I decided tonight to go a little off track. Can you imagine me getting sidetracked??? Never! I’m finding that writing is a lot like when I paint. I have to be in the mood for a specific subject. I want to continue my vacation story but tonight I would rather talk about caterpillars. Yup, Tent Caterpillars 🙂

I was the first grandchild on my mom’s side of the family. I held the spot of first and only for over a year. My grandfather seemed to be amused by me and I was infatuated with him (and still am). We grew up in an awesome neighborhood where we could be out with friends all day and no one had to worry about us. My grandparents lived right next door and my Aunt Linda, Uncle John and their kids lived a stones throw with only a small (we use to think it was huge) field that we all played in between the houses. My grandfather also had an apple orchard and this is where my very first rescue begins.

I do remember following my Grandpa Ray around everywhere I could. Picking apples, plums, rhubarb, blueberries and black caps, my favorite! The black caps are a type of raspberry with lots of thorns. Those thorns were only there to toughen up my bare feet! I guess I have hated shoes all my life. The plus side of that is that I saved a LOT of money because I only buy what I have to have. I still prefer being bare foot and venture out even in the snow!

OK back to the subject. I remember one of the many days I went with Grampa to the apple trees. This time he was on a mission to remove the tent caterpillars nest (with the caterpillars in them) from his trees. I had no idea what was going to happen.

That is done by burning them. I can still picture the live ones falling out of the nests. I knew I had to do something but I was also old enough to know that I should probably do it on the down low. I found an empty coffee can and stayed far enough behind Grampa that he didn’t notice me picking up all the live caterpillars. My Uncle John on the other hand did spot me! Uncle John was the first person to give me a nickname. He called me “Beaner”. I really don’t know why but till the day he died I was Beaner and the caterpillar story was his favorite to tell about me! Uncle John didn’t make me stop but he did say “Beaner, you better not let your Grandfather catch you with those caterpillars!” I know that many dozens of tent caterpillars escaped that day over the embankment at the edge of our playing field. Far from the apple trees. Those creatures were the beginning of a not stop passion that I will never lose or stop doing. I had such empathy for those bugs. I hated to see them loosing their homes and in my head they were afraid and confused. I just needed to help them. From caterpillars to dogs, cats, horses, sheep, cows, goats, birds, possums, bunnies, rats, raccoons, snakes and the list continues! Many of which ended up tucked into bed with me or at the very least in the bedroom 🙂 It’s not a strange thing to see a calf or lamb in the house wearing diapers. Well, I should clarify and say it’s not a strange thing to see IN MY HOUSE! All creatures are welcome (except a cockroach, I do NOT like cockroaches!!)

This cutie was in one of our trees this year.

      

To this day I will still save bugs. They infatuate me. Mother Nature has made some very beautiful creatures that we can all enjoy if you just take the time. I love photographing them and blowing the pictures up so I can see all the detail. There will be many more pictures of bugs in my Blogs so be for warned 🙂

I’m not sure if this story sounds near as funny written as it did every time my Uncle John told it. It’s one of those stories I could sit and hear him tell over and over. Uncle John is gone now but I have those memories. I wonder if he ratted on me to Grandpa when he got to Heaven?????