The only way I seem to be able to find time to write the blog post is when I am absolutely captive, like I am now, flying to DC. No worries though because I am sitting in an exit isle, so I can help people get off after we crash AND this is a unique seat because it is a row of one. This is good for everyone on board so they don’t see/hear me jump when the wheels go up or we hit a patch of turbulence. I understand there are thunderstorms in DC… pray for me.
You may not realize this but it is butterfly season, so be on the lookout for monarchs, tiger, zebra and black swallowtails. When McKenzie was one year old I started a family tradition of looking for monarch caterpillars to bring home and watch turn into butterflies. Over the past 25 years we have had seasons with no caterpillars all the way up to 15. That was the year we brought home a milkweed with eggs on it.
Getting the caterpillar from baby to butterfly is a miraculous process. First you have to make sure you have fresh milk weeds for them to eat, we would just put them in a vase and hope they stayed on it. For about 2 weeks they eat and grow and poop.. You would be stunned by the volume these little buggers put out! Then one day they wander down to the underside of a leaf, settle in for a few hours and then bam, they make the chrysalis. It is a crazy wiggly, twisting dance that somehow turns into a light green jewel with gold specs around the top. Another 2 weeks go by, the chrysalis turns black, the butterfly emerges and we put them in garden.
This is one of my favorite memories with the kids and a tradition that was carried on this year by McKenzie (daughter). For those of you who haven’t seen her in real life I need to tell you she has the most amazing blue eyes and beautiful dark hair. She has also made the big move of buying a townhome, so it is appropriate that she started her own butterfly tradition.
Several weeks ago my sisters found a new kind of caterpillar in their garden; it was black and green, which they gave to McKenzie. She did some research, found out they eat parsley (really?) and set up her own butterfly sanctuary. Last week a most beautiful butterfly emerged, a black butterfly with blue markings- the perfect color combination in a butterfly and a young women both so ready to take their place in the world. I remember now that sometimes it is hard to let those butterflies go.
Wow Kath. Great job, except it made me cry when you talked about "letting them go".
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Ha, you should have seen me writing it on the plane... people seemed kind of concerned that i was in charge of the exit row. Glad they didn't send in a replacement ;)
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