You never know-at least I never do!

   I took a walk with coffee cup in hand, to check out the wild blackberries on our property. I knew they must be close to picking, but not this close.

   It's a pretty big patch and easy access, so I finished the coffee and filled the cup with the beautiful black beauties that are just ripening.
 

   and then...
       Right beside the blackberry patch is another wild crop, milkweed.
           ....and on that milkweed was a caterpillar, a black and white and yellow caterpillar.

      ...and beside the caterpillar was a ...

                                                               Monarch!

     So in my backyard I discovered the near beginning of a story and the very end of the same tale, but no middle this time. I promised myself early on that I wouldn't capture the things and watch the middle and end evolve-again! But, I did capture a few of the caterpillars and took then out back to the "boys". (twin nephews). I got report this morning that there's already a J hanging from the netting cover. That means with some luck, the kids will "see" the whole story....a show not tell thing!!!!! ((Couldn't help myself last night, but to go out and gather a few more for the little niece next door.)))
 
    Okay writers, we all know the basics of story writing, but this whole gathering thing is just a reminder for us-
       All stories must have:
           Beginning
           Middle
           Ending (with a surprise twist)
   In this case, the butterfly is surely the suspenseful surprise ending for the kids (big and small)....and then it flies away and a new chapter begins. In the meantime, don't give up!
    Whoops! I almost forgot my own surprise ending in my search for caterpillars...I came upon a scary looking porcupine! Let me tell you, I didn't hang around to see what came next. That was enough of a page turner for me. I spun around and followed the path back to the house as fast as my feet would take me!!!

      It's no wonder that almost everything I write has a little sprinkling of nature thrown in, whether it be fiction or non-fiction story. My days are filled with so many things of nature, even when I go kayaking (yes, that was yesterday) Maybe, especially when I go out in the kayak.

   What lurks amongst the lily pads and pickerel weeds? We heard bull frogs croaking and a great blue flew out, only to change his position so there was no photo shots of him. But this guy let me get close. I paddled around him while he stood on guard but didn't plop into the water.

A turtle standing like this always makes me think of one of those water type hunting dog...feet in position and the hind leg pointed out, ready for action. (I don't really know. Is that kind of how a dog stands waiting?)

So those are my stories for this week. Or maybe the story seeds that are never ending around here.
This all reinforces my idea of what "nature" themed story to submit to one of our NESCBWI conference editors-today.

Just one more thing, and I've posted this place many times. It always amazes me as we kayak under. I wonder how the "old timers" positioned that granite to form the arch and make it stay, and how they even got those chunks up there without all the power equipment of today. I think I must ask my friend "google"

Have a happy week. Look around, what do you see? Dance-tonight's one of my nights. (Zumba of course!)