1920s/1930s playing cards

The Oct/Nov 2008 issue of "Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion" has a feature on playing cards from the early 20th century. I have a small collection and always wondered why they were so darn tiny (they measure about 2 by 3.5 inches). Apparently little girls collected them and put them in scrapbooks...which also explains some of the imagery and/or themes. I always wondered why  adult women were so taken with nursery rhymes. :-) I got this group at an antique store in Independence, MO years ago. There were thousands of these things. All different. All wonderful. I just love the designs from that time.

I'm going to start a new category label because I collect a lot of ephemera, although Cathy J says I really should call it "ephemaria."

BatMantis

That's what Meg calls this guy.

Because he hangs upside down like a bat.

But also because he's like the superhero Batman. He's helping me keep my backyard free of the criminal element known as grasshopper.

He can't look at the camera anymore because he has to has to get back to business. "Just doing my job, Ma'am." 

Little girl bird grasshopper

If only all grasshoppers could be this cute. She is such a perfect green and looks so pretty on the matching green boston fern leaf.

A nice guy at BugGuide identified her for me. She's a bird grasshopper and he said she was going to get a lot bigger. When I read up on her, I guess it's a lot bigger. The reason she's called a bird grasshopper is because she will get to be as big as a bird and she will fly like a bird. Will this grasshopper horror in my backyard never end? Eeeeee. I have never looked so forward to the first frost.

But just look at that face. I especially like the yellow rimmed cartoon eyes. Hopefully she'll be in another yard, in another neighborhood, if I'm lucky, in another state when she gets her grownup wings and learns how to fly.

Still, I have to admit she's pretty darn cute, even if she is a grasshopper.

Cue the theme from "The A Team." Help has arrived.

"I heard you needed some help."

"I see the problem."

"Come here chicken.....chick chick chick chick chick chickHEN!!!!"

"Chicken? Huh, whodat?"

(they slowly edged toward each other............ slowly................carefully..............slowly.......maybe a little more slowly for one of them.......)

(closer.......closer.........carefully.................closer.......)

"Okay, now would be a good time for you to jump........"

"Zzzzzzzzz...."

"DUDE!!!!" "WAKE UP!" "You really have to lay off the datura. Now listen to me. Focus. If you don't jump now, I eat you. End of game."

"Wha'?" "Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

"Oh, this is ridiculous. Here, let me give you a little push." 

"Idiot!" "Okay lady, that's one down. How you holding up over there?"