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Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
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The Day of the Mantis By Pen Hailey wanted to play outside yesterday, and it was one of those perfect summer afternoons, with big puffy clouds interrupting bright blue skies, just hot enough that shade felt wonderful. So I settled in for a nap in the hammock while she set up the current cast of favorite dolls a few feet away in her playhouse. When Hailey woke me to show me something that doll Lilly could do, I noticed a praying mantis on the eave of the playhouse and pointed it out. Hailey has been excited about birdwatching lately, and adores the zoo, so I expected this bit of nature to catch her interest as well. Instead, she stopped everything to demand that I get rid of the bug. I refused, citing the weather, the shade, the hammock, and a compelling need to pass silent judgement on the toil of the neighbor boy mowing his lawn nearby. Hailey took matters into her own hands, lashing out at the tiny insect with a handy stick. The mantis landed a few feet between us, and Hailey declared that playtime was now over. I tried singing a few bars of that Old Father's Classic, "He's more scared of you," and then, since the bug had wandered into camera range, I took some pictures from the comfort of the hammock. Hailey was having none of my entomologic diplomacy. "He'll get on my toys. We have to go inside. Now." Another violent swing of the stick, and the mantis headed for the only true shelter, my hammock. At which point Hailey began tearfully screaming, "He's under you! Get him! Hurry!" "It's fine," I insisted. "Go back to playing with your toys. This might be the day that the neighbor boy swallows his pride and asks my learned opinion on some important aspect of yard work." "He's on you! He's climbing on you!" "Where?" I leaned forward, only to see the mantis pop into view on my crotch. I shot up both hands to fend off another swing of the stick. My sudden movement caused the mantis to disappear again. It did actually worry me that he might have taken refuge elsewhere on my person, so I grudgingly ended my siesta. I stood up, shook off, and helped to carry dolls and toys back to the relative safety of the back porch. The neighbor boy continued to make lazy circles on his riding mower, apparently happy to finish his lawn without the benefit of my wisdom or supervision. This story was posted on 2019-08-03 14:04:20
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