All Things Mom

Random will be those, um, yeah—random—topics, that don’t really fit into any of the areas I feel I am supposed to be writing. I say supposed because I’m still struggling with the point of my blog. I’m still reading how I need to find my niche, and have some expertise—or at least some good experience—in it. So far it’s been mommying. And getting old. And playing in the kitchen. No expertise in any of those, but experience.

But today is random. So I’d like to introduce you two my two little friends.

Yes, they are lady bugs. They may very well be man bugs, but I can’t tell—and I really don’t care—so they are my lady bugs.

I discovered these two little friends well after the nights had grown very cold last fall. Before the weather had turned, and the days were still spiking 70 balmy degrees, I had carried numerous neighbors of theirs (perhaps even family members) to the back door, dumping them gently on to potted plants outside.

Somehow, these two evaded my detection, until one day I spotted one moving across the ceiling. Hmmm. I watched it and thought about the fact that if the lady bug were a spider (male or female) I would be running for a broom-like weapon to eradicate all traces of life from the creepy thing. But she wasn’t, and since lady bugs are just so darn cute, I just couldn’t bear the thought of putting her outside, when she would FREEZE TO DEATH within 12 hours. Shortly thereafter, the second one revealed herself.

My daughter thinks I’m a little odd, keeping two bugs in the bathroom over the winter, but she has no desire to kill them either. We wonder how they are still alive, and what they’re eating (once I put a rice crispie near them, but I don’t know if they ate it or not).

Fortunately, one of my houseplants has come down with a few aphids this past week. This morning, while spraying it with insecticidal soap, my little light bulb went off. Lady bugs thrive on aphids. PING!

Now I’ve moved the rather large houseplant to the bathroom. No one uses the bathtub in there, so it’s not in the way.

Dinner is served!