Grasshoppers!

So if you're not here in Alice Springs you may not be aware of the grasshopper influx that we have had in the past couple of weeks. After the rain incredible numbers of these little buggers popped up everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE!
Normally, I am not bothered by grasshoppers, but when they are in my laundry basket or in my kitchen or all along the halls at church they become somewhat annoying.
We aren't gardeners, but my friends who are have been having immense problems with everything in their gardens being eaten by these new guests in town.
The hoppers are also dying off everywhere. I don't know what the life span of a grasshopper is or how they decide where they will expire. It seems though, that there are a few favorite spots. One is on my back patio. I'm assuming they go out there to soak up some sun and wind up expiring due to the prolonged exposure. So, as I step out my door to hang my wet laundry on the line I have to step on the carcasses of at least fifty bugs. It's not a very pleasant experience. Another place they seem to die in masses is inside the main lobby at church. I guess there they come in while the doors are open on Sundays and they just never find their way out.
People have varying responses to these critters. Some are frightened by them. Some are indifferent and attempt to ignore them (me). And some have declared war on them. I watched a grown man, who appeared to be out on a walk, strategically stepping from grasshopper to grasshopper in a sort of twisted dance.
Every morning when I get out to my car there are a few grasshoppers sitting on the hood of my car. Usually, when it starts up they leap off as if to save their lives from the roaring beast. This morning though, there was a new breed of grasshopper on the hood of my car. If you've ever seen Mulan, picture the little grasshopper from that movie and you've got the image in your mind. Tiny, spring green, long antenna, tall springy legs. I chuckled as I pulled out onto the street thinking, "This guy won't last" But, as the car accelerated and the wind picked up, he just scrunched lower, closer to the hood of the car. Turns, stops, traffic circles, crosswinds, it didn't matter he just hung on.
Now, I'm sure that if we are realistic a grasshopper's mind doesn't think through the whole process of traveling but, as I watched him I thought, "What spirit he has! He's doing it!" And when I arrived at my destination I let up a little cheer for my green friend as he hopped off and went on his way. I felt like that little guy a bit this week. Just feeling the wind and the turns and wondering if I would be able to hang on but, it's nearly the end of the week and so far, I'm hanging on. Antenna flapping in the breeze, scrunched close to the hood of the car, I'm hanging on!

I hope you all are hanging on too and I'd love to hear from you this week and hear how y'all are doing.
Happy Reading!
Shannon