Death by Jursualem Cricket

After working 6 night shifts in a row, I have a really hard time getting back on a regular day schedule. Generally, when I am wide awake in the middle of the night, I will go watch a movie or read a book, so as to not disturb Jeremy with my tossing and turning. Last night was no different. Jeremy and I went to bed around 11, and by 1:30, I was bored to death and keeping Jeremy up; so off to the den I went to watch Legends of the Fall.
As Rieber and I are cuddled up on the sofa enjoying Brad Pitt, out of the corner of my eye I see this ginormous bug crawling straight toward us! Rieber is fast asleep and completely useless so I had to think fast! I had a half empty cup of juice and an empty cereal bowl within arm's reach. I quickly poured the juice into the bowl and trapped the nasty thing under the cup. Now Rieber, who is finally awake and trying to be helpful, knocks the cup over in an attempt to eat the creature. I push him away and trap him again.

"Think! Think!! What am I going to do with this thing? What the hell is this thing? Is it going to kill me? Are there 100 more waiting to come in and eat me???" I was on the verge of panic!

Well I couldn't leave it under the cup, so I went and got a zip-lock bag and somehow maneuvered it into the bag and sealed it up. Even though it was 3 in the morning, I had to wake Jer up for his help. What good is a husband if he can't save you from man eating bugs? Plus, I had done all the hard work already, the thing was safely contained in a zip-lock bag on the kitchen counter.

"Jer, I am so sorry, but there is a really big scary bug and I don't know what to do with it."

What a gracious husband I have, he climbs out of bed and comes in the kitchen to investigate. He has no idea what it is, but agrees it is one ugly guy.

We decided (well, I decided) to put the zip-lock bag in a Tupperware container, just in case the thing could eat through plastic. Jer began searching online to figure out what it was.

Google search: "Big striped butt, 6 legs"

Here's what we got:


A Jerusalem Cricket!

"Ok, cricket is not so scary." (But you have to admit that is the ugliest cricket on earth!)

So after reading about the harmless being, I decided it was safe to finish my movie; but not safe to let him go, in case he decided to come back inside. So I left him in the bag in the container to die overnight.

Well this morning, much to my amazement, the thing was still alive!! I had to reward the endurance and survival of the harmless cricket, so I let him go this morning in the yard. (A very safe distance from the house.)

When he crawled out of the bag, he turned around and walked right back toward me. Probably a way to say "Thanks!"

Oh the adventures of insomnia....