The Cockroach That Did Not Get Away

Sandor and I came home tonight after family dinner and movie - oh interruption of the story: we saw 3:10 to Yuma which I went into with absolutely no idea of what I was going to watch since I had not seen the trailer for the movie. I have (based on a number of experiences with this) decided I need to see a lot more movies without having watched the trailer - trailers ruin too much of the story line. So, anyway, 3:10 to Yuma is based on a short story by Elmore Leonard and apparently was made into a movie back in the 50s and this is a remake of it. It's the kind of movie that when it ends you sit there staring at the screen trying to determine what to say. It's awesome, and I think one of my favorite things is that it does not give any insight into the thoughts or past of any characters. I realized about half way through that I was annoyed I didn't know what the characters were thinking because I'm so used to movies explaining everything the whole way along, that to have major gaps in knowledge was annoying. At which point I realized that should not be annoying, isn't that what is so difficult about life? You meet people and want to judge them on how they act, but then you wonder what they are thinking and what their past was to lead them to act that way. So anyway, I don't want to spoil the plot because that's what I liked so much about seeing it, I'll just say, I personally would list it as a 'must see'.

So back to the cockroach story...when we walked in the house after our evening out we got our usual welcome home of Kaylinn jumping up to say hello and the cats walking out to look at us (cats are just generally not as excited about anything on earth as I have found Kaylinn to be about most things on earth). Shortly afterwards I notice Kaylinn staring at the ceiling and then look over and Mishu is doing the same thing, so I look up at the ceiling. And low and behold a rather large cockroach is crawling across it.

Now, for those southerns who are reading this you may assume cockroach to be palmetto bug. I however refuse to call them that, because palmetto bugs are just larger versions of cockroaches, they are all gross, and palmetto bug sounds nicer, so I go with the grosser word for the gross animal, well bug, but you know what I mean.

So (I am really having an issue staying on task tonight), I look up and there it is walking across the ceiling. Sandor being the hero he is walks over and knocks it down to the ground with my shoe. It however, being the gross animal (bug) it is flies down and lands somewhere in the vicinity of Kaylinn's crate. At this point Kaylinn and Mishu are on task - Mishu a little less so as I have already explained she is just not that excited about it. After a bit of searching Sandor finds said bug and after a bit of chasing steps on it in the kitchen and then walks away. I, however, have dissected a cockroach in the past and am aware that if those buggers can still be alive after a 2 hour dissection (yes, I screamed when I saw it still moving under the microscope) it can certainly be alive after a mere foot stomping. So I wait to make sure it will not be resurrecting.

Sure enough, it does, however Kaylinn is on the scene. She, not really being extremely sure of what she is doing attempts to play with it in the process maiming it further. But still not killing it. At this point the kitten has caught on that something interesting is going on in the kitchen and comes out for a look-see. Much to her delight there is something moving and she can paw at it along with that dog animal that seems to love pawing at her so much. So detective Kaylinn and detective Leia begin investigating just how much 'playing' this cockroach can take. I at this point, convinced they at least have the menace under control enough to run into the other room go and grab my camera.



The little beastie, tough though he is cannot take too much more of the animals abuse and at some point I do believe dies in the process. Leia, being of the less steadfast species decides that when it is no longer moving she is no longer interested and goes to play with something more entertaining, like a shoestring. Kaylinn however, will not let off the case until she is sure this problem has been solved. So she makes sure that the animal that just made mom scream a few times when it came too close is properly taken care of.

Even Kaylinn can get bored of a boring dead cockroach and eventually she gives up. I however, with the dissection still on my mind hand around making sure this thing is dead (I certainly am not going to pick it up and have it fly in my face). Mishu having watched the whole scene determines that she needs to make sure the two underlings have taken care of the situation and comes over for a final check.

Having decided the coast is clear, she heads off to sit on the windowsill leaving me to watch the cockroach alone. At this point I ask Sandor to flush it (just in case...don't laugh at me you didn't pull one of these things guts out and see it still breathing) and the case is closed. Allowing us all to sleep in peace without the fear that a maimed cockroach may land on our heads in the middle of the night.