Butterfly Gifts

Today I brought a flower centerpiece to church. For some reason, I was feeling generous and thought I'd give away some of my prize chrysalides that I've raised from an egg. I had two butterflies emerge this morning, they came along to be part of the centerpiece display. 

We went to church for sacrament meeting and I took this into the Relief Society room, where the butterflies patiently waited during the hour long meeting, and they also hung around during the whole RS class discussion. Before it started, I let people know that I've been fostering monarchs and I brought a few to share, if anyone wanted one. I might have been feeling like sharing the butterfly load because my hands have felt more full lately with taking care of Jerry. Anyway, luckily I had 5 volunteers who happily took the 7 chrysalides I had brought. After class, ladies that wanted to hold the butterflies had time to do that. 

It is really fun and special to hold a butterfly! They are ethereal creatures. 

e·the·re·al - /əˈTHirēəl/ (adjective): "extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world."

I was glad to share the fun. Allie is new in our ward so I was especially glad she took one. She texted "I can't believe you were handing out butterflies!" I texted them with follow up care for their chrysalides that kinda sounded like laundering instructions: "Should emerge in 7-10 days, allow to hang for 2 hours until wings are dry, just watch and enjoy!" 

As the kids were finishing up in their classes, Lily came in and shared her butterfly wisdom with some of the youth and primary kids. Lily led the kids outside with the two butterflies we brought, which were both ready to take off. As soon as they caught some wind they flew away. So that was fun. Back at home, I took Jerry out to enjoy time on the flowers that I researched about and bought as a butterfly gift for him at Home Depot on Friday - I bought him some coneflower (not pictured, they're pink and were inside for when he as inside time, we rotate that so the flowers each have a turn in the sun) some Black Eyed Susan (yellow below) purple flowers (Butterfly Bush) and my favorite was Salvia! It smells so nice!

So he was out there enjoying himself, even hanging out with a bee! (You can see the bee on the middle yellow flower) and my heart was happy feeling that all was right in the nature world and that Jerry was able to enjoy what other butterflies do. I knew that these flowers need full sun, so I thought we'll take care of two birds with one stone - Jerry getting some time outside, and flowers getting there sun. I went inside to do whatever, and I go out an hour later, to pick him up in case he had fallen on the ground or something, and I didn't see him on the flowers... I looked around on the grass and found him, but he wasn't trying to walk about... he was dead. Aw man! Poor guy, I think I cooked him! He must have overheated in the sun! I came in holding his little body and confessed my crime to the kids. 

It was a total accident, but it still killed him. Abi and Natalie had just buried Maria earlier that morning while we were at church (they had been home sick with sore throats). Maria had been awaiting a proper burial in the freezer, so Natalie prepared the plot right next to her and helped me bury him. 

I had totally thought Jerry would be with us through Christmas. He was healthy and strong, but... he was also black, and it was in the 90s around 3:30 when I set him out. I'm sorry Jerry, it was my ignorant self's fault. I have since done some googling about butterfly wings and overheating. Seems the wings have living veins in them. Ah, well that makes it sense, since we cut poor Jerry's wings off! So we had doomed him from the start. Jerry, I'm sorry that I lost track of you when you were a caterpillar and that you made your silk pad over that thin desk drawer. We've all learned from this experience. Thank you for what you've taught us this summer. We enjoyed our time with you! Your life was a butterfly gift for our family. RIP Jerry. He now flying high in the heavens with a lovely set of angel butterfly wings.

Ok two other items from this evening - 1) we had a neighborhood walk about. The cookies were tasty cause Maralee  and her daughters are amazing bakers!

And 2) Joseph is back home in Utah after 2 weeks in Guatemala. He passed out cookies and souvenirs to his siblings. 

And he got me another beaded Quetzal bird to hang on my wood thingy. He brought one after his mission, but, like so many things around our home, it mysteriously disappeared sometime ago and no one did it. And I just learned that the bird is on Etsy! I guess I didn't have to wait for Joseph to take a trip down there, but a trip does make it more personal, so thanks Joseph. School at BYU starts tomorrow, so he arrived in just the nick of time. We helped him load up his car with his belongings, which he had moved into the basement when he moved out of his apartment two weeks ago. His car was full, and we some stuff for Mel and Ethan (E - bowling ball and jacket that had been left in the Feista, and a butterfly gift for Mel: three chrysalides (1 for Mel and two for her friend who just got married) and two monarch eggs that Mel found, and he was off. 

Good luck at school tomorrow! Life is busy busy, fun, sad (RIP Jerry) and wonderful. It's a great experience happening, Corey and I are glad we get to share it with all these wonderful kids.