The creative juices have been flowing this week.  In very different directions.

A couple of days ago, I made this lovely Greek watermelon salad.

Very healthy and refreshing.  I cut up chunks of fresh watermelon, added some fresh mint from my herb garden, some low fat crumbled feta, and a squirt of lime juice to brighten it up.  It was delish and a big hit at the dinner table.

The next day, I had my Meisner acting class.  We’re doing “knock on the door” improv-type exercises with a partner.  I needed a believable activity.  So I decided that my activity was to cleanse the house of what I thought was my grandmother’s ghost, while working opposite a partner with a completely different activity and agenda.   Are you with me?  Good.

Having been a huge fan of the recent HBO miniseries True Detective, I decided I’d get wickedly crafty and make a “devil catcher” like the ones seen in the show.  This was against the advice of the Hubs, mind you.  He didn’t want me “messing with that mojo”.  So of course, I proceeded with my project.

It was fun and felt a little dangerous.  I used sticks and thorny vines I found in the woods behind our house.  I felt very, I don’t know  – earthy.  And it served its purpose in class. All in good fun.  No harm done.

Well, then interesting things started to happen.  After picking up Sassy at school, we came home to a huge dead branch in our back yard.  It had fallen from one of the trees – pokey-side down from the looks of the end of it – covered in grass and dirt,  stuck in the ground like a tree for a while,  and  toppled. Timber!  Looked like a giant rack of antlers (True Detective!).  After we gave each other a couple of knowing looks, Hubs released it into its natural habitat – into the woods behind our house where we put all our lawn scraps.  Peace and quiet ensued.

Until the next day, when we came home from school to this:

A huge swarm of honey bees had set up housekeeping in the Japanese cherry tree in our front yard.  Sassy had a hissy fit. Someone thought I had conjured Satan himself.  And let me know in no uncertain terms that I had brought this on.  I called that swarming hive to our home.  Well, me and the devil catcher.

I wasn’t aware of  my own power.  What can I say.

All ended well.  The swarm has a new home with some local bee keepers.  And my devil catcher is outside the fence, hanging from a tree.  Protecting us from all manner evil squirrels and ticks, I hope.

Just to be safe, I think I’ll stick with salads for a while.  Or perhaps I’ll look into fashioning a cash catcher.