June Bugs in August

Let's just say it now and get it well established ... I'm not usually prone to the heebie jeebies. Except with snakes. Definitely with snakes. But not with June bugs. Definitely not with June bugs. However, I was sitting at my computer the night before last, diligently working on stuff for school ...


... except for the two hours (okay, so what if it was six?!) that I spent playing a new game called Ancient Quest of Saqqarah. It's a great game .... much more fun than Jewel Quest. It features a talking ape that constantly encourages and aids you in beating the boards in order to restore the Egyptian Gods' temples. A talking ape. Dressed up as an Egyptian no less. What more could a gamer ask for? Needless to say there are lots of scarabs as well as other Egyptian icons on the bonus boards. Do you see where this is going?


As I was saying, I was sitting there playing when all of a sudden my hand brushed on something on my shorts. (Yes, shorts. I wear them in the privacy of my house but nowhere else --- the blinding white of my legs is too overwhelming for the general public. Plus I only shave once a year ---- whether I need to or not ---- out by the horse tank.)


Anyway, as soon as I brush against it, I hear this fierce hissing and look down to see a June bug with his damn pinchers extended. I didn't even know they had pinchers. A certain someone in my household is still laughing because I totally and completely freaked out.


After I realized what it was and settled down, I remarked that we seem to have more of the damn things in the house this year than normal. I had simply chalked it up to more rainfall.



Not so. It seems that our fair Pussy Willow spends the ENTIRE night going in and out of the pet door retrieving these monsters.

She is also enlisting Zeda's help (our new kitty). Zeda watches for her and as soon as she sees Willow coming with a June bug, she pushes the pet door open with her head.

But if she gets tired of waiting, she'll go out to help search.

Because everyone knows that two heads are better than one!

Willow is relentless in her quest.

And it pays off.

Damn, it's got my lip!

Let's play.

You run, I'll count.

Time's up! Now I'm going to eat you!

Going, going, gone!

That was good. I think I'll go look for another.

Success once again.

So what if it's missing a leg?

But first, we must play.

It's so much more fun if you put it on a nylon leash and bat it around.

But of course, the end result is the same.

Within an hour, she had caught, played with, and eaten six bugs...
not counting the one she so proudly shared with me.

No wonder her eyes glow!