wild america

Now that it's officially "Summertime" and all of us are so excited the sun is showing its marvelous face, I supposed it's no surprise that the creepy crawlies are out on the town, as well. This week we've had many close encounters, are here are my favorites:

• We are on our way to Church. My fabulous Mom (the one of Facebook fame discussed recently) is in the back seat beside dearest Wesley. All of a sudden, I hear an audible gasp and witness in the reaarview a lurch toward the child. I almost wreck the car. "What is it, Mom?!" A caterpillar on darling Wesley's blanket. Mom "rescued" the caterpillar and promptly "released him" back into the wild, aka, rolled down the window and let go.

• I am in the passenger seat of said car and feel a sensation on my arm and look to behold a common ant hitching a ride to Fred Meyer on me. Eek, I scream, and open the door (car not in motion, don't worry) and deposit said ant onto the driveway. Whew.

• Mom, protector of all things baby, finds an itsy bitsy spider on the diaper bag. Again, she promptly, successfully removes it.

What's the deal? Are we attractors of creepy crawlies in the same fashion we're attractors of well wishers at the grocery store? New baby = everyone wants to check it out, I suppose.

Well, "can't we all just get along," they say. Guess we'll make due. I can't think of a better way to teach the young'n about our great outdoors anyway. Good luck to all of you navigating the blessings of nature as the summer unfolds. I'm convinced that when Mom goes back home and I can't see Wesley in his car seat, birds will construct nests in his hair.