Poozilla vs Mothra

If you didn’t grow up a nerd or raise one, you might not be familiar with the epic film “Godzilla vs Mothra.” I feel for you but we can’t watch all the movies ever made, so I understand. The plot line was complex including global warming, corporate greed, working with an ex spouse, sleeping giants, woke giants, politics, and missed predictions of meteor strikes (was suppose to happen in 1999. But so was all the other Y2K jibberish.) Just run of the mill themes, yet woven so well as all the Godzilla movies do. But the best part of this movie was that the hero turned out to be a bug. I love bugs. It is about time they get their due.

Last night about 3:00 am, we had a little excitement of our own non-movie type. No large reptilians, but Mothra paid us a visit.

The lights were out – as I strangely find it easier to sleep that way – and all of a sudden I woke up to the sound of a bat or a bird in the bathroom. I got up and saw it was another giant moth. “Another” as this is number three that have chosen the indoor life in the one year I have been in the house. The dogs saw it too and I had to beat them back to catch it first. I was able to get my hand flat on it and slipped my other hand under so not to hurt him. (Not hurting the good guys is an abundantly important part of living the Nerd Mantra.) But this meant I had no hand to open the window. So, I put him flat against me with one hand. The dogs were mobbing me. I did the dance we do when three large balls of fluff are trying to take us to the floor, and made it to the window. I lifted my hand for the moth to fly out but instead it flew back in to the ceiling light in the bedroom.
 
Time to try again. With all the doors closed and the window open I turned off the light hoping to shoo him out the window towards the street lights. Shooing had worked with the first moth visitor we had. He was the size of a salad plate so my hand wasn’t going to do the trick. This time Mr/Ms moth fluttered around some, then I thought I saw him go out the window. It became dead silent so I was convinced he flew out. I closed the window. 
Upon turning on the lights and starting to get back in bed I saw this: 

Yep, the moth was in between the boys. The boys were watching me because the last time they saw the moth when the lights were on, I had it. Finally the moth did a little flutter getting their attention.

At this point I took a quick picture and scooped it up before the Poozillas had moth tartare. I turned off the light with my elbow, reopened the window with my arm, and hurled him out. This did not make me popular and I was punished with no sleep for a few hours as the dogs retraced the journey of their fluttery friend over and over again.

I am beginning to think I am Snow White. (Fun fact: my maiden name was White. As I have red hair they use to call me Red. I always wanted a dog named Blue so people would say; “There goes Red White and Blue.” Now you know.) I always have creatures that come in to the house to sit on my shoulder while I whistle and clean house. Or is that Cinderella? Here is the moth before this moth and after the first moth. I could have said “second moth” but in school when the teacher said we had to do a 600 word paper and everyone moaned – I was silent: until she looked at me and said, “and under 5000 words.” Then I moaned. Hey! I could have also said “yellow moth” or moth with “poodle top knot.” So many options – so little finger strength to type them.

Anyway…the moth that wasn’t the third moth gladly sat on my hand then started laying her eggs. I spent an hour making sure the eggs were in a notch in a tree so the wind would not blow them way. I considered glue but “gluing” and “living beings” don’t go in the same sentence. I checked on them often and then one day half were gone. Then the next day only two were left. Poor duds. I thought about burying the two DOA’s with a proper ceremony but figured something needed them for dinner.

Perhaps one day I will tell you the story of the two inch wasp; that wasn’t a wasp but was really a Mydas fly, which is the largest know fly, that eats the grubs that eat grass roots, and that take two to three years before leaving the larva stage, that chose to live in my house. Yep, too many words…..but a fine looking bug!