The Last Caterpillar
Apr. 15th, 2021 09:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39Thanks to Unexpected Moderna Vaccine Shot Number One followed by Unexpected Side Effects Part One, all of my plans for Thursday were shattered.
I got the shot Tuesday afternoon, and started having side effects Wednesday night. I was trapped in a series of fever dreams involving filling some sort of spreadsheet, which I couldn't understand why it was so necessary to fill it out, because I was SLEEPING, wasn't I? But it had to be done or else I couldn't sleep, even though I technically WAS asleep. And then my stomach started cramping and felt like it was full of acid, but I didn't want to get up for fear of worrying my boyfriend, but eventually it became too painful and my heart was beating too fast from anxiety. I got up and made it to the kitchen before having to sit down so I wouldn't pass right out (probably just because I had worked myself up). Had some water and a Tums, tried to eat a piece of bread but my mouth refused to produce saliva and my stomach churned just from smelling it, and that's about when I knew this was more than a panic attack.
The next day Jameson found me curled up in the recliner, moaning over a handful of strawberries and a few crackers.
I forced myself to sip coffee throughout the day because the last thing I needed on top of everything was a blistering caffeine headache. The only food my body appreciated was half a frozen banana I found in the fridge, everything else I had to choke down (mostly simple carbs as you can imagine). I also had body aches, my guts kept cramping, and I felt exhausted.
Now to be fair, I haven't been sick in a very long time, I'm talking years. Not even a sore throat or a sniffle since 2018. So although I probably make this sound awful, it wasn't that bad. I have been sick WAY worse than this. Being mildly nauseous, uncomfortable, and overheated for a day is nothing compared to some flus I've had. So yes, I crawled around like a slug all day and felt miserable, but it probably just felt worse because it's been so long since I've felt those things.
I called work to warn them that I may not be in the next day, but I did sleep well and then woke the next day with no aches or elevated temperature, just a feeling of exhaustion and residual nausea. I went through the day in a fog, but fortunately it was a slow day. By the time I got home I was feeling about 80% better. I checked on the caterpillars and found three of them preparing to pupate! The time has finally come!!
See the cottony-looking stuff around his head? That's a "silk button" that they make, and then hang from in a J-shape to start making their chrysalis.
The next morning, like an idiot, I woke up and checked my phone for the time and saw ??:45 and somehow my brain just assumed it was time to get up and get ready for work. So I didn't question it, I got up and had my coffee and got all my stuff together, then snuck out back with a flashlight to check on the caterpillars since they're so close to pupating. I started to carefully unzip the side access panel, and stopped cold. A fourth caterpillar had decided that the best place to form a chrysalis would be ON THE ZIPPER. Like, directly on the moving part. Little dumbass!!!
I had already moved him a few inches without realizing it, and there was nothing I could do...I had to be able to open the side to continue caring for everyone. I moved so slowly and carefully, but despite my care he fell as the zipper reached the bottom, rolling gently across the floor, curled up protectively. Time to panic. Did I just kill him?? I had disrupted his pupation and broken his J-hang. Would he die an awful death if he couldn't re-hang himself?? I frantically searched Google for what I could do. The Googs suggested finding a Q-tip or cotton ball and touching the caterpillar with it. If the caterpillar was not too far along in the process, he might be able to grab the cotton and use it to resume his J-hang. I did as instructed with a cotton ball, and he did grab on, although in doing so a little dark green fluid came out of his nethers :( He wasn't hurt but I know that caterpillars go semi-liquid inside during their metamorphosis so it terrified me to see this.
Anyway, I was able to tuck the cotton ball into a crack in the edge of a milkweed pot so that he was hanging upside down again. Then I really had to get to work (or so I thought) so I cleaned up as best I could and hit the road.
About 15 minutes later I noticed that my car clock was reading 6:00am. Well that can't be right. I left at 6:40, didn't I?
Wait...isn't it unusually dark...?
For some reason, my brain had me out the door at 5:40. Which is when I'm usually waking up to get ready for work.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Guess my covid mind control microchip is working.
I drove to a Panera near work and took a nap in the back of my car. Got a breakfast sandwich and a salad for lunch. Sulked to work feeling like an absolute moron.
Spent all day worrying about my little caterpillar, dreading the possibility of coming home to find him dead on the bottom of the enclosure. Couldn't drive home fast enough, took toll roads even. Ran outside to see what had happened.
He was still there. To my surprise, he had left his cotton pad and climbed all the way back up the mesh to re-hang himself.
STILL ON TOP OF THE ZIPPER. DUMB LITTLE SH*T! Going to give me an aneurism, I swear!
Although I was not awake enough to realize what time I had left that morning, I somehow did have the wherewithal to have the zippers meet at the bottom of the enclosure where a caterpillar would be less likely to attempt a J-hang. So even though this little idiot insists on the zipper, I can still at least unzip enough to lift the plants and replace the paper towels under them. Phew.
This wasn't the only good news.
The other three have already formed their chrysalides! They look beautiful and perfect. Now I just have to keep an eye on them for about a week to ensure that the buttefly inside is developing properly.
Later on that evening a storm blew through, our first one in months. I thought nothing of it since the enclosure is weighted down by two full pots of dirt plus plants, but did go out to check on everyone before bed. F*cking glad I did! The whole thing had fallen over! DAMMIT why does this whole process have to be so STRESSFUL?? Luckily everyone seemed ok, even the one clinging to his zipper. There was one caterpillar on the floor who would not let go of the wet paper towels on the bottom, so I ended up tearing the towels and stuffing them into the milkweed pot so he could hang, like I had with Zipper (as I'm now gonna call him). That done, I rummaged around in the garage until I found a heavy box of decorative rocks and shoved that (carefully) into the enclosure because it's supposed to storm tomorrow too and the last thing I need is everyone squashed and dead when I get back from work.
I mean seriously! Can't I have one day of not having a heart attack over some freaking bugs??
The answer is NO YOU CAN NOT, because the next day was full of severe thunderstorms and high winds. Another screen was ripped out of our lanai. Jameson didn't even ask if he should check on the caterpillars, he just did it, knowing that I would want to know (what a cookie!). Everyone was fine, the plants didn't fall over like last night thanks to the big box of rocks I threw in there, so I went about my day at work and drove home like normal, stepping outside to see the damaged screen and check on everyone/everything.
All of the caterpillars were pretty much exactly where they had been left the night before, which probably means everyone's getting ready to pupate in some form or other. Zipper was still in his hanging J, and wiggling, which meant he had begun the process of pupating. I wanted to clean up in there but absolutely did NOT want to disturb him, so resisted the urge.
The caterpillar who had been on the floor last night when the plants fell over hadn't moved either...he was the one I was actually hoping would relocate. No such luck, apparently a soggy wet paper towel scrap is just a glorious freaking place to pupate. Did I raise a bunch of dummies or what!
The garden was fine, I retrieved this tasty radish.
Soon Jameson went to rehearsal and while he was gone I practiced steno, all the while thinking about Zipper struggling through his next step in the dangerous process of becoming a butterfly. I was really hoping to see the pupa emerge, but when it happens it happens fast and despite checking several times over the next two hours it just didn't seem to be happening. He was making progress though; see how his little tentacles are all curly and shriveled? That means he's retracted them inside his skin.
I went to bed early, feeling exhausted after getting up way too early like an idiot the previous night.
When Jameson came home I checked on Zipper one more time...
Success! I got to see his freshly-formed chrysalis. Over the next day it will reshape and dry out somewhat. How exciting!
Not only that, the little idiot who wouldn't let go of the paper towel did actually end up pupating there. Good grief.
I guess his name will be Towelie.
And yes, I'm referring to these two in particular as "him" because they've GOT to be boys. I'll be able to tell in a week when they emerge. Lol.
Monday, just a normal day for once. I had steno class at night, and was late, but it was all good.
Not much change with the caterpillars: I now have five chrysalides and two remaining caterpillars, with one of them starting to J-hang. The other was hatched a bit later and is a molt behind, so I figure he'll try to pupate by the weekend or so. Now that Zipper is a chrysalis, I can open the enclosure completely, thank goodness.
Here is Zipper's completed chrysalis, right on the zipper seam:
Tuesday, I was very tired, work was ok although I'm getting more scrutiny from management than I would like. Maybe I shouldn't have applied for that promotion after all. At home, the sixth caterpillar had pupated. Now there's only one left, munching on the leftover parts of the absolutely demolished milkweed plant. It's kind of strange...just a few days ago there was so much activity: eating, pooping, fighting, climbing. Now everything is still.
Wednesday, I got up a little early to start my Baking Bread for Beginners project to ensure that the loaf would be done before my class. This week we're incorporating wheat flour into the boule we learned, so the recipe is exactly the same except 50g of wheat flour and 5g extra water. During the 30 minute dough rest I ate breakfast; during the 3-hour rise I checked on the caterpillars (well, chrysalides) and cleaned out their enclosure. With only one caterpillar left, I decided to take one of the milkweeds out so it could recover in the garden.
I was able to get a clear shot of Towelie:
I love how you can see the outline of the wings.
While inspecting the chrysalides I noticed that the one hanging from the milkweed is damaged. It probably happened when the plant fell over during our storm. I hope he comes out OK.
In the garden I only found four caterpillars left, but that doesn't mean they got eaten necessarily, just that they could have gone elsewhere to pupate. I found one caterpillar yards away, starting to J-hang from my passion vine. (By the next morning, he was a chrysalis)
Nearby was another caterpillar waiting to pupate. I also found a chrysalis in my pollinator garden, on a bulbine plant.
This year my garden is 90% milkweed, and the caterpillars have decimated that. I ended up going to Lowe's for one more milkweed and a pentas, just to have something to attract and feed other butterflies.
Back in the house I worked on the bread some more, and made a pan of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownies (some things are better from a box than homemade, and these brownies are one of those things). I've been craving brownies lately. It's been years since I had a brownie. Isn't that terrible?? Needed to rectify that. I also bought white chocolate raspberry ice cream, hot fudge, and made some whipped cream.
The bread turned out well, although I still feel it's splitting where I don't want it to. I think maybe I need to work on how I shape the bread, and sealing my seams properly to prevent "blowouts" as they're called. Still, it tastes great and the crumb is good, so the appearance really doesn't matter.
Jameson went for a walk while I finished up my bread and did laundry, then we ate dinner separately because I had class at 5:30. Class was ok, I didn't practice as much as I should have this week due to getting knocked on my ass with the vaccine, but overall I didn't do terrible. After class I made myself a hot fudge brownie sundae. With rainbow sprinkles, because I'm An Adult. Hells yes!
Before going to bed I checked on the chrysalides, and found my last caterpillar going into a J-hang.
I felt strangely emotional about it. Just a few weeks ago, I was watching eggs the size of a grain of sand hatch and little eyelash-sized caterpillars wiggling to life. And after tonight, they'll never be caterpillars again. They'll emerge totally different creatures, who fly and drink nectar and live short little beautiful lives. This has really been an experience I won't forget. If you have a chance to raise monarchs, I'd highly recommend.
Thursday, I had a lot to do in the earlier part of the day.
I did my meal prep, made some dill lemon aioli for the salmon burgers I'm gonna make later, and weighed out the salmon filets. Then I checked on all of my plants, making especial note of the plants that could be pollinated because I was giving a presentation for my Aunt's class. I had really hoped to show them a passiflora flower since it's so pretty and not something they'd see in their home state, but unfortunately it was being uncooperative and not offering any blooms today.
I did find one of the caterpillars who had tried to pupate, but the ants that guard the passion vine had found him and decided he'd make a nice meal. He was attacked mid-transformation, and sadly he will not survive. Such is nature.
Would have been fun to show THAT to the little kiddies. Here's caterpillar being eaten alive, kids! Can you hear his tiny screams?
In seriousness, I'm sorry if you, reader, are upset by that video. The thing is, when I chose to raise monarch caterpillars, I knew that I would not be able to take in all of the eggs. I cannot afford all the milkweed it would take to raise them, and with a full time job I cannot be here to care for dozens of bugs. I took what I knew I could handle, and the rest must fend for themselves, like the majority of living things must do every day all around the world. I knew, without a doubt, that most of the eggs that hatched in my yard were going to die. What happened to this caterpillar is natural law. That law applies to all of us, regardless of how we "feel" about it.
If it makes anyone feel better, I did use an air canister to blow the ants off, to see if the caterpillar could be saved. Sadly, the chrysalis was very badly damaged with lots of tears and parts eaten away. When I posted this video on facebook, people commented "Save it!" and "Try xyz!". I apprecate and empathize with those sentiments. But "saving it" would be self-gratifying, and would only extend the suffering of this caterpillar, who can no longer become a butterfly. I would much rather have the ants finish their work quickly, than "save" the caterpillar and make it suffer for a few more days because of my selfish emotional reaction. I'm sorry for his death, but we all die. May his suffering be brief.
That's about all I have to say on it, but if you have questions or if you need to rant at me about it, I understand.
Just know that right now, in your own backyard, this exact thing or something even worse IS happening. Getting angry with me about it will not change that one iota.
Anyway, the presentation was at 1pm and went very well. I just walked around my little garden and showed the kids the parts of the flowers, what the pollen looked like (I have a black toothbrush that makes a nice contrast for the white or yellow pollen), and how to pollinate plants using a toothbrush or Q-tip. I then showed them what happens to the flowers once they're pollinated (i.e. fruits and vegetables), and explained how pollination allows the plant to make "fruit", which has seeds inside, that can then grow a whole new plant. There were still some monarch caterpillars out in the yard, so I showed those eating and crawling around, which the kids really seemed to like. I explained their bright coloring as a signal that says, "Don't eat me!", and the importance of milkweed for monarch butterflies. I showed them the chrysalides (not the one getting eaten alive, tempting as that was) and some of the flowers in my garden that the butterflies will get nourishment from once they have emerged. My aunt seemed pleased, so I think I did a good job!
After that Jameson was teaching his Zoom class, and I should have practiced steno but didn't feel like it. Instead I started on prep for the salmon burgers since they can be made a little ahead of time.
I've never put meat in a blender before. Eew. Not likely to do it again. It's just too much cleanup!
Still these tasted AMAZING. I used frozen wild salmon, which shockingly was about the same cost as canned salmon. There wasn't much seasoning, just dijon mustard, shallots, capers, Old Bay, and black pepper. Seared each patty for 3 minutes on a side.
Put them on egg knot buns with lettuce, tomato, onion, and lemon dill aioli. Very, very good.
I was supposed to make sweet potato fries too, but TBH I was drinking white wine while cooking and as a result completely forgot about the fries. The bf wasn't upset so it's all good :) It only meant we had more room for brownie sundaes afterward!
I did practice steno after dinner, but the homework had a lot of new words so I decided to just practice for now and submit the assignment tomorrow when I can do it without having to stop and look stuff up.
This week was full of caterpillar happenings. If you're tired of seeing that, rest assured that there are NO MORE caterpillars, and starting Sunday I should be posting about the emergence of butterflies and the process of releasing them. After that, I won't be taking in any monarchs for a while. All of my milkweed is nothing but sticks, it needs to regrow. And I've to steno to do, and other projects to work on.
I don't want to go to work. :p
I got the shot Tuesday afternoon, and started having side effects Wednesday night. I was trapped in a series of fever dreams involving filling some sort of spreadsheet, which I couldn't understand why it was so necessary to fill it out, because I was SLEEPING, wasn't I? But it had to be done or else I couldn't sleep, even though I technically WAS asleep. And then my stomach started cramping and felt like it was full of acid, but I didn't want to get up for fear of worrying my boyfriend, but eventually it became too painful and my heart was beating too fast from anxiety. I got up and made it to the kitchen before having to sit down so I wouldn't pass right out (probably just because I had worked myself up). Had some water and a Tums, tried to eat a piece of bread but my mouth refused to produce saliva and my stomach churned just from smelling it, and that's about when I knew this was more than a panic attack.
The next day Jameson found me curled up in the recliner, moaning over a handful of strawberries and a few crackers.
I forced myself to sip coffee throughout the day because the last thing I needed on top of everything was a blistering caffeine headache. The only food my body appreciated was half a frozen banana I found in the fridge, everything else I had to choke down (mostly simple carbs as you can imagine). I also had body aches, my guts kept cramping, and I felt exhausted.
Now to be fair, I haven't been sick in a very long time, I'm talking years. Not even a sore throat or a sniffle since 2018. So although I probably make this sound awful, it wasn't that bad. I have been sick WAY worse than this. Being mildly nauseous, uncomfortable, and overheated for a day is nothing compared to some flus I've had. So yes, I crawled around like a slug all day and felt miserable, but it probably just felt worse because it's been so long since I've felt those things.
I called work to warn them that I may not be in the next day, but I did sleep well and then woke the next day with no aches or elevated temperature, just a feeling of exhaustion and residual nausea. I went through the day in a fog, but fortunately it was a slow day. By the time I got home I was feeling about 80% better. I checked on the caterpillars and found three of them preparing to pupate! The time has finally come!!
See the cottony-looking stuff around his head? That's a "silk button" that they make, and then hang from in a J-shape to start making their chrysalis.
The next morning, like an idiot, I woke up and checked my phone for the time and saw ??:45 and somehow my brain just assumed it was time to get up and get ready for work. So I didn't question it, I got up and had my coffee and got all my stuff together, then snuck out back with a flashlight to check on the caterpillars since they're so close to pupating. I started to carefully unzip the side access panel, and stopped cold. A fourth caterpillar had decided that the best place to form a chrysalis would be ON THE ZIPPER. Like, directly on the moving part. Little dumbass!!!
I had already moved him a few inches without realizing it, and there was nothing I could do...I had to be able to open the side to continue caring for everyone. I moved so slowly and carefully, but despite my care he fell as the zipper reached the bottom, rolling gently across the floor, curled up protectively. Time to panic. Did I just kill him?? I had disrupted his pupation and broken his J-hang. Would he die an awful death if he couldn't re-hang himself?? I frantically searched Google for what I could do. The Googs suggested finding a Q-tip or cotton ball and touching the caterpillar with it. If the caterpillar was not too far along in the process, he might be able to grab the cotton and use it to resume his J-hang. I did as instructed with a cotton ball, and he did grab on, although in doing so a little dark green fluid came out of his nethers :( He wasn't hurt but I know that caterpillars go semi-liquid inside during their metamorphosis so it terrified me to see this.
Anyway, I was able to tuck the cotton ball into a crack in the edge of a milkweed pot so that he was hanging upside down again. Then I really had to get to work (or so I thought) so I cleaned up as best I could and hit the road.
About 15 minutes later I noticed that my car clock was reading 6:00am. Well that can't be right. I left at 6:40, didn't I?
Wait...isn't it unusually dark...?
For some reason, my brain had me out the door at 5:40. Which is when I'm usually waking up to get ready for work.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Guess my covid mind control microchip is working.
I drove to a Panera near work and took a nap in the back of my car. Got a breakfast sandwich and a salad for lunch. Sulked to work feeling like an absolute moron.
Spent all day worrying about my little caterpillar, dreading the possibility of coming home to find him dead on the bottom of the enclosure. Couldn't drive home fast enough, took toll roads even. Ran outside to see what had happened.
He was still there. To my surprise, he had left his cotton pad and climbed all the way back up the mesh to re-hang himself.
STILL ON TOP OF THE ZIPPER. DUMB LITTLE SH*T! Going to give me an aneurism, I swear!
Although I was not awake enough to realize what time I had left that morning, I somehow did have the wherewithal to have the zippers meet at the bottom of the enclosure where a caterpillar would be less likely to attempt a J-hang. So even though this little idiot insists on the zipper, I can still at least unzip enough to lift the plants and replace the paper towels under them. Phew.
This wasn't the only good news.
The other three have already formed their chrysalides! They look beautiful and perfect. Now I just have to keep an eye on them for about a week to ensure that the buttefly inside is developing properly.
Later on that evening a storm blew through, our first one in months. I thought nothing of it since the enclosure is weighted down by two full pots of dirt plus plants, but did go out to check on everyone before bed. F*cking glad I did! The whole thing had fallen over! DAMMIT why does this whole process have to be so STRESSFUL?? Luckily everyone seemed ok, even the one clinging to his zipper. There was one caterpillar on the floor who would not let go of the wet paper towels on the bottom, so I ended up tearing the towels and stuffing them into the milkweed pot so he could hang, like I had with Zipper (as I'm now gonna call him). That done, I rummaged around in the garage until I found a heavy box of decorative rocks and shoved that (carefully) into the enclosure because it's supposed to storm tomorrow too and the last thing I need is everyone squashed and dead when I get back from work.
I mean seriously! Can't I have one day of not having a heart attack over some freaking bugs??
The answer is NO YOU CAN NOT, because the next day was full of severe thunderstorms and high winds. Another screen was ripped out of our lanai. Jameson didn't even ask if he should check on the caterpillars, he just did it, knowing that I would want to know (what a cookie!). Everyone was fine, the plants didn't fall over like last night thanks to the big box of rocks I threw in there, so I went about my day at work and drove home like normal, stepping outside to see the damaged screen and check on everyone/everything.
All of the caterpillars were pretty much exactly where they had been left the night before, which probably means everyone's getting ready to pupate in some form or other. Zipper was still in his hanging J, and wiggling, which meant he had begun the process of pupating. I wanted to clean up in there but absolutely did NOT want to disturb him, so resisted the urge.
The caterpillar who had been on the floor last night when the plants fell over hadn't moved either...he was the one I was actually hoping would relocate. No such luck, apparently a soggy wet paper towel scrap is just a glorious freaking place to pupate. Did I raise a bunch of dummies or what!
The garden was fine, I retrieved this tasty radish.
Soon Jameson went to rehearsal and while he was gone I practiced steno, all the while thinking about Zipper struggling through his next step in the dangerous process of becoming a butterfly. I was really hoping to see the pupa emerge, but when it happens it happens fast and despite checking several times over the next two hours it just didn't seem to be happening. He was making progress though; see how his little tentacles are all curly and shriveled? That means he's retracted them inside his skin.
https://instagram.com/p/CNkGMH9syUw
I went to bed early, feeling exhausted after getting up way too early like an idiot the previous night.
When Jameson came home I checked on Zipper one more time...
Success! I got to see his freshly-formed chrysalis. Over the next day it will reshape and dry out somewhat. How exciting!
Not only that, the little idiot who wouldn't let go of the paper towel did actually end up pupating there. Good grief.
I guess his name will be Towelie.
And yes, I'm referring to these two in particular as "him" because they've GOT to be boys. I'll be able to tell in a week when they emerge. Lol.
Monday, just a normal day for once. I had steno class at night, and was late, but it was all good.
Not much change with the caterpillars: I now have five chrysalides and two remaining caterpillars, with one of them starting to J-hang. The other was hatched a bit later and is a molt behind, so I figure he'll try to pupate by the weekend or so. Now that Zipper is a chrysalis, I can open the enclosure completely, thank goodness.
Here is Zipper's completed chrysalis, right on the zipper seam:
Tuesday, I was very tired, work was ok although I'm getting more scrutiny from management than I would like. Maybe I shouldn't have applied for that promotion after all. At home, the sixth caterpillar had pupated. Now there's only one left, munching on the leftover parts of the absolutely demolished milkweed plant. It's kind of strange...just a few days ago there was so much activity: eating, pooping, fighting, climbing. Now everything is still.
Wednesday, I got up a little early to start my Baking Bread for Beginners project to ensure that the loaf would be done before my class. This week we're incorporating wheat flour into the boule we learned, so the recipe is exactly the same except 50g of wheat flour and 5g extra water. During the 30 minute dough rest I ate breakfast; during the 3-hour rise I checked on the caterpillars (well, chrysalides) and cleaned out their enclosure. With only one caterpillar left, I decided to take one of the milkweeds out so it could recover in the garden.
I was able to get a clear shot of Towelie:
I love how you can see the outline of the wings.
While inspecting the chrysalides I noticed that the one hanging from the milkweed is damaged. It probably happened when the plant fell over during our storm. I hope he comes out OK.
In the garden I only found four caterpillars left, but that doesn't mean they got eaten necessarily, just that they could have gone elsewhere to pupate. I found one caterpillar yards away, starting to J-hang from my passion vine. (By the next morning, he was a chrysalis)
Nearby was another caterpillar waiting to pupate. I also found a chrysalis in my pollinator garden, on a bulbine plant.
This year my garden is 90% milkweed, and the caterpillars have decimated that. I ended up going to Lowe's for one more milkweed and a pentas, just to have something to attract and feed other butterflies.
Back in the house I worked on the bread some more, and made a pan of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownies (some things are better from a box than homemade, and these brownies are one of those things). I've been craving brownies lately. It's been years since I had a brownie. Isn't that terrible?? Needed to rectify that. I also bought white chocolate raspberry ice cream, hot fudge, and made some whipped cream.
The bread turned out well, although I still feel it's splitting where I don't want it to. I think maybe I need to work on how I shape the bread, and sealing my seams properly to prevent "blowouts" as they're called. Still, it tastes great and the crumb is good, so the appearance really doesn't matter.
Jameson went for a walk while I finished up my bread and did laundry, then we ate dinner separately because I had class at 5:30. Class was ok, I didn't practice as much as I should have this week due to getting knocked on my ass with the vaccine, but overall I didn't do terrible. After class I made myself a hot fudge brownie sundae. With rainbow sprinkles, because I'm An Adult. Hells yes!
Before going to bed I checked on the chrysalides, and found my last caterpillar going into a J-hang.
I felt strangely emotional about it. Just a few weeks ago, I was watching eggs the size of a grain of sand hatch and little eyelash-sized caterpillars wiggling to life. And after tonight, they'll never be caterpillars again. They'll emerge totally different creatures, who fly and drink nectar and live short little beautiful lives. This has really been an experience I won't forget. If you have a chance to raise monarchs, I'd highly recommend.
Thursday, I had a lot to do in the earlier part of the day.
I did my meal prep, made some dill lemon aioli for the salmon burgers I'm gonna make later, and weighed out the salmon filets. Then I checked on all of my plants, making especial note of the plants that could be pollinated because I was giving a presentation for my Aunt's class. I had really hoped to show them a passiflora flower since it's so pretty and not something they'd see in their home state, but unfortunately it was being uncooperative and not offering any blooms today.
I did find one of the caterpillars who had tried to pupate, but the ants that guard the passion vine had found him and decided he'd make a nice meal. He was attacked mid-transformation, and sadly he will not survive. Such is nature.
https://instagram.com/p/CNslbiinbP7
Would have been fun to show THAT to the little kiddies. Here's caterpillar being eaten alive, kids! Can you hear his tiny screams?
In seriousness, I'm sorry if you, reader, are upset by that video. The thing is, when I chose to raise monarch caterpillars, I knew that I would not be able to take in all of the eggs. I cannot afford all the milkweed it would take to raise them, and with a full time job I cannot be here to care for dozens of bugs. I took what I knew I could handle, and the rest must fend for themselves, like the majority of living things must do every day all around the world. I knew, without a doubt, that most of the eggs that hatched in my yard were going to die. What happened to this caterpillar is natural law. That law applies to all of us, regardless of how we "feel" about it.
If it makes anyone feel better, I did use an air canister to blow the ants off, to see if the caterpillar could be saved. Sadly, the chrysalis was very badly damaged with lots of tears and parts eaten away. When I posted this video on facebook, people commented "Save it!" and "Try xyz!". I apprecate and empathize with those sentiments. But "saving it" would be self-gratifying, and would only extend the suffering of this caterpillar, who can no longer become a butterfly. I would much rather have the ants finish their work quickly, than "save" the caterpillar and make it suffer for a few more days because of my selfish emotional reaction. I'm sorry for his death, but we all die. May his suffering be brief.
That's about all I have to say on it, but if you have questions or if you need to rant at me about it, I understand.
Just know that right now, in your own backyard, this exact thing or something even worse IS happening. Getting angry with me about it will not change that one iota.
Anyway, the presentation was at 1pm and went very well. I just walked around my little garden and showed the kids the parts of the flowers, what the pollen looked like (I have a black toothbrush that makes a nice contrast for the white or yellow pollen), and how to pollinate plants using a toothbrush or Q-tip. I then showed them what happens to the flowers once they're pollinated (i.e. fruits and vegetables), and explained how pollination allows the plant to make "fruit", which has seeds inside, that can then grow a whole new plant. There were still some monarch caterpillars out in the yard, so I showed those eating and crawling around, which the kids really seemed to like. I explained their bright coloring as a signal that says, "Don't eat me!", and the importance of milkweed for monarch butterflies. I showed them the chrysalides (not the one getting eaten alive, tempting as that was) and some of the flowers in my garden that the butterflies will get nourishment from once they have emerged. My aunt seemed pleased, so I think I did a good job!
After that Jameson was teaching his Zoom class, and I should have practiced steno but didn't feel like it. Instead I started on prep for the salmon burgers since they can be made a little ahead of time.
I've never put meat in a blender before. Eew. Not likely to do it again. It's just too much cleanup!
Still these tasted AMAZING. I used frozen wild salmon, which shockingly was about the same cost as canned salmon. There wasn't much seasoning, just dijon mustard, shallots, capers, Old Bay, and black pepper. Seared each patty for 3 minutes on a side.
Put them on egg knot buns with lettuce, tomato, onion, and lemon dill aioli. Very, very good.
I was supposed to make sweet potato fries too, but TBH I was drinking white wine while cooking and as a result completely forgot about the fries. The bf wasn't upset so it's all good :) It only meant we had more room for brownie sundaes afterward!
I did practice steno after dinner, but the homework had a lot of new words so I decided to just practice for now and submit the assignment tomorrow when I can do it without having to stop and look stuff up.
This week was full of caterpillar happenings. If you're tired of seeing that, rest assured that there are NO MORE caterpillars, and starting Sunday I should be posting about the emergence of butterflies and the process of releasing them. After that, I won't be taking in any monarchs for a while. All of my milkweed is nothing but sticks, it needs to regrow. And I've to steno to do, and other projects to work on.
I don't want to go to work. :p
Tags:
