Wednesday, August 03, 2005, 19:07
Katydid. . .Gone
"So where's the Katydid?" Randy asked when he got home from work on Tuesday.
"I don't know," I said. "I haven't seen it since this morning."
The large green grasshopper-like bug had entered the house the night before when Pixie and I came back inside. In the morning, I had seen it on the kitchen wall, but I had not seen it since then.
The Katydid's whereabouts remained a mystery until later on the evening when we returned from taking the dogs for a walk.
As soon as we came in the driveway, I knew where it was -- my kitty cats gave it away. Two of them were sitting on the table by the dining room window, staring up toward the ceiling.
"I bet I know where the Katydid is," I said to Randy.
And sure enough. The Katydid was in the window, on the venetian blind.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick," said the Katydid.
"Meow-chatter-chirp, meow-chatter-chirp," said the cats as they leaped up and then slid back down the window.
"Okay, that's enough of that," Randy said. He looked around the kitchen until he spied my lamb's wool duster.
He held the duster up toward the top of the window by the Katydid -- but the Katydid didn't want anything to do with the duster.
"Maybe this will work better," Randy said, picking up the newspaper.
He held the folded newspaper up by the Katydid, and it immediately crawled onto the newspaper. Randy opened the door, thrust the newspaper outside. . .and the Katydid was gone. Well, not really gone, because *then* it was climbing up the outside of the window.
I don't know how we managed, but later on the evening, Pixie and I were able to go outside and come back in without letting another Katydid loose on the premises.
We have lived in this house for 10 years, and I have never seen so many Katydids around the door at night as we have this year. And since there seems to be so many of them, I suppose it's only a matter of time until another one flies into the house. And when it does, I'll be ready for it -- with another newspaper for it to crawl on. If I can reach it. If I can't, then I'm going for the broom. . .
LeAnn R. Ralph
Tuesday, August 02, 2005, 20:06
Katydids. . .and Don'ts
This must be a good year for Katydids. For the past three nights, when I have taken Pixie outside before going to bed, a Katydid has flown in the house with us. And of course, being a Katydid, it can't be quiet. No. It has to sit there on the wall or the ceiling, "tick-tick-tick-tick." It's enough noise to bring the cats on the run. Then they spend a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to figure out how they're going to get up the wall or get up to the ceiling.
The first night, I managed to capture the Katydid and put it back outside. The next two nights I wasn't so lucky. While one cat tried to climb the coat closet and the other cat sat on the floor, staring at the ceiling and chattering, I got out my trusty broom to whisk the Katydid off its comfortable spot a few feet above my head.
It came off the ceiling all right. And landed on the wall.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick," said the Katydid.
"Meow-chatter-meow-chatter," said the cats -- as they climbed on the kitchen chairs to put themselves a little closer to the ceiling.
"I really don't want you on the wall, either," I said, taking another swipe with the broom. This time the Katydid landed in the plants I have sitting above the coat closet.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick," said the Katydid.
"Meow-chatter-meow-chatter," said the cats.
One of the cats hopped off the chair and jumped on top of the tall wooden box where we keep our mittens and gloves and scarves.
"No, Guinevere," I said. "You're either going to break something or get hurt or both. But I don't think you're going to be able to reach the Katydid."
I waited for the Katydid to appear on the wall again, but it did not. Then, without warning, the cats stopped meowing and chattering and took off down the hall.
"Oh, goody," I said. "There it goes."
Now the Katydid really was loose in the house, and I didn't think I stood much of a chance of capturing it.
The next morning I found the poor Katydid on the floor, dead. The kitties must have kept after it until they got hold of it.
Monday night, for the third time, a Katydid flew inside when Pixie and I came back in the house.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick," said the Katydid.
"Meow-chatter-meow-chatter," said the cats.
"All right, enough is enough," I said. "I don't know where you guys are coming from, but I'd rather you weren't in the house."
I got out my trusty broom again and tried to brush the Katydid off the wall. If I could knock it to the floor, maybe I could pick it up and put it outside.
No such luck. The Katydid flew up to the ceiling.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick," said the Katydid.
"Meow-chatter-meow-chatter," said the cats as they hopped up on the chairs.
I took aim with the broom and knocked the Katydid into the plants.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick," said the Katydid.
"Meow-chatter-meow-chatter," said the cats.
"All right. Come out with your hands up," I said. "Or in this case, with your wings up."
The Katydid flew up and landed on the wall. Which was all well and good. But if I wanted to brush the Katydid off the wall, I was going to have to climb up on a chair and move all my plants in order to do it.
But of course, before I could even move a chair close enough, the Katydid flew up to the ceiling.
"Tick-tick-tick-tick," said the Katydid.
"Meow-chatter-meow-chatter," said the cats.
Once again, I reached up with the broom and brushed the Katydid off the ceiling. And once again, it landed in the plants.
After several more times of knocking the Katydid off the ceiling and the Katydid landing in the plants, I gave up.
"If the cats get a hold of you like they did with the one that came in last night, don't blame me," I said.
Tuesday morning, as I was drinking a cup of coffee, I looked up, and there was the Katydid sitting on the wall.
"I see you survived the cats," I said.
I didn't bother trying to get the Katydid down from the wall. As long as he doesn't sit there with that incessant "tick-tick-tick-tick" -- things are fine.
I suppose another Katydid will come in the house tonight, and then there will be two of them at large in my house.
The Katydids are here all right -- but I wish they wouldn't!
LeAnn R. Ralph