One ladybug chased the other, and this made me think that perhaps I had captured a male and a female. I’m no entomologist, but I’m thinking maybe.
Two ladybugs came out from the edge of the window sill; I decided to make them pets. Bardwells take pride in repurposing so I grabbed the plastic container that the beta fish came in. Quickly, I plucked two leaves from the philodendron, tore off a corner of a paper towel and moistened it. I eased the two ladybugs into the container. Moving to the refrigerator, I took out two raisins and moistened them. Everything went into the ladybugs’ new home.
Continuing household chores, I found another ladybug on the soap dispenser in the upstairs bathroom. The container was downstairs so I ran downstairs, fetched it and returned to the soap dispenser. The ladybug was gone.
A lesson learned. Even though they are small and appear to move slowly, they can vanish at a moment’s notice. Nature’s like a garage sale or a snapshot, if you want it you better get it when you see it or else it will be gone.
A ladybug was found on the bathroom window; I added her to my growing collection. The ladybugs were quite active as they explored their new surroundings and, being in the little container, they appeared to move more quickly than I had thought.
The top of the container was a little iffy on security, so I heated up the hot glue gun and sealed the opening. One of the ladybugs turned on her back and kicked her legs like she couldn’t turn over, like those black beetles do when they fall off the screened door in the summer. So I opened the top again and moved the philodendron leaf closer so she could take hold and right herself. It worked.
I’ve been trying to count the dots on the ladybugs’ backs, but they are moving so quickly it’s impossible. I turn the container every-which-a-way but can’t see all the dots at one time. There are certainly more than seven, so according to the myths, I’m either going to have at least eight more children, receive maybe 10 or 12 dollars, or this year’s crop, I’m sorry to say, will not be a good one.
I had yet to finish my household chores, or plant the lettuce and Swiss chard, or feed the ducks and supply them with new hay, or feed the goldfish, iron the shirts, fold the towels or a million other things for watching the ladybugs. Thankfully the washing machine didn’t need me to wash the clothes.
Three more ladybugs climbed on the curtain and there, beyond the curtain, I noticed the Japanese persimmon tree. It was naked as a jaybird except for two large persimmons. I wondered if ladybugs would like Japanese persimmons.
Sam came home; we greeted and kissed and he asked, “So, what did you do today?”
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