WHO SAYS THAT LIFE IN THE COUNTRY IS BORING? WHAT’S THAT GIGANTIC CREATURE ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR?🙀

Our friend Veronica whom we love dearly and vice versa has always been a city chick. Even though she enjoys the change of pace of staying with us out here in the middle of nowhere, when pressed, I think she’d admit that the life of a Country Mouse is boring. Ditto for Jim’s sister, my lovely, sociable sister-in-law, Nan, who bought her own apartment in town rather than stay out here with us in the sticks. 

All that is a prelude to what would’ve been a far more dramatic story if I had had my camera handy at the right time.😕 But these photos will have to do. 

Here goes. Last night after I should’ve been in bed, I remembered that my freshly-washed clothes were still in the kitchen. As I was about to head back upstairs, laundry in hand, I noticed a very large creature on the floor that should not have been there. At first it looked like a wounded bird. But, no. 

I looked for a workaround and decided to try to cover it with just the right size piece of Tupperware. Success! But now what? With Jim asleep upstairs it was too late to call for reinforcements. And for sure I wasn’t about to try to escort the THING out while letting in all manner of other unwelcome creatures. Nor did I want Jim who gets to the kitchen earlier in the morning than I do to trip over that plastic “prison” that I had weighted with a can of Freshona brand corn. So I topped the whole business--the THING, the Tupperware, and the can of corn--with a stool labeled with a warning about the insect the size of New Jersey lurking below.

 

This morning when I finally got down to the kitchen, my entire construction was still there untouched. But then enterprising Jim took over, slid a piece of cardboard under the whole construction (including our unwanted guest) and successfully ushered him out. There was a great moment when Jim was bent over outside to look the visitor in the eye while wishing him a fond farewell. Bummer! My trusty camera was not within reach! And although I tried to find the THING outside to get a closer look for myself, he had already flown the coop. He's probably out there eating our olive harvest right now. You will just have to imagine what this GIGANTIC grasshopper-ish critter looked like. 

But more importantly, now you know what passes for excitement in the Umbrian countryside.