury my leaves directly in the garden soil. I noticed that the soil was broken down quite well, more than I expected. After finding the coolest bug web site I discovered what I had were native Green Fruit Beetle Grubs, soon to be metallic green scarab beetles. What they do is eat rotten decaying matter. So, I moved them to new “digs,” the compost heap.

See, these grubs were doing what they do. Now the compost will brake down even faster thanks to them. Check out www.whatsthatbug.com and learn about bugs in your yard. Not all are bad, some are great to have around. Imagine my horror when a friend of ours was ready to spray their tomato plants because they were full of little green flying bugs. They were Lacewings which eat aphids and other bugs you don’t want on your plants. Know your bugs and share your earth!

It was supposed to have his name on it. But for some reason, that did not happen. Must have been that last beer. So for my illustration, I put his name on it for him. Love you Dad!

And now for some bug history: You see, I am bug girl, always have been and always will be. When I was little I would read about a beetle or spider and the next day find it and keep it for a while in a jar for observation, eventually letting it go. When I was in the 2nd grade, I caught a praying mantis. It even made a trip to school. I brought it home and I tried to grab it out of the “bug ball” to release it when it reached back and grabbed a hold of my finger, NEVER to let go. Mom got it off, (sorry mantis, I never meant to hurt you!) and it was the last time I took a bug for granted.

Recently my nephew has discovered them, his Dad finds huge ones where he works during the summer and brings them home. My nephew wanted to pick it up, so my Sister told him to call me and ask about the “big green bug that pinched me.” Hopefully he learned from my story. He named the mantis Ricka in my honor, then let it go in the garden.