Grasshopper Knocking

So, word has gotten out to the dogs that we offer out scraps at night. Our hurt dog friend has been scratching at the door the past two nights. So naturally tonight, when I kept hearing scratching at the door, I assumed it was our dog wanting some food. I ignored it for a while, then felt like a jerk cause that poor dog is starving and I've eaten like a pig today. (ramble: Shirley made fried empanadas for lunch, and I ended up helping the kids finish off theirs, so instead of having just one which I felt a duty to do to be grateful for her work I ate three, so I was going to just go super light for dinner, but yesterday we invited one of the American families over, so we made a big meal again which I didn't eat much of, except for the chocolate oatmeal cookies they brought to share... so anyway, I was feeling like I'm out of control, and I have been...) can't I share some of my caloric bounty with the poor starving dog?

So after ignoring the scratchings at the door, my heart finally softened and I thought I'd give him the last two empanadas which nobody wants to eat anyway and I'd like to get them out of the house...

I go outside, no dog. I look around to the back door where I also heard scratching, no dog. I wait, I hear a ruffling in the bushes... Dog? Wait, silence. No dog... I think "If there's some guy with a machete in the bushes this isn't going to be very good for me..." (Corey talked with the 24/7 security guy who guards the gate and asked him if he's ever had to shoot anyone with his gun. He said just once when a guy climbed over the fence with a machete and he had to shoot to scare him away...) no guy in the bushes, I heard another scratching/ruffling sound and kept holding still and looking around...

Then a big red and green feathered thing about 5 feet in the air (right at my head level) flies/flops crazily across our driveway porch and slams into one of the pillars... It looked kinda like a hurt bird, but was too small... unless it was a hummingbird, but a little too big for that... I go to try and peek at it and it's flying again. It lands out of view and flies up again, this time it lands on the door frame and I see it is a GIANT grasshopper. Totally huge. It jumps, flies, and flops around again toward me, I scream/squeal and run for the door back inside. My heart is racing and I tell the family watching TV that there is a HUGE grasshopper out there. They all look at me, excited that there's something exciting happening. I pick up Lily who comes to my legs. I open the door to peek out, and it flies in, lands on the window coverings in the kitchen my the door long enough for everyone to see and scream, I squeal, Lily laughs at me squealing and thinks we're playing a game, even Corey's eyes get big, then luckily the grasshopper flies/flops right out he door with it's green and red wings flapping their bright colors.

"That was huge!!! Did you get a picture?!?" It was hardly holding still long enough for a picture, but I put down Lily and went out to try and photograph it and it flew at me, I screamed again and it hit me in the elbow and I ran inside. I can't scream like that or the security guy will come over. If I did get a picture of it, I would have to have one of the kids holding it or have something pictured next to it to compare it's size too. Ethan "I wish I brought my butterfly net!" So I didn't get a picture, but we quickly found one online, and this is what our brief visitor looked like - seriously huge, as big as Corey's hand, ugh! - I totally get shudders just thinking about it - AHH!!!

Meet the giant grasshopper, or Tropidacris cristata. This baby can be found in both Costa Rica and Panama. Costa Rica apparently is an insect lover’s dream. There are fifty to sixty thousand species of insects that thrive in the jungles of the country. Some say, the insects themselves, some of which are only found here, are worth the trip. Click here to see more amazing bugs. Ick!!!! I'm not a bug person, but that was fun to have him come visit us, (cause I don't want to go to his house.)