Things to do with solar lights in the backyard, part 2

Here are the paper lanterns after I sprayed them with varnish.

I hung them in this little tree to dry.

I thought this tree was sick last year, because its leaves were curling.

This year it seems to be doing OK.






Using the top part of a post shaped light seemed to work on the smaller lanterns.

I used hot glue to attach the solar light to the top of the lantern.



I took the bottom part off of one of the lanterns, where the battery-operated light went.

I thought it wold make the lantern light-weight.

Instead, that was the part holding the lantern together, and now it was ruined.






I couldn't figure out what to do with the bigger lanterns.


Stuffing the lanterns with the string lights wasn't quite right.

(The post shaped lights were too small for the big hole on the lantern.)



I wanted to hang the lights from this big tree.

The last time, I threw the light strings over a branch and let them dangle.


The branches are just to far out of reach to hang the lanterns in a sensible way.

They would need to hang down by a rope like 20 feet long, and that would look silly.



I thought of running a string of lights horizontally, and hanging the lanterns from it.


There wasn't really anywhere to attach the strings though.


I ran a string from a tree trunk to this shed, but the shed is alongside the tree not under it.

I gave up trying to do something with the big tree.



I ended up putting the two lanterns I finished, under this orange tree.

I will put the lanterns away until a better idea comes up.


Meanwhile in the garden today I found a tiny praying mantis!

I was digging a hole to plant something, and it landed in the dirt nearby.

This is something I always wished to find in my garden as a kid.

I would collect bugs and this was the top of my wish list.

I never saw a live one until about two years ago...

Its funny that I am finding all these things I liked as a kid, again.