You're Free, Little Friend

We had a lovely walk this morning at the lake. It honestly was too hot to be walking, but we finished it anyway considering we would burn more calories that way. I don't think Max supported our decision, but he was a very good sport about it.

Along the first turn, before we reached the Eagle Scout beautification section, Honey spotted a little black caterpillar on the pavement. I encouraged her to pick it up to snuggle a minute and discovered Honey is not so interested in snuggling with stray caterpillars.

Max was curious. I picked it up, named it Winslow and we had a nice little chat about life as a caterpillar near the lake. The softness of a caterpillar is one of life's finest touches, in my opinion. It is to be preferred over pill bugs (or a roly-poly if you're from the south) and definitely nicer than a bumblebee, as that can turn horrific before you can say "Winnie-the-Pooh."

I helped Winslow find a new home several yards away from the pavement under a nice, fat Eucalyptus tree. I hope he'll make it through this season. It would be the nicest surprise ever to have Winslow land on my shoulder when he's found his new life as a butterfly.

We definitely need to start taking the camera along. But for right now, I assume you've seen a black caterpillar before. There's no telling what Winslow will look like in the future. I hope he lets Max know it's him. Max will be able to tell us.