taking care of the neighbors' caterpillars while they are gone for a week-and-a-half. He is supposed to give them a fresh oak leaf or two each day and sprinkle a few drops of water in the container if it hasn't rained for awhile.
The first day, Snacks went over and checked on the caterpillars at least five times. The second day, he went over several times--took his dad over and his Aunty Em over to show them his charges.
The third day he went over once, decided that the caterpillars needed A WHOLE BUNCH of oak leaves instead of just one or two, and stuffed the cage full, leaving the lid off after he left (which I later discovered and replaced).
Since then, I have been going over and taking care of the caterpillars. This is not at all surprising to me (the part where he is NOT taking care of them more than that I AM taking care of caterpillars).
Tonight when I went out to put our umbrella down, I remembered the caterpillars and went over to give them a fresh leaf. There is still the one in the cocoon, and I finally saw an actual caterpillar (I've been feeling pretty confident that they had all either escaped or died).
He was so beautiful--turquoise and black with a gray whiskery skirt. So sad to be trapped in a hot, plastic cage (even if he was a "bad" caterpillar).
I dumped him out.
And then covered my tracks.
