Junior Insect Lifesaving

Just a little more from Camp Marshfield today--early on, Sarah was showing off a grasshopper she found in the yard when she dropped it by accident and it landed in a puddle of water at the bottom of the basement stairs. (Littlest Brady had been fooling with my hose and it hadn't quite shut off, so there was still a puddle after I discovered this and turned off the hose all the way.)

"Oh, no! He might drown!" she cried. "I have to save him!" She rushed down the stairs and looked intently at the puddle. "There he is!" She managed to get him on her finger without crushing him and came back up to ground level.

"Put him down on the grass and let him dry out," I suggested.

She went for the concrete instead. We all thought the creature might take a moment to rest. But no. Instantly he let out a three-foot jump and got away.

"I saved him! I'm a hero!" Sarah yelled proudly.

"You are a hero. Good job!" I said and gave her a high-five.

This got them talking about heroes. Brady Girl was Sarah's hero today for catching her Nintendo when Sarah dropped it. Sarah was a hero today for saving the grasshopper. Somebody had a reason I've now forgotten for why Brady Bughunter was a hero today.

"Maritza is our hero every day," said Sarah. (I swear to God I did not make that up.) Brady Girl agreed. Brady Boy was too busy bughunting.

I tell this piece publicly only because Maritza absolutely could not be Camp Marshfield's hero without all the great support from readers of this blog, who have donated about a couple hundred bucks' worth of books, cool games and priceless moral support to the camp un-director just by reading the blog. You are all my heroes, every day. (I'm not making that up either.)

And by the way, I'm sitting out on the back porch with my laptop and some bug I don't recognize keeps flying around. It looks like a beetle with its wings shut but flies more like a bee or a wasp. Guess I'll have to go try looking for it in the bug guide.