the other man...

this is my friend. he is a beautiful praying mantis. he lives in my backyard in search of all sorts of nasty insects which prey on my shrubs. we see each other frequently, even daily. he even sneaks into my house when no one is looking. eden and i have been known to carefully pick him up and tenderly whisk him outside to rest safely on a bloom-his wonderful chartreuse color sharply complementing the brilliant pink. he hides from the dogs, i am sure, but didnt seem to mind them sniffing at his feet when i took this photo. he did, however follow their movements with his head, slowing turning it in their direction. he trustingly climbed on my hand like we had known each other for years. i do think he likes eden the best, as he has propped himself proudly on her shoulder when she transported him to safer ground.

i saved one of his brothers last year from the death grip of Toby's mouth...able to extend his life only a few days. i found him on the floor in a tangled mess. his bed became the petals of a sturdy succulent. i gathered aphids from the roses he was trying to protect and fed him miniscule drops of water. he actually drank and ate for me-his alien like mouth engulfing the wiggling bugs held with tweezers, turning his head in search of my movements and more food. we became intimate friends, until one day he no longer followed my movements with his head. he changed colors too, to a dull, empty green.

aenon and i cried.

seems as if i am constantly rescuing some sort of creature. this habit is becoming annoying.

it's all good, though, next spring i will go to plant depot and buy more creatures to babysit.

maybe i need a real job.