Sometimes I swear things around here are conspiring against me to ensure I can’t post in a timely manner. Take last night, for instance, when I finally sat down to write about the communication workshop we ran last week with the Shanti staff. Moments after opening the blogging program on my computer, Kristen and I realized that we had company. Apparently most of the grasshoppers in the area had decided that our living room was as good a place as any to make themselves at home. After having them jump/fly onto our laptop screens repeatly and prove themselves annoying in general, we decided action was needed.
Unfortunately, it was around this time that the power shut off, meaning we were left searching for grasshoppers by flashlight. Kristen had a good system going, which consisted of trapping them in tupperware containers, walking outside and then flinging the contents of the jars as far away from the house as possible while darting quickly back inside before any grasshopers could make a return visit. We have no idea why there were so many of them last night in particular, but each time we thought we’d gotten them all, a telltale rustling among the boxes in the corner or flash of green on the couch would alert us to another one. It wouldn’t have been so bad under normal circumstances, but in the dark you can’t see when one of them decides to dive bomb your head, which is unnerving to say the least. We’d been hoping that the lizard we saw crawling around on the ceiling would help us out by eating a few of the grasshoppers, but no so luck. We did, however, come across another houseguest when we pulled back the couch to catch a particularly evasive grasshopper and instead found an “adorable” (Kristen’s description) baby mouse. We decided the grasshoppers were a bigger priority for the moment and went back to trying to locate them, but Kristen has plans for how to lure the mouse out from under the couch another time (all I know is that the strategy involves a tall jar, cheese, and a ruler to serve as a ramp for the mouse). If we can make sure the jar doesn’t fall over, which is where the ploy failed when Kristen last tried it in grade two, then we’ll be golden.
Needless to say, I made sure my mosquito net was thoroughly tucked in before I went to bed last night…
UPDATE: I’ve finally been able to upload that video of the dance performances from the other weekend. For those who are still interested in checking them out, I’ve added the YouTube video to the post about the dancing, which you can see here.