In one of my earliest memories, I wake up with the feeling that I’m covered with ants. I panic, climb over the side of the crib, and run to my parents’ bedroom.
“There are no ants on you,” my mother says. “Go back to sleep.”
Returning to the crib, I notice that the ants are gone. I check everywhere, and stand up repeatedly to make sure. I’m wearing one-piece pajamas, the kind with the feet, which would have made it hard for ants to work their way to my skin in any great numbers. I must have been dreaming.
It’s hard to be sure how accurate that memory is. First, if I were in a crib, I couldn’t have been much older than two years old. Second, at such a young age, where did I get the experience of being covered with ants — either in reality or even as a dream? And third, was my mother really that unconcerned about her young son climbing into and out of his crib? Yet, some version of this early morning adventure really happened. I know it did.
Even in our world of paved roads, brick buildings, and concrete sidewalks, insects were part of life. Monarch butterflies were common. So were grasshoppers, wasps, and crickets. And there were those amazing fireflies — we called them lightning bugs — which flashed on and off as they flew in random patterns in the dark, creating the illusion that they were instantly moving from one point to another with no travel in between, like gigantic electrons or tiny UFOs. We caught them and put them into jars, and for some reason were always surprised the next day when we looked into the jars and found that all of the lightning bugs were dead.
We didn’t dare do anything like that with a praying mantis. According to my older brothers, and later confirmed by my father, it was against the law to kill one. You could be fined or even jailed for just breaking the leg of a praying mantis, even if it was an accident. My friends and I were endlessly intrigued by this idea. A praying mantis was a pale green insect, about four inches long, and looked as though it were made of paper. You could kill one with a good sneeze, or by riding your bike too close to the hedges and clobbering it with your handlebars. We were always careful any time we had to go hacking through someone’s garden looking for a lost ball. We didn’t think twice about trampling a neighbor’s roses, but nobody wanted to get thrown into the slammer for murdering some ridiculous looking origami bug. Still, at the corners of my mind, I couldn’t help wondering: How would the police know? Were they watching us? Why protect a praying mantis? Because it was praying, I concluded. It must have been some kind of religious law, which of course added greatly to the imagined punishment for ending such a flimsy little life.
I eventually learned that no law protecting the praying mantis has ever existed anywhere in the United States. It was just one of those things we all believed, simply because we had no reason to believe otherwise. Since those days, I’ve also grown to respect some insects, while maintaining or developing an unshakable disdain for others.
Bees, for example, are organized to such a degree that it’s a little spooky. And you have to admire their work ethic, although a little recreation now and then might not be such a bad idea. The same goes for ants. They always seem to be racing around, as though they forgot to pick up the dry cleaning, or they’re late for a job interview. How do they even know what to do, that’s what I wonder. Their brains are so tiny. I have a human brain and I’m lost without a list.
One thing about ants, though. They’re supposed to be incredibly strong, carrying fifty times their own body weight, which would be like you running around with a Ford Explorer on your back. Okay, but still, they’re just moving crumbs from a Chips Ahoy. If the ant could actually pick up a Ford Explorer — or even a Honda Civic — now that would be impressive.
Ladybugs were another insect that had earned our affection, although we had no idea why. They never helped anyone. They never seemed to do anything at all. They were the only bug that could land on someone’s arm without producing a flurry of swatting and yelping. People liked ladybugs, and even called them cute. It must have been the spots. It was as though they had put on a special outfit for us, and that distracted us from any innate desire to squash them. As children, we also believed we could tell the age of these insects by counting their spots. I once found a twelve-year-old ladybug.
Spiders were terrifiying. They built these visible traps that helped them catch, preserve, and devour live prey. It was easy to imagine being one of those prey, and getting caught in the web. As we struggled to get free, the enormous spider would approach and begin its work. What would that look like? To this day, I can’t allow myself to think about it.
And I’m still amazed by spider webs — their symmetry and strength. Most of all, I’m baffled by how the spider starts a web. Sometimes I’ll see one that stretches between two trees. How does it get that first strand across, from one tree to the other? Does it crawl down one tree, along the ground, then up the other side? Frequently, spiders will build webs in the doorway of our house, again stretching them from one side of the doorframe to the other. I’ve walked into too many of these webs, so that now, when leaving my home I begin by doing a vertical arm wave and head bow until I’m completely through the danger zone. The neighbors, I’m sure, must think this is some sort of religious ritual. But really, I’m just trying to avoid walking around all day with a spider in my hair.
Butterflies migrate thousands of miles and find their way. Some people love butterflies so much that they catch them in a net and pin them to sheets of cardboard. If that’s love, personally, I’d prefer a little indifference.
Mosquitoes are a mystery. What do they eat when people aren’t around? The local drive-in movie theater is always swarming with mosquitoes. But there’s no show on Monday nights. Are the mosquitoes there on Mondays, starving, or do they check the movie listings in the newspaper and head over to the soccer field? These are the only animals I kill, intentionally. Mosquitoes make holes in my body and suck out my blood. They leave me with itching welts. They also spread hideous diseases. I have to draw the line somewhere.
A fly is both highly intelligent and unbelievably stupid. A fly can squeeze in through a tiny opening in a window, but then when the window is opened all the way, it can’t find its way out. I don’t kill flies, but man, sometimes I’m tempted.
June bugs are huge beetles. They emerge from the ground in late May, either unaware of their own name or very eager to get started. Then they begin slamming themselves into walls and garage doors, falling straight down, and dying on their backs. That’s their life.
Moths seem to have no observational skills. They watch other moths hovering around a streetlight and enduring an agonizing death on the hot bulb. But they don’t have the ability to process that information. Why not? Other animals, including insects, have learned to avoid eating certain things because of their bright colors or other markings. Why do moths continue to incinerate themselves, for no discernible reason?
Worms, too. After a hard rain, they slither out of the ground. According to experts, they do this not because they have to, but just because they can. Worms like moisture, so when the streets and driveways are wet, they go for a walk in the rain. But then they stop. They don’t burrow back into the ground. They hang around on the pavement, drying out and turning into bird food. Worms have brains, but I’ve read that you can remove their brains without seriously affecting their behavior.
Speaking of brainless behavior, I left the house this morning and forgot to do the bowing and waving thing, and walked straight through a large web. It’s very likely that there’s an angry spider now living in my hair. I just hope it’s still there tonight, when I wake up with ants crawling all over me.
Allan Douglas
July 19, 2011
It is odd, Charles, that a 3 year old would have such a clear dream about something you could not have experienced, maybe you were exposed to a movie that left an impression on your young mind. I’ve been doing something similar, random sharp pains like I’m being bitten or stung, but there is nothing there. I saw a doctor about it… he said, “You’re just nuts, go back to sleep”
I’ve always liked fireflies. For the past couple of years I have noticed that they have changed from having the familiar yellow-green lights to a blue-white light. I figure they’ve upgrated their lamps to halogen.
Although most spiders I see are actually beneficial in that they trap and eat many garden pests, they still creep me out and I have to recite a spider survival litany to keep from stomping it when we encounter one another.
And that’s all that bugs me about this post. Thanks for the insectus memorabilia collection.
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
I’m unfamiliar with the halogen fireflies. It could be that the old yellow-green lights weren’t energy efficient and are no longer available. The truth is, I haven’t seen a firefly in more than twenty years. Butterflies seemed to have disappeared for a while, but they’ve reappeared over the past couple of years, so I’m hoping fireflies will, too. Thanks for the comment, Allan.
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She's a Maineiac
July 19, 2011
I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in awhile! One zinger after another. I loved all the buggy stories, even the spiders in your hair. *shivers*
We found a rather odd praying mantis in our garage once. He seemed to really like us and kept coming back even though we’d carefully scoop him up time and again and place him a safe distance away. The next morning, there he’d be again, right at our garage door, looking up at us with his alien eyes (and praying, of course). My mother told us they signify good luck. Finally, he was crushed by my son (accidently, I’d like to think) as he stepped outside. So much for good luck. This might explain a lot about my life this past year actually, come to think of it.
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
The praying mantis is associated with several superstitions. Generally they’ve been considered symbols of good luck (as your mother said), so I guess crushing one, even accidentally, could be taken as a sign of trouble on the way. But the resulting bad luck is supposed to be very temporary; in fact, things in your life should start to improve any day now. (Still, tell your son to be careful.)
By the way, I had a spider in my hair last night.
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She's a Maineiac
July 21, 2011
Whew! Good to know my luck will change again. Oh, and by the way, AHHHHHH!!!! (I am laughing so hard right now, don’t know if you’re joking or not, but I went with it anyway…)
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Lenore Diane
July 19, 2011
This is excellent, Charles. I could not read it without thinking of my oldest. Joe is the bug man. He examines each and every crawly creature that crosses his path. My heart goes out to the families of the poor insects Joe meets. He means no harm, but just as you described – fireflies actively filling the jar with light at night succumb to the great darkness by morning. *sigh*
The ladybug cartoon is hilarious. “I wouldn’t know anything about that.” The worms cartoon, the ants cartoon … This is wonderful.
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notesfromrumbleycottage
July 19, 2011
Perhaps Joe needs to learn to poke holes in the lid of the jar. Thats what we do and then set the bugs free in the morning.
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Lenore Diane
July 19, 2011
The fireflies last through the night with you guys? Really? We do poke holes. Actually, we poke holes in homemade containers, and we have ‘official’ bug containers. Still, the fireflies die overnight. We’ve since changed the rules – you’ll find the boys hunting and catching fireflies at night, still. However, we now let them go before the boys go to bed. Everyone wins – but mainly the fireflies. 🙂
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
We used to poke holes in the lid, too, but it never helped. I guess they weren’t dying from lack of air. Maybe they lost their will to live? Your new rules make sense, Lenore, and I’m sure the fireflies appreciate it.
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Angelo DeCesare
July 19, 2011
I really enjoyed this blog, Charlie. I had similar experiences with some of the bugs you mentioned. We also had colorful dragonflies, which were called “darning needles” or “diamond needles”. I remember my amazement when, as a child, I saw a butterfly in my neighbor’s garden. It was a sign that spring and warmer weather had arrived (to be followed by the ice cream man!). I see that you failed to mention the most common Bronx insect, the roach. I can tell you stories!
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bronxboy55
July 19, 2011
I was going to say that a law against killing roaches would have been easier to obey — nobody has ever killed a roach, even when they wanted to.
I’d like to hear some of those stories, Ang. (Or would I?)
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magsx2
July 19, 2011
Hi,
Again you have outdone yourself, another fantastic read, and I love all the bug cartoons, my favorite is the last one on the ants, that is really funny, and maybe accurate as well. 🙂
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
I’ve watched ants, Mags. Sometimes they seem to be very organized, and other times they appear to be wandering aimlessly. Maybe they’re more like us than we realize.
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Val
July 19, 2011
If you hold onto all the details of a memory for long enough, it’s usually fairly easy to preserve (the memory, I mean). I’ve memories from when I was two… like falling down the stairs when I was tripped up by our dog racing up past me. I’ve written about it so many times since I was a child that it’s pretty much glued to my memory!
Are June bugs the same as what we call May bugs, here in the UK? If so, maybe that’s why they don’t recognise their name?
I can never get over just how many characters this guy draws whose work you use in your posts. Is there anything at all that he hasn’t drawn? I remember looking at some of his work on his site. Astonishing. As is your post and your ability to write humorously about things that mostly freak you out!
We don’t have praying mantises here in the UK (that I know of). I didn’t know they were delicate insects, they always look so solid and tough in photos I’ve seen.
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
I think June bugs and May bugs are the same thing, Val. They probably emerge earlier or later, depending on the temperature.
Praying mantises don’t seem delicate to other insects, I’m sure. But it would be easy for a person to injure or kill one without intending to. (See Maineiac’s comment above.)
Ron Leishman has a great variety of cartoons. I forgot to mention him at the end of this post, so thanks for the reminder.
http://www.toonclipart.com/
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souldipper
July 19, 2011
Did I just walk into a little boy’s room? 😀 What a great peek into a little boy’s world.
After a shower with strong winds, I watched a spider tend to her web after the droplets had congregated on every string of her web. I couldn’t believe that she took each strand and diligently shook off the rain! I put spiders outside so they can continue life outdoors, but some have bodies as big as a nickle or quarter.
Cockroaches are not a part of my life – they are foreign to me. I’m not sure if I could do anything but eradicate them.
Carpenter ants are rampant, however. And they truly will eat their way through every wooden support in house. People who thought they would ignore them found themselves having to do major renos.
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
Insects are all amazing, there’s no doubt about that. It might be easier to admire them, though, if they weren’t trying to hurt us or eat our homes.
I wonder if there are any good, close-up videos of spiders. I’m going to look.
Thanks, Amy.
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Priya
July 20, 2011
From Allan’s comment — I’ve noticed a change in the colour of a firefly’s fire, too — from beautiful yellow-green to blue-white! Gosh, what have our CFLs done to them?! 😮
I have a distant memory of imagining ants marching all over my skin, too. I guess we all get bugged at some point in our lives. Or fevered. Yes. I’ve heard somewhere that sometimes low-grade fever does that to you. See, there’s an explanation! Yippie!
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
So you’re saying I was delirious. You know, I should be annoyed by that, but it would explain a lot of things.
By the way, when exactly did you start thinking the fireflies had changed color? You were complaining about fevers recently.
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Priya
July 21, 2011
So you’re going to put your annoyance in the back burner? Damn! We’ve lost a good opportunity to fight.
I could take offense at your suggestive comment about fireflies and fevers, but I am going to be generous, and let you dance spider-unwebbing.
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Snoring Dog Studio
July 20, 2011
Ticks, cockroaches, flies, mosquitos. Kill them all, I say. The rest of them I just tolerate. The movie, “Alien” just made my loathing of bugs even stronger. Ever notice how a great deal of old movies have giant insects playing the major role? They tap into our biggest fears! We should all keep quiet about what bothers us the most at risk of having these fears made into scary movies. Shhh, Charles. Don’t mention that thing you have about pumpkin pie again.
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
There already is a horror movie about pumpkin pie. I’m pretty sure it’s called The Dessert That Ruined Thanksgiving.
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Amiable Amiable
July 20, 2011
As I’m sure you already know, the Praying Mantis is the state insect of Connecticut. I, too, lived in fear as a child of accidentally killing one and spending my life in the Somers correctional institution. Honestly, I was still afraid until I moved from Connecticut last Friday and don’t have to worry about it. What a huge relief for me! I loved your conclusion that it was against the law to kill one because it was praying!
As for the references to the spiders, all I saw was “blah blah blah blah spider” and had to skip over those parts. Like when you read “blah blah blah blah octopus” in my posts. Hey, did you see Magsx2’s post about the octopus? If not, I think you can handle it. The thing isn’t being eaten alive, just so you know. It’s really a fascinating one just discovered in 1998.
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bronxboy55
July 21, 2011
That makes it even scarier, doesn’t it? You don’t want to be killing your state insect. Actually, I didn’t even know there were state insects. Is there a state fungus? A state bacteria? If not, I think we should propose it.
I watched the video of the octopus on Mags’s blog. They are amazing animals. All the more reason we shouldn’t be swallowing them live, or even just trying to swallow them.
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Amiable Amiable
July 23, 2011
I had to check about the fungus and the bacteria, because you just never know. I didn’t unearth anything, but I learned that CT’s state insect is actually the European praying mantis. Shouldn’t it be the American praying mantis? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe there were some serious issues among the original settlers about “European praying.” I think, actually, that CT’s insect should be the Puritan praying mantis. At any rate, here’s a link where you can learn about all kinds of state things:
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Lists/state_insects.html
I saw an octopus at the zoo and even took a picture of it. But, because I thought we weren’t talking about eating them any more, I didn’t include it in my recent post because I couldn’t trust myself not to say anything. Do you realize how hard that was for me? Do you see what a nice person I am?
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bronxboy55
July 25, 2011
“I saw an octopus at the zoo and even took a picture of it. But, because I thought we weren’t talking about eating them any more, I didn’t include it in my recent post…Do you see what a nice person I am?”
Yes, I see how you think that makes you a nice person. But you still mentioned it, even if indirectly. But don’t worry: I’m not a vengeful person, and won’t say a word about the spider swarm that’s approaching the DC area.
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Linda Paul
July 20, 2011
Charles, this post made me laugh out loud. The spider arm wave? Guilty! Back when I was peddling mail from door to door, this is one of the methods I employed during the summer. Between that and talking cat-talk to cats lazing in the sun, I often got busted by perplexed homeowners who unexpectedly caught me in the act of fending off spider webs while conversing with cats!
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bronxboy55
July 22, 2011
Maybe you were the original reason for the phrase going postal. (If only it were something that harmless.) I bet the cats knew exactly what you were doing.
Thanks for the comment, Linda.
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Jessica Sieghart
July 20, 2011
I don’t often wish to switch places with someone, but if I did with you, just for 5 minutes to see how you see things, I think I’d have a lifetime supply of columns. It’s interesting to me how innate life is for bugs. They’re just born knowing what to do and they do it, there’s no worrying about not living up to expectations or thinking involved. If we walk into a spiderweb, proverbial or otherwise, there’s a lot of flailing about afterward. The bugs just kind of accept it. Strange that we all occupy the same world. It’s a bug’s life, I suppose, although this really isn’t just about the bugs, right? A+ on the cartoons!
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bronxboy55
July 22, 2011
Right. As if you don’t have three lifetimes’ worth of blog and column topics packed into that head of yours. And on a slightly related subject, the thing I found most surprising while writing this post was the number of brain cells inside an ant’s head. It gives you some idea how small those cells are. How is all of that innate information stored in there?
I wish I could help you avoid some of life’s spider webs, Jessica — proverbial and otherwise. Or we could just start a Flailing Club.
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Diane Henders
July 20, 2011
You haven’t lived until you’ve opened your eyes in the morning to discover a spider perched on the pillow beside your nose, rubbing its front legs (hands?) together, complete with a little thought bubble: “Buwahaha, I’m gonna eat like a king for weeks!”
Or taken a drink out of a hose and ended up with a live spider walking across your tongue.
Oddly enough, I don’t have any fear of spiders – I usually just pick them up and set them free outside. Ants, on the other hand, creep me out. I’ve never had a bad ant experience, but I just don’t trust any critter that’s that numerous and that organized. They have to be planning something. Something evil.
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bronxboy55
July 22, 2011
I’ve never had a live spider walking across my tongue. At least I don’t think so. We have these wormy things that come into the house, coil up into a circle about the size of a dime, and die. I’ve never seen one alive.
How about earwigs? Do you have those? I don’t know how I forgot to talk about them. Earwigs are my new least-favorite insect.
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Heidi
July 20, 2011
What a wonderful post. I, too, have pondered some of the imponderables about bugs, especially spiders. I’m terrified of spiders. I know it’s irrational and illogical, but I have no control over my reactions when I get too close to them. That said, yesterday I watched a massive spider build a web (I was safely on the other side of the glass while this happened) and I was awed by the precision and beauty of the process. Like you, though, I immediately wondered how the web had begun. I came into the process while the body of the web was being built; the foundations were already in place.
Despite my fear of spiders, I will do everything in my power to avoid wrecking webs. It makes me sad when people wreck spider webs because that’s just ruining their home, and I bet they take pride in their home. Plus, their home is built with materials from their body and I’m sure that at some point, they run out of material, don’t they?
I’m with you on not killing most bugs. The only things I’ll kill are those that I don’t recognize, which could be poisonous to my cats, should they take it upon themselves to attack the insects (which they invariably do upon spotting the insect buzzing around in a haphazard manner).
Once, I actually sat for 10 minutes and watched an ant cleaning itself. I thought it was the most amazing thing I’d seen in a while. I don’t know why, I just did.
Thanks for the laughs.
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bronxboy55
July 22, 2011
When a web gets destroyed, I always wonder if the spider has any kind of reaction that would be comparable to how we’d feel if our house just got flattened by a tornado. Or does it just unemotionally start rebuilding? Is there even a momentary feeling of “Oh, what’s the use?” Same with ant hills. A lawnmower can take out an anthill in one second, but if you come back an hour later, there’s a new construction project underway. I wish I could hear the conversation that takes place in between.
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dearrosie
July 21, 2011
I wasn’t bothered by ants until I got bitten by a fire ant in Texas. Ohmygod it burned like a wasp sting, my toe swelled up, and my opposite arm went numb within minutes. Very scary!
You’ve also reminded me that I still haven’t posted a photo from our S. Africa trip of the biggest spider web I’ve ever seen. Note to self write that post…
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bronxboy55
July 22, 2011
Rose, when you do post that web photo, please notify Amiable Amiable immediately. Spiders are her hobby.
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Betty Londergan
July 21, 2011
Charles — we must be living parallel lives, since my last post was on a crazed towhee that decided to attack its own image in the shiny new scuffplate on our front door. Well, it’s summer and we’re outside so bugs & things are an inevitability… but your post made me laugh & remember.
I had a dream when I was about 10 that a bat had flown in the window and was flapping against my skin under my nightshirt — I woke up hysterical, and utterly convinced it was true.
Who knows??? As for fireflies … my fondest memory is when Lulu and I moved back to Pennsylvania from Colorado and our first summer in our non-air-conditioned house, so many fireflies somehow got in between the screens and behind the thick venetian blinds, they lit up the room like a bunch of twinkle lights– it was utterly magical! Great post, Charles — and the drawings are hysterical!!
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bronxboy55
July 23, 2011
I sometimes have vivid dreams of a bird or a bat flapping its wings right next to my ear. I’m always sure it’s really happening.
That’s a great firefly memory. Do you have them in Georgia? I can’t remember the last time I saw one.
Thanks, Betty. I’ll be visiting your blog today.
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Sarah
July 21, 2011
Like so many others here, your post took me on a stream-of-consciousness ride, Charles. I was reminded of the time when, as a child with a high fever, I dreamed that spiders were crawling out from under my skin. I was (and mostly still am) paralyzed by my fear of spiders, so I suppose I’ll never be able to forget that nightmare. Now that I’m a (sort of) grown-up and there’s no one around to kill spiders for me, I’ve learned to control my fear of them, but I do like to be as far away from them as possible when I kill them. (Yes, I kill them; no, I don’t feel guilty about it. However, like Heidi, I go out of my way not to disturb spider webs when I see them. If you found any close-up videos of spiders being spiders, please don’t tell me.) I’ve never killed a praying mantis, mostly because I’ve always been fascinated by them, and I don’t remember ever being told that something terrible would happen if I did. A Buddhist, though, once told me that I should never kill anything, not even an insect, because it could be my reincarnated grandmother. I thought people could come back only as people…. Anyway, before I go off on another tangent, thanks for the great post. Love those cartoons, too!
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bronxboy55
July 23, 2011
It would be impossible to avoid killing anything. We’d never be able to drive a car, walk across a field, mow the lawn, or plant a garden. This complicates the issue for me, because it sounds as though it comes down to intention. Is it wrong to kill only if you do it knowingly? From the little bug’s point of view, what difference does it make? (You’re not the only one who can go off on tangents.) By the way, when are you starting your blog?
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Ray Colon
July 25, 2011
Hi Charles,
I can’t believe that I was entertained by a bug post.
Those early childhood memories may just be nature’s way of playing with our minds. When I recounted an early childhood memory to my Mom some years ago, she laughed and then told me what really happened. I still can’t tell if she’s in on the gag or if my memory sprouted from an episode of Gigantor.
You and I share the duck and wave ritual when leaving the house. I have no idea how spiders cast that first line, but I do know that they work really fast. If I can count on anything, I can count on that spider web across the front door in the morning.
I take a live and let live approach with most bugs, until they get into my space. I had a spider living on the wall behind my monitor for days. He’d walk that wall each day – left to right. My daughter insisted that I squash him, but I said, “No, he’s not bothering anyone.” On day four he walked across my desk. Splat!
Ray
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bronxboy55
July 26, 2011
It’s interesting to think about our oldest memories — how random and insignificant they can seem. And then we sometimes mix and match pieces of memories, so they bear little resemblance to the actual events we think we’re recalling.
If I ever catch a spider just starting on its web, I’ll be sure to pay close attention and report back to you.
Thanks, Ray.
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Margaret Reyes Dempsey
July 25, 2011
This reminded me of a childhood memory of my little sis waking up in the middle of the night screaming, “Buggies, buggies,” and swatting at the air. We still laugh about it today.
You had so much regard for the praying mantis, which I believe bites off its mate’s head after their romantic encounter has ended. Far be it from me to pass judgment on another hormonal female. Just saying. 😉
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bronxboy55
July 26, 2011
Maybe it’s just the males that pray.
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writerwoman61
July 28, 2011
I like bugs as long as they don’t bite me…I’m quite happy to sit and watch a tiny beetle crawl on my arm.
Fun post, Charles!
Wendy
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bronxboy55
July 29, 2011
Biting is where I draw the line, too, Wendy. Every year, it seems to get harder and harder to be outside for any length of time without being harassed by insects.
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Kerry
August 7, 2011
So funny and so spot on about their characteristics!! Earwigs! ugh! really creep me out especially after seeing a “night Gallery” episode on it!! Then we moved from Ill to Mich where they actually exist and was told to be careful where I lay out in the sun, that I don’t get one in my ear!!! YIKES!!
I frequently get that crawling sensation and its spiders that I think are on me and more times than not I have been right!! one time after going to bed – while I was reading i brushed at the sensation on my arm and it was a baby Banana Spider!!! in my Bed!!! AAAAHHH! those things get huge!!
Love this post!!
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bronxboy55
August 8, 2011
I read that the earwig thing is a myth, although I wouldn’t want to take any chances. They’re literally under everything here. Move anything that’s been sitting still for more than an hour and a hundred of them go running. I think that’s why I don’t like them: they seem to be up to something, and I can never figure out what. (Although I suspect it’s mostly about making more earwigs.)
Thanks for the comment, Kerry.
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