In memoriam and a visitor

By this time four years ago, I had just gotten the news of my father's sudden passing. I'll never forget staring westward at the full moon from the second floor of my house that night, knowing that life would never be the same again. That event was the first in a series of many that would follow, one of the most difficult periods of my life to date. My dad knew how to do just about everything, and there was little that he wouldn't try if it would help someone. He got along with everyone, and he was full of kindness and patience. I'm proud that he was my dad, and I'll never forget him or all that he did for me when I was growing up.

Are you the lady from Texas?
A few weeks ago I was washing a bunch of cilantro to feed to my house rabbits. When I plunged the herb underwater to wash it, a tiny red bauble popped to the surface. A lady bug! And all the way from Texas, according to the twistie-tied label I had removed. I fished her out. She had already traveled a long way and lived in my fridge for several days before turning up in the water, so I wondered how she'd fare (a lady bug I found under similar circumstances last August didn't survive the night). She was crawling vigorously around my kitchen table, and when I didn't find her the next day, I hoped it was because she had flown off in search of a safe and cozy resting place.

I didn't think much more about it until last week when she turned up in my bathroom, sitting motionless on the edge of the tub. I was up there for a shower, so I figured I'd check on her after I finished. Well, I didn't see her, and I feared I had knocked down the drain. If only I had moved her! I felt really sad about that since she had already survived so long. But what could I do at that point? She was nowhere to be found. Then, a few days ago, she turned up again--incredible! I was showering, and suddenly there she was crawling down the edge of this little window in my shower (yeah, I have a window in my shower).

She's been there every day since, coming out during my shower for a drink. I don't remember when I found her, so I've lost track of how long she's been there. But I started worrying about what she was eating. I know that lady bugs move inside houses and "hibernate" during the winter, but she had come from Texas, so this cold weather had to be a shock, and who knew when she'd had her last succulent aphid. So not knowing what else to do right then, I put out a little dollop of wet bread. And she ate it! That was yesterday.

The weather has turned quite cold again--highs in the 20s, lows in the single digits. When I checked on her this morning before work, she was out in the open, and so still! I was worried that perhaps I had given her the lady bug equivalent of antifreeze. But she was alive and peppy during my shower again tonight, and she seemed to like that there was more wet bread. But I knew I had to find out what she should really be eating. A quick Google search later, I have my answer.

So tomorrow that little lady bug will dine in splendid fashion on a moistened organic raisin. And maybe I'll put her in a little terrarium, because although the humidity in the shower is what she needs, it's gotta be drafty up there at night. Here's hoping I'll be able to find her tomorrow so I can get her set up. Hmm. She could be a boy. Either way, I've also learned that she's Harmonia axyridis, a.k.a. multicolored Asian lady beetle.

Now I'm even more anxious for spring so I can send her on her way. Lady beetles can live up to 3 years under the right conditions! Despite the cold weather, I bet she's glad to be out of Texas...