Optical Delusion

You've heard this before: Things aren't always what they seem. And sometimes when you get a peek at the real thing, it's beyond disappointing. It's sort of like the Wizard of Oz and the man behind curtain. Ooops. Spoiler alert.

It's like this pretty Vikings-colored flower I took a picture of yesterday. Today, upon closer inspection...

Holy scary, hairy legs, Spiderman! Eek! Let the heebie-jeebie creepy-crawlies begin! Not always a fan of surprises. Are you? 

That was a little life lesson some of us learned today and us older folks re-learned.

Our boy starts his new job next Monday and today was the day he was going to sign a lease for an amazing apartment. Well, according the online description and accompanying 67 photos, that is. The apartments and building (include pool and fitness center) looked gorgeous. We were all excited for this next big step.

But that next step forward turned into a 180, instead. Got the call that upon closer inspection, our new young professional saw a lot of optical delusions and deception. In his (modified) words, it might be too strong to say "crime-ridden crap hole," but "sketchy" was an understatement. 

You get the picture.

So it's back to square one with the clock ticking. That's the gamble when you for some reason you act like a normal adult and feel comfortable believing what you see. It can be quite a let down and, as the spider legs prove, even a bit scary.

God's got a plan here. He's the man behind the curtain we can actually put our trust in.

Cast Aways

As much as I hate snakes more than anything, spiders are in running. Because, well, they are EVERYWHERE.

We had an unusual kayaking adventure yesterday. My friend Cindy and I noticed almost right away that we were paddling through spider webs. Not big ones. Just enough you could feel the string on your face or arm. And a small spider, too, course.

EEK! Feeling creepy crawly yet?

We wondered how an earth can we be running into spider webs in the middle of the river? What are they attached to?

Since it was a clear sky, we soon noticed floating bits of white web against the blue backdrop. So they were getting blown off the trees then? Or just falling from the sky?

Of course, the guys claimed they didn't see or feel a thing. Like the ladies were collecting spiders and such for our witch's brew or something. They didn't have answer for it either.

Cindy looked it up on the Inter-WEB, and found out they are "casting." Apparently, they cast their webs into the wind to travel! They are probably getting ready for winter. She said this is where the saying "Cast your troubles to the wind" comes from.

So one, I am going to choose to believe her because I don't want to Google spiders and have to stare down 8-legged monsters on my computer screen. And two, it does make logical sense that the spiders are casting away on the river. That is where we cast away our troubles, too!

I also cast away my troubles by watching Vikings victories on the couch (crossing fingers tonight) and reading a good book in bed. Please, spiders, feel free to cast away elsewhere.

Cast far, far away.