Ruth found a beetle on Molly’s bone the other day. Not sure how she would react to it, I was ready to tell her to just flick it outside; but she surprised me.

She gingerly picked the beetle off the bone and let it crawl around on her hand.

We decided to name it Bailey (Beetle Bailey), and she talked to it throughout the day. She continued to care for the insect by preparing a home for it:   a grass-lined jar complete with a pink felt roof. Bailey spent the night in Ruth’s room. But alas, when Ruth checked on it first thing in the morning, she found that Bailey had died.

Ruth came downstairs with tears flowing down her face. She had become quite attached to the little six-legged creature in a short amount of time. She has learned firsthand about the short life of insects.