Monday, December 14, 2009
QUIET PETS
When I was a kid, I became aware of mealworms.
At school? In reading?
I don't know.
I suspect Mr. Ravelli in school. A science project.
I had to get the pioneer worms somewhere.
I kept them in a classic reagent jar. Cork top.
I put bran and flour into the bottle with some worms.
From then on, for years, I had worms.
Fun. Life cycles.
And quiet pets.
The other day, the LATimes had an article on a guy who grows them for a living!
Compton merchant finds worms wonderful
It brought back happy memories.
Of course, the worms did nothing but live. They didn't do tricks. They were not pettable.
They did have their life cycle. When they got to the beetle stage, I would let them lay their eggs and then release them to the wild. Far from our house.
As I recall, not that many beetles were hatched from the many many worms that were born.
They did have one important quality. They were an eccentric pastime. I would do anything to be a bit off the main street.
And I was.
