What the #@*! is that?
When I came across this guy (don’t know what it is, frankly), he was clinging to a blade of desert grass, and the just-rising sun was illuminating him perfectly. He sparkled like a ruby red slipper.
An interesting caterpillar-type creature spotted alongside a dry desert wash in Southeastern Arizona. Click to enlarge.
Okay. I’m being dramatic with my word choice. He looks nothing like a ruby slipper (aside from some red tinges), but very much like a creature from a horror film. And maybe more disturbing is the fact that I seem to always assign a male gender to each of my animal/insect encounters. What does that mean?
At any rate, that bright color glistening in the midst of the summer’s drab desert hues really captured my attention. As I ran along on my morning jog, I thought how much he stood out … Which then made me think of the so-called “oddballs” of this world. The girl with purple hair. The guy who likes to tell himself stories on the bus. The girl who secretly has an extra toe-nail on her pinkie toe that she hides under her socks. The family that collects junk and turns it into art.
It’s our differences that make us unique – just like the characters in the novels we read (and write). Just like the characters in our lives. We should embrace them, because they make the world a more interesting place.
August 16th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
I love these blogs–each of your days is an “adventure.”
When we moved into our house 20 years ago, the first thing we did was take down a concrete block wall from our back yard and replace it with a view fence–we back up to the north part of Moon Mountain. I’ve spent hours on my back patio watching the “critters” that play out there. Our rock squirrels play with the chipmunks and have a great time. We’ve had 3 mom and dad couples of quail for years so have watched many babies learn to fly. They practice on our patio. We trained our dogs to leave them alone–the dogs are only allowed to chase geckos, which they never catch. My back yard and mountain friends will be 2 of the things I will miss most about moving to Dallas!
[Reply]
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:17 am
When you assign the male gender to your “animal/insect” encounters, your literary self subconsciously thinks about Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” and a male turning into cukaracha, which many of us are, although sometimes better looking.
[Reply]
Melissa Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:35 am
I guess I’m going to have to start reading Kafka! Come to think of it, the analogy of cockroach to man is … interesting!
[Reply]
October 7th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
746037 699027I like this site very much, Its a really nice situation to read and get info . 619320
[Reply]