oh sorry..must tell another story. One summer I was able to be a camp counselor, my idea of heaven. (Other summers I had to have a real job, you see.) I had a couple dozen middle school Girl Scouts, and we shared a many-holes latrine. I learned the kids were killing the daddy long legs in there, they were so freaked out. So, a new rule: anyone who killed a daddy long legs had to carry two big buckets of water and dump them in the latrine. It worked for all of us!
oh I do love this post, Dori....and so get it, every sentence. I too talked with, kept as pets, studied them under a little microscope, read books, ...I'm sure you know all of this. If anyone had ever asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said, an etymologist ...so blessings and gratitude for this lovely description, and oh, what a color!
Oh Penny! You and I are definitely spirit sisters! And, tagging onto your second comment, I used to love the daddy long legs walking on me in my uncles outhouse (circa 1950’s). I still love to place my hand where they’ll easily climb onto me !
I've had that same reverance for insects, reluctant to kill spiders, ticks, and even those fungus gnats stuck to the ugly neon-yellow traps in my jungle of houseplants. They are no longer a problem since I had a soul-to-soul talk with them a few years ago. I'd read about a woman who succeeded in persuading mice to leave her house because she could not kill any living creature with poisons or traps, and they were causing her great distress. I do swat the biting mosquitos, no-see-ems, and black flies if they haven't listened to my invitation to fly away from me. Once they have started sucking my blood, they're fair game!
I hate killing insects too! And it’s noticeable how much rarer they have become in my lifetime. We have to try to be In solidarity with our insect neighbors!
oh sorry..must tell another story. One summer I was able to be a camp counselor, my idea of heaven. (Other summers I had to have a real job, you see.) I had a couple dozen middle school Girl Scouts, and we shared a many-holes latrine. I learned the kids were killing the daddy long legs in there, they were so freaked out. So, a new rule: anyone who killed a daddy long legs had to carry two big buckets of water and dump them in the latrine. It worked for all of us!
oh I do love this post, Dori....and so get it, every sentence. I too talked with, kept as pets, studied them under a little microscope, read books, ...I'm sure you know all of this. If anyone had ever asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said, an etymologist ...so blessings and gratitude for this lovely description, and oh, what a color!
Oh Penny! You and I are definitely spirit sisters! And, tagging onto your second comment, I used to love the daddy long legs walking on me in my uncles outhouse (circa 1950’s). I still love to place my hand where they’ll easily climb onto me !
I've had that same reverance for insects, reluctant to kill spiders, ticks, and even those fungus gnats stuck to the ugly neon-yellow traps in my jungle of houseplants. They are no longer a problem since I had a soul-to-soul talk with them a few years ago. I'd read about a woman who succeeded in persuading mice to leave her house because she could not kill any living creature with poisons or traps, and they were causing her great distress. I do swat the biting mosquitos, no-see-ems, and black flies if they haven't listened to my invitation to fly away from me. Once they have started sucking my blood, they're fair game!
Thanks for your shared perspective on revering the lives of insects. They are a valuable necessity in our ecosystem. Bless you, Dory
I hate killing insects too! And it’s noticeable how much rarer they have become in my lifetime. We have to try to be In solidarity with our insect neighbors!
I wholeheartedly agree!