Author Archives: Mary Strong-Spaid

About Mary Strong-Spaid

You can find me any time wandering around in my own mind gathering thoughts.

Friendly Garden Spider

One cool autumn night, a friendly garden spider dropped by to say hello…. I know that Yellow Garden Spiders (Argiope aurantia) eat pesky insects like mosquitoes and flies, so I am grateful to have a few of them ‘hanging-around’ in … Continue reading

Posted in Autumn, Entomology, Nature, photography | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Cardinals at the Dog Water Bowl Bird Bath

Posted in birds, photography, Relationships | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Thoughts of a Natural Born Tree-Hugger

Posted in Memories, Nature, photography, Trees | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Rising from the Dead in Spring

Posted in photography, Spring, weather, Winter | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

Cat Clinging to the Edge of Normal

I do not understand! Why did you let strange people come in and rip out the rug beneath my feet? I loved that old brown, wall-to wall, dirty, dusty carpeting. Where will I go to cough up hairballs now? Do … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Humor, Pets | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

Christmas Lion 2020

It is true that 2020 has been difficult for everyone, and the tail end of this unpredictable year has now affected Keona—our male Balinese cat. Keona was a happy Balinese cat until the vet shaved off half of his fur … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Arthritis, cats, Pets, photography | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Monarch Butterfly Stops in San Antonio Mid-November

Tasting red flowers and dreaming of Mexico in mid-November a monarch butterfly stops in San Antonio with little time to stay… Winter weather on the way. The peak time for monarch butterflies to migrate through San Antonio is from October … Continue reading

Posted in Monarch Butterfly, photography | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Entomology Summer Camp Hands-On Experience

In July 2019, I was a volunteer assistant with the Entomology Summer Camp (ages 7-12) at Phil Hardberger Park in Bexar County, Texas. The camp lasted for 3 days and the group was led by Molly Keck, a Texas A&M … Continue reading

Posted in Bexar County, Entomology, Insects, Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 33 Comments

Siamese Cat Shelter-in-Place Guidelines

Big blue eyes in a travel bag going nowhere ~~~~~~~~~~ Since they like to stay home and are perfectly happy in small places, our 2 Siamese cats (Siri and Keona) are trying to teach us how to effectively “shelter-in-place” during … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, COVID-19, Humor, Philosophy, photography | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

Covid-19 Life in a Darkening World

Birds fly high above the darkening world below— It’s time to come home! sunlight quickly vanishes from the horizon.      ~ms ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pandemic! All around the world, people are being ordered to stay home to avoid contact with a … Continue reading

Posted in Chincoteague Island, COVID-19, Nature, Virginia | Tagged , , , , , | 56 Comments

Strong Civil War Connection to Fredericksburg

I lived in the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania, Virginia area for 23 years, but I did not find out about my “Strong” and personal connection to the Civil War and the Battle of Fredericksburg until a few years after I moved to Texas. … Continue reading

Posted in American Civil War, History, Photo Essay, photography | Tagged , , , , , | 33 Comments

The Little Eyes of Texas

Hiding in plain sight the little eyes of Texas suddenly, I see! When I first moved to San Antonio, I did not realize that I was surrounded by the little eyes of Texas. I actually thought I was alone, until … Continue reading

Posted in Birding, Nature, Photo Essay, photography, Texas Master Naturalist, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 42 Comments

Good Friends and Auld Lang Syne

As this year comes to an end, I look back at years gone by once again. And I remember the house I once had in Virginia, where there was a room that belonged specifically to a baby grand piano. It … Continue reading

Posted in Happy New Year, New Year, photography | Tagged , , , | 37 Comments

Pulte New Home Nightmare

Our Pulte built home is less than 3 years old—AND—it has cracked and separated exterior brick/mortar, cracked drywall and floor tiles, doors and windows that are out of square (one window is jammed), diagonal cracks in drywall above door and … Continue reading

Posted in American Dream, Construction Defects, Photo Essay, Pulte Homes, PulteGroup, Texas | Tagged , , , , | 63 Comments

Labrador Retriever Riding in Style

It wasn’t a dream or a figment of my imagination. I actually saw a goggle-wearing Labrador Retriever sitting proudly in an antique car painted with red flames.  This awesome dog was definitely riding in style and appeared to enjoy the … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Antique Cars, cars, Pets, photography | Tagged , | 39 Comments

Foster Kitten’s Grateful Prayer

Dear God, I can’t see or walk very good yet and I am too little to take care of myself, so I am grateful that you gave me a foster mom and a safe place to stay. Without her, I … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, cats, Family, Pets, Photo Essay, photography | Tagged , , | 28 Comments

On the Path of Wind and Water

Sailing on water created by winds of thought, my soul travels on. Many years ago, in the late 1970s, a 29 foot sailboat carried me around the Hawaiian Islands on a path of wind and water. Although the old photos … Continue reading

Posted in Memories, Nature, ocean, Photo Essay | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Christmas Cat on Night Patrol

It was the night before Christmas, and the area directly beneath the sparkling tree was under close surveillance by our two stealthy cats. I could tell by the stern looks on their faces that they were not going to let … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Pets, Photo Essay, photography | Tagged , , , | 42 Comments

Marine Corps Reserve ‘Toys for Tots’ Christmas Magic

The spirit of Christmas put a warm arm around me and suddenly I believed. This year, the Veteran’s Club in our community coordinated a drive for donations of new, unwrapped toys for the Marine Corps Reserve ‘Toys for Tots’ program. … Continue reading

Posted in Children, Christmas, Inspiration, Music, Photo Essay, photography | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Butterfly Love on a Leaf

Intriguing orange butterfly love on a leaf— October surprise! From a distance, I first thought I was looking at one large orange butterfly on a wax myrtle tree branch.  But when I came closer with the camera zoom lens, I … Continue reading

Posted in Autumn, Nature, photography, Poetry | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Hot Texas Summer Sun

Rocks glowing beneath fire-breathing dragon hot Texas summer sun. The temperature for this area is predicted to reach 105 degrees (Fahrenheit) today, and I can already hear the hot sun hissing on the horizon. Luckily, last winter, we had Emilio Ramirez … Continue reading

Posted in Haiku, Nature, photography, Poetry, Summer | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

One Pink Wildflower

Surrounded by jealous weeds, a pink wildflower danced in the warm sunlight for one glorious day before vanishing from sight. Unfortunately— in the darkness of the night, ‘something’ ate this flower and the buds below, leaving nothing behind but a … Continue reading

Posted in Nature, photography, Poetry, Spring | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Cat Warmth and Wisdom

Cat wisdom knows exactly where to find warmth and comfort on cold December days. Look! The wise cat knows exactly how to quickly transform an inexpensive insulated shopping bag into a comfortable bed— (just don’t sit on the zipper). Actually— … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Pets, Philosophy, photography, Poetry | Tagged , , | 46 Comments

Autumn Pampas Grass Magic

Summer green has been replaced with Autumn’s sunlit leaves sparkling gold and red colors evoking visions of magic everywhere. Like the changing leaves at the end of October, Halloween celebrations give us the opportunity to boldly imagine and create new … Continue reading

Posted in Music, Nature, Shamanism | Tagged , , , , , | 41 Comments

Grasshopper Camouflage

Standing motionless surrounded by old brown grass baking in the sun, how did you notice me and my perfect grasshopper summer camouflage? ~ms I saw the grasshopper from a distance, in spite of its clever camouflage,  because its long legs … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Nature, Summer | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments