The joys of small business ownership

I would like to learn more about the innate patterns of species, whether they be insects or what we think of as animals.  I know that in the 8 years Needle Nicely has been in its current location, I have had to destroy a wasp's nest in front of one of the decorative columns at least once a year.  It's in front of the facade and not somewhere you would naturally look.  But I try to check on this area about every six months.  And when like today I see wasps  feverishly working on a "cone", I run back inside and grab my super aerosole can of bug spray.  First I spray the developing cone and then after the wasps have flown away (hopefully to die), I use my metal yardstick to knock the cone away from the building.  There's a small bit of dodging the fleeing wasps (they seem to aim for your cheek). There is a similar location under the front eaves of my home.  My husband is extremely allergic; so periodically I do a tour around the perimeter of our home looking for "varmints".  Usually there is a growing nest just outside our kitchen window.  I know the wasp builders can't be the same ones as 10 years ago--how do they infallibly build in the same spot?

Of course, my purpose in telling this story is that just once in my retail life I would like to have a landlord who has a staff (chuckle, chuckle) who notices things like wasps' nests and knocks them down before I have to do it. I do accost the "maintenance worker" while he's making his rounds and I point to the spot and mime in very bad Spanish  that he should destroy the nest.  I don't think I'm a very good actress and I know my Spanish is weak--so we do a lot of miming.  Sigh!  Or, after you repeatedly request it, replace the stop sign that some vehicle knocked down.  "No, it isn't on city property--it's in the shopping center", you report to no avail.  Alas!  It's still not replaced. 

Among the new canvases arriving this month are these angels:

This is one of a series of angels done by Melissa Shirley.  Melissa has angels on 13m (which I think this is, she says forgetfully), 18m as well as angels on stars on congress cloth.

 Several years ago I stitched another from this series of angels done by Melissa Shirley.  I especially like the border and wings.

The next three angels are from the multitudes on every possible subject done by Painted Pony.