The stitching continues. 

Band 8 appears to be a water interest.  It is three rows of herringbone stitch in a watery color.  I am still going to stitch my hemstitching/pulled thread work band in place of the lettering.  I am probably still going to think of it as a water feature. 

Tomorrow, I will probably post a picture with Band 9.  I am not certain if I will post a picture with Band 10 on Sunday.  We have several activities tomorrow and I am not certain how much time I will have for stitching.  If not, I will catch up by stitching two bands in one day. 

It is Japanese beetles that are attacking our birch, apricot, and cherry trees.  They have been feasting on our raspberries.  When there were just a couple, I thought that they were handsome.  Now there are so many, I think they are horrible.  They are eating the leaves.  Supposedly when the beetles retreat in a couple weeks, the leaves will grow back.  We have discovered some ways to combat them.  They are not wildly successful but it gives us a sense of satisfaction to know that we are doing something to the beetles. 

We have two traps, one in the front and one in the back.  The traps are plastic bags suspended on a frame that helps keep the bags open.  At the top of the frame is a dispenser that has an attractant.  When the beetles fly through the sweet spot, they drop into the bag.  They do not seem to be able to get out of the bag unless it is too full of beetles.  You have to open the bottom of the bag and dump the beetles into another container and then you can dispose of them.  There are so many beetles in the bags that it is quite gross.  Here is a demonstration of a trap.  It is quite similar to the traps that we have.