One of Luke's favorite books is The Very Lonely Firefly. I thought the pesticide had killed off most of the fireflies around here. But, Chip called excitedly one night after seeing fireflies out at the Finley Road property. We decided this was worth letting "the boy" stay up after dark.
So, we headed out to the woods to do some firefly catching. No problem, huh? Well, the lightning bugs weren't exactly swarming. Much to Chip's dismay, we DIDN'T catch even one on the first trip.
This would not do. No, not at all. Chip went into full research mode. It was like a caveman planning his kill. lol. We discovered that blue, LED flashlights are the preferred light for catching these elusive fliers. Point the light up and down repetitively; do not point directly at the flies, so as not to scare away. Of course, Chip had one of these tricky devices in his workshop filled with things that "we might need someday." Bingo. We were set for night #2.
After moving around from spot to spot, trying to see enough bugs to warrant getting out of the Jeep, we were distraught. We could NOT disappoint the boy AGAIN. This is the feeling that every parent puts off for as long as possible. So, before giving up for night two, I looked down in some tall grass and spotted one!!! "I see one!" I exclaimed to Chip. "Well, get out and get it!" I was unsure of my catching abilities. Chip was the one who knew all about this stuff. But, it was do or die time.
Something else took over...a Mother's Determination. calm focus. Flash Flash. nothing. Flash Flash. He Answered. slowly. slowly. he moved to a lower blade grass. Out Of My Way Mosquitoes. One more time. Flash. Still...I GOT him! "Chip!!!! I GOT him!" I jumped into the Jeep. Checking his phone, deflated, Chip returned the surprise. Luke followed, "Mommy!!! You Got him!!!!!"
That ride home was better than Christmas. And, for a little boy and his parents, worth the wait.
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