Allie's love of bugs

Note to all the rolly pollies of our area...get out while you can!

Allie loves bugs. She thinks bees are "cute", and wants to hug and hold every living thing. She has named the box elder bugs that have infested our house "Boxie" and thinks they are all one and the same. One day she is sad because Boxie has died, then she finds that Boxie is alive again and holds her and loves her.

Luckily she hasn't been fast enough to catch the ones that mean her harm.

Unluckily, our home has become the grave yard for many of her "friends".

The obsession began in the Spring with rolly pollies. I always called them potato bugs. I remember my Mom would pay me a penny for every one I collected. I would go to bed with dreams of potato bugs crawling all over.

Anyway, Allie discovered them this year and she was immediately in love. She classifies them in size categories (a Mommy one, a Daddy one, and baby ones). Her favorite ones are the baby ones of course. She carries them around all day. If something else requires a hand, she stuffs them in pockets. (In case you wondered, yes, I have found rolly pollie parts in the washing machine.) After a while of collecting, her hands and pockets would get too full and she would request a cup to put them in. She has collected many a cup full of them. I usually let them hang around until she forgets about them and toss them.

When she carries them around enough, some have been unfortunate enough to lose parts in her hand. "Look Mom, his wisker fell off! But he's okay. He's just sleeping."

She insists that they are sleeping when she finds a cup that has been neglected for days. The poor little guys! I would be more compassionate if she had chosen to love butterflies or caterpillars. I would save them from the certain death they would face when meeting Allie. But these bugs eat my petunias.

The other day, Allie was able to combine her two latest loves...

Sidewalk chalk and rolly pollies.

Can you tell that the legs are green? She was really excited that she was able to make her friend the same color as her art. Really, he is her art.