His/her antennae go down another 3 or 4 inches beyond this picture!

So look who was hanging out on my computer this morning….

I think this is a leaf bug. When these bugs are out in their natural milieu, they look totally camouflaged, like a leaf. In fact, they sometimes nibble on each other by mistake. Whatever this bug is, it makes super-loud, prehistoric-sounding noises. For an entertaining look at leaf bugs—including how popular they apparently are to keep as pets—see the Interesting Animals site.

I lightly tossed a kitchen towel over this guy/gal, who stuck to it like sandpaper—I’ll bet they have little suction cups on their legs—and I took him/her out to the bug rescue launching station in the yard for a successful re-start to both of our mornings.

I am starting to purposely step on some bugs in my house, though. The fast little spiders, for instance. I squished one that bit me inside my pant leg today. (I’ve probably got a liter of bug venom in me instead of blood.) Ruthlessness is necessary for survival here in the Tennessee jungle.

Did you know, the word “ruthless” really does mean “without ruth”? In medieval days, “ruth” meant “a feeling of pity, distress, or grief.” There’s a lot of ruth going around these days; maybe we should bring the word back. “How are you feeling?” “Lot of ruth, man, lot of ruth.” Probably comes from “rue,” as in “bitterly regret.”

As for work on the house—I painted the floor and part of the walls in the front bedroom a couple of days ago, to freshen it up (it still smelled like my housesitter’s legacy after the first coat of paint last month, but now with this second coat is much improved). I don’t know if it’s related, probably not, but I got super-sick last night. Today I pledged to take it easy for my health’s sake, so have mostly done so, including a nice nap, Siamesie and Cairo atop me. Awoke feeling much better. I read somewhere that putting a purring cat on your head can cure a migraine…?