Mister Mantis

Kenni is and always has been...well....Kenni! He has his passion for the color orange and ANYTHING that is orange. He has always been on his own time, Kenni time, which reminds me so much of Grandpa Wilson who was also know as Pokey. He has always been a story teller and he tells his stories in his own little Kenni way (the word AND starts almost every sentence). He has also been a lover of animals and not afraid of any creepy crawlies we see about. He is always finding different bugs that he loves and wants to keep as pets. Until recently, he hasn't known his own strength when it came to picking up bugs. They would always get a little squished! Ooops! Lately he has been doing great at finding bugs, being able to pick them up without pinching them dead and putting them in a jar to be a part of our lovely household. A few weeks ago he had this bug in a jar and he swore to me it was a praying mantis. Of course I, thinking of a praying mantis as a big huge nasty jungle bug, didn't believe him. I said it was a stick bug! James agreed with Kenni so of course I had to prove them wrong and do some internet research. Sadly......I was wrong! Kenni had managed to catch a Praying Mantis! Then I felt bad for neglecting this nasty bug for weeks. We found a bigger jar, made him a very nice home and Kenni caught some more mini bugs for the Praying Mantis to eat. I had the bright idea of planting beans in the jar so that the little guy would have cover and fresh oxygen. Unfortunately I am not good with watering things. I have a very bad tendency to over water. I know, you are thinking how in the world can you over water anything in Arizona, but sadly I have killed MANY plants this way! Eventually mold started to form on the dirt. We tried to clean it up with new dirt and make a nice, clean, un-over watered environment for Mr. Mantis but he didn't survive. Kenni was crushed of course and is now always on the look out for our next house guest!