Remembering praying mantises, which appear in Motovun around this time of year, I just looked for them on my terrace. I looked everywhere, too, but there was no sign of them yet. A bit disappointed, for I quite like the plucky critters, I searched for them in my writings. And I found six pieces about my own sightings in or around my house over the last nine years. The earliest date is September 21, though, and the latest October 26. It is indeed time to look for them, and in earnest. I will be going to Zagreb in a week, and there are no praying mantises there. At least not of the sort I really appreciate.