Caterpillars and the great lotion caper

Last week, Robyn and Dennis threw a pool party to celebrate Phoebe’s coming second birthday.  I haven’t posted those pictures since I didn’t think the general public would be interested in that.  However, I will post a picture or two of my present to her.  I will preface this by saying that these two grandgirls have everything already that their hearts could desire.

I scoured my campsite and found three or four teensy-weensy Monarch butterfly caterpillars.  I picked several milkweed leaves, and put them in a big plastic pretzel jug with perforated tin foil on the top.  I wanted Phoebe and Avery to experience the miracle transformations from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.

Fast forward to early this morning when I got a frantic call from Robyn to bring her more milkweed plants.  Seems those four little caterpillars have been very busy munching away, and the stalks were pretty bare.  She had even stopped a couple of times during the week to careen to the side of the road on her way to Life Vest appointments to pick milkweed out of the ditch along the highway.  Of course when she did this, little did she know that she added several more little caterpillars to the collection.

                        TWO LITTLE GIRLS DEEP IN CONVERSATION WITH A CATERPILLAR

Since what goes in a caterpillar has to come out, Robyn cleaned the, now, two jars out while I supervised the animated conversation.  If plants grow better if you talk to them, then I imagine these caterpillars will be enormous.    As she was putting the new leaves and stems into the jars, she gleefully said, “Oh no!  There’s four more new ones on these leaves!”  Egad!  Welcome to the Bell/Lapko monarch maternity ward.  Looks like we’re going to have to start scouring the countryside for milkweed before this is all done.  At this rate, it’s becoming a learning experience gone slightly awry.  Thanks, Robert Burns!  (“The best laid plans of mice and men…”)

As I headed to the laundry room to get this week’s load started, the girls were quietly playing in the play room.  Too quietly, actually.  They had closed the windowed door, but Avery was unable to open it again to get out.  As I opened the door for her and went in, here’s what we found:

Looks like they found a jar of lotion, and it’s my guess that Avery thought it would be a good idea to help smear it all over Phoebe in copious quantities.  She was covered from head to toe!

Seems Avery only had it on her hands.  Hmmm.  Never a dull moment with these two firecrackers around.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy