Jake and Manny

It all started when Jake was invited to play at the Murdock's house. The boys spotted the hugest Praying Mantis we've ever seen on their back screen door. Sister Murdock was kind enough to bottle it up in a mesh covered Mason jar for Jake to take home.

It is usually a good thing that our cat loves bugs. She eats spiders and crickets...it's an attribute that we appreciate. Unfortunately, her love for bugs caused her to get her claws stuck in the mesh that was covering said Mason jar. This resulted in shattered glass spraying all over the tile floor. Picture the scene: Shattered glass, 3 sets of bare feet, and a cat and one freaked-out Praying Mantis in the middle of it all. What do you do first? We managed to rescue Manny (although he lost an antennae), get the cat out, keep the dog out, and keep our feet safe.

Jake kept Manny for 8 days. (He even made the trip to Scout camp with us.) We bought him crickets at Petco, and enjoyed watching him eat them like shrimp. Unfortunately, the cat got into the crickets, too!

This morning, Jake made the decision to let him go (after we took some photos for posterity). First, we opened up the critter keeper and Manny hopped right out. Then I picked him up and placed him in Jake's hand. He very quickly climbed Jake's arm and up to his face. He really liked hanging out there. When Jake couldn't stand it anymore, I relocated Manny to Jake's head. When we finally said our goodbyes, Jake walked him outside, and Manny flew away. We miss him already, but it was fun while it lasted.