And wasps. I captured 2 last night in my living room when it was too cold and dark to throw them out, so I gave them sugar water and made them wait til morning. Am I nuts?
Six years ago I discovered a tiny mouse - no bigger than a thimble - toodling around my NYC apartment. It was exquisite. So small, so vulnerable. I spend the day tracking her (I decided she was a she)...she was clever and elusive. Somehow, magically she ended up in the tub where I was able to herd her into a box. We journeyed to Central Park, to a favorite tree near Cleopatra's Needle, where she might find shelter and a new life. I hope.
“I never want to reach the point of not noticing.” This. Life is not Edenic, death is real and ever present. But we must notice and witness it. In the very act of noticing we redeem some of the horror that exists in the grand beauty of life. Always notice.
I see nothing odd about your need to save even the tiniest living things (fire ants would give me pause ,though )
Our increasingly fragile existence on this (still) lovely blue planet makes me appreciate every living thing so much more I wonder : When will we see the last one of any species still holding on to life ; what frightens me to my core is the word Extinct - we have idea how interconnected everything is until we start the great unraveling.
Oh, Elizabeth, what a beautiful piece of writing. I want to admire that first, before admiring the ideas within it. You had me at misery persisting like a sadness-scented room spray, and your gentle humor sprinkled with literary references kept me reading along (even though I have some strong feelings about ants) until suddenly this was not about ants at all.
I'm not sure when I first had the epiphany you describe here, but it was a few years ago. I'm not a purist; while I do my best to free many little creatures to the wild, I make exceptions for murder-spiders, rats, and--yes--ants. I feel conflicted every time. I have been mostly co-existing peacefully with ants since I moved into our house 6 years ago; they come and go, mostly coming when it rains. But this winter they have been coming in hordes, mostly in our kitchen. We finally put some ant traps (which are not traps at all; they are poison pools, near as I can tell) right outside the doors of the spaces where we see them most, and now sweeping up ant carcasses has become a daily chore. They come in to die, it seems, making me witness and deal with the consequences of my choices. Now, when I sweep them up today, I will find myself thinking about borders and territories of all kinds, and power, and what is and is not a threat. Thank you?
(Also, could you maybe next time not write about creatures that "bring forth a revulsion that feels primal"?) :-)
Ah, a question for our times....what is our responsibility to do what we can to rescue those in need? I believe It is for those more fortunate (whether in size, wealth or position) to step up, but how is often an obstacle, even in saving ants.
Lovely thoughts on how to practice noticing, and how to practice agency. It's funny how each of us draw lines. Co-op moths, and those tiny aimless ants are on my kill-without-compunction list - but NOT: crickets in the bathtub, centipedes, millipedes, stinkbugs (sorry, Barry), wasps that are on the wrong side of the window, and that mouse that, I swear, I caught, released, and recaptured several times.
The world's such a mess that to help on a micro level, is to have done something, surely.
I hate killing things - and yet, we had an evil nest of aggressive European wasps next to the footpath across our garden and I was so glad when my husband managed to kill the lot. When one gets threatened, they send out pheromone messages and its 'one in all in' -meaning every time we batted them away or sprayed them with water, we were under threat. (They sting repeatedly)
Then there are certain Australian spiders and snakes. Ye Gods!
I've been studying Buddhist ethos for quite some time and I suspect I may potentially be the worst Buddhist ever - 'According to Buddhist principles, insects are considered as sentient beings, who should not be harmed or killed...'
Wonderful reading! Thank you! I have saved mosquitoes and ticks, though... and the parsley in the kitchen has aphids and I may not be able to eat it, but the lady bugs have food till spring! As for ants, there is a chant I learned from a Tewa woman that goes like this: tchi tchi tchi Pa, three beats and a loud PA, and they go away! ^--^
What came to me in reading this is Jesus saying something like this, “When you have done this to the least of these, you have done it unto me.” Whatever I believe about Jesus or the Bible, I like applying the concept to ants. We are respecting the role ants play in our Earth, and at the same time protecting the planet which gives us life. We are given the universe not to use it, but to care for it. Thank you for reminding me of this.
This was excellent - reminded me of how long a (very short) walk to school used to take with my young (sensitive) son who insisted on airlifting parched earthworms off the pavement after a heavy rain and inspecting every snail shell too. "But mum, there was somebody home in that one!" And at 33 now, he still has the same kindly disposition. If only more people (in positions of authority, say) could think like this. A timely piece.
Lol I totally get this!! I'm the weirdo who feels sorry for a bug that lands on my windshield at a red light and gets stuck there. Glued to the window by the force of headwinds and then taken miles away from its home. How many bug lives did I ruin by driving that bug so far from home?
You're an inspiration, Elizabeth: I hereby state my intention to save the next ant I meet which requires assistance. 🐜
My list of things to save already contains the following (in priority order): earthworms, bees, ladybirds, lacewings, spiders, butterflies and woodlice. I prevented Jim from driving off the other day because one of the longest worms I'd ever seen was in mortal danger from his wheels. All was well!
I love this! Reminds me of the poem "Mercy" by Rudy Fransisco. : )
And wasps. I captured 2 last night in my living room when it was too cold and dark to throw them out, so I gave them sugar water and made them wait til morning. Am I nuts?
Six years ago I discovered a tiny mouse - no bigger than a thimble - toodling around my NYC apartment. It was exquisite. So small, so vulnerable. I spend the day tracking her (I decided she was a she)...she was clever and elusive. Somehow, magically she ended up in the tub where I was able to herd her into a box. We journeyed to Central Park, to a favorite tree near Cleopatra's Needle, where she might find shelter and a new life. I hope.
“I never want to reach the point of not noticing.” This. Life is not Edenic, death is real and ever present. But we must notice and witness it. In the very act of noticing we redeem some of the horror that exists in the grand beauty of life. Always notice.
I see nothing odd about your need to save even the tiniest living things (fire ants would give me pause ,though )
Our increasingly fragile existence on this (still) lovely blue planet makes me appreciate every living thing so much more I wonder : When will we see the last one of any species still holding on to life ; what frightens me to my core is the word Extinct - we have idea how interconnected everything is until we start the great unraveling.
Oh, Elizabeth, what a beautiful piece of writing. I want to admire that first, before admiring the ideas within it. You had me at misery persisting like a sadness-scented room spray, and your gentle humor sprinkled with literary references kept me reading along (even though I have some strong feelings about ants) until suddenly this was not about ants at all.
I'm not sure when I first had the epiphany you describe here, but it was a few years ago. I'm not a purist; while I do my best to free many little creatures to the wild, I make exceptions for murder-spiders, rats, and--yes--ants. I feel conflicted every time. I have been mostly co-existing peacefully with ants since I moved into our house 6 years ago; they come and go, mostly coming when it rains. But this winter they have been coming in hordes, mostly in our kitchen. We finally put some ant traps (which are not traps at all; they are poison pools, near as I can tell) right outside the doors of the spaces where we see them most, and now sweeping up ant carcasses has become a daily chore. They come in to die, it seems, making me witness and deal with the consequences of my choices. Now, when I sweep them up today, I will find myself thinking about borders and territories of all kinds, and power, and what is and is not a threat. Thank you?
(Also, could you maybe next time not write about creatures that "bring forth a revulsion that feels primal"?) :-)
Ah, a question for our times....what is our responsibility to do what we can to rescue those in need? I believe It is for those more fortunate (whether in size, wealth or position) to step up, but how is often an obstacle, even in saving ants.
Agree!!!!! Yet, I haven't quite developed that sentimental tear for the stink bug however.....Grrrrrrrooooosss...
Lovely thoughts on how to practice noticing, and how to practice agency. It's funny how each of us draw lines. Co-op moths, and those tiny aimless ants are on my kill-without-compunction list - but NOT: crickets in the bathtub, centipedes, millipedes, stinkbugs (sorry, Barry), wasps that are on the wrong side of the window, and that mouse that, I swear, I caught, released, and recaptured several times.
The world's such a mess that to help on a micro level, is to have done something, surely.
I hate killing things - and yet, we had an evil nest of aggressive European wasps next to the footpath across our garden and I was so glad when my husband managed to kill the lot. When one gets threatened, they send out pheromone messages and its 'one in all in' -meaning every time we batted them away or sprayed them with water, we were under threat. (They sting repeatedly)
Then there are certain Australian spiders and snakes. Ye Gods!
I've been studying Buddhist ethos for quite some time and I suspect I may potentially be the worst Buddhist ever - 'According to Buddhist principles, insects are considered as sentient beings, who should not be harmed or killed...'
That's me done, then.
Wonderful reading! Thank you! I have saved mosquitoes and ticks, though... and the parsley in the kitchen has aphids and I may not be able to eat it, but the lady bugs have food till spring! As for ants, there is a chant I learned from a Tewa woman that goes like this: tchi tchi tchi Pa, three beats and a loud PA, and they go away! ^--^
What came to me in reading this is Jesus saying something like this, “When you have done this to the least of these, you have done it unto me.” Whatever I believe about Jesus or the Bible, I like applying the concept to ants. We are respecting the role ants play in our Earth, and at the same time protecting the planet which gives us life. We are given the universe not to use it, but to care for it. Thank you for reminding me of this.
This was excellent - reminded me of how long a (very short) walk to school used to take with my young (sensitive) son who insisted on airlifting parched earthworms off the pavement after a heavy rain and inspecting every snail shell too. "But mum, there was somebody home in that one!" And at 33 now, he still has the same kindly disposition. If only more people (in positions of authority, say) could think like this. A timely piece.
And as with everything else in life, it’s about choices 🐜
Lol I totally get this!! I'm the weirdo who feels sorry for a bug that lands on my windshield at a red light and gets stuck there. Glued to the window by the force of headwinds and then taken miles away from its home. How many bug lives did I ruin by driving that bug so far from home?
You're an inspiration, Elizabeth: I hereby state my intention to save the next ant I meet which requires assistance. 🐜
My list of things to save already contains the following (in priority order): earthworms, bees, ladybirds, lacewings, spiders, butterflies and woodlice. I prevented Jim from driving off the other day because one of the longest worms I'd ever seen was in mortal danger from his wheels. All was well!
Such a lovely post! Nature needs our nurture. xxx