Pickled Ring Bologna???

[dawnm]

You may ask what Pickled Ring Bologna has to do with Monarchs. Well, I got a kick out of reading Sarah Dalton's "Why I do..." and it made me think of my Pickled Ring Bologna jars. My husband has an affinity for Pickled Ring Bologna, a taste that I have never acquired yet I indulge him twice a year (Christmas and his birthday) with his treat especially since I have found that the jars make excellent indoor habitats for the Monarch caterpillars and various other creepy crawlies my sons and I bring in. They used to be glass, but they have gone to plastic now which is even better! I drill holes in the plastic lids and the larva hang from the lid to pupate. When it gets full (I have a photo of 12 little jade jewels hanging from one lid), I put it on another jar that stays clean until they hatch and replace the "rearing" jar with a different lid. Although the Mr. continually gripes about me keeping "bugs" in the kitchen (he's a bit squeemish), I've never once heard him complain about getting Pickled Ring Bologna. And then, the other night, when he came in from outside, I asked him who his hitchhiker was. He had a huge sphinx moth clinging to his pantleg. Guess who said, "Quick! Get a jar, the kids would love to see this!" "His" moth subsequently laid eggs all over the washcloth he so carefully placed in the jar for it to cling to. You would not believe the look of wonder on his face the day he came home from work and I told him, "Congratulations, Papa, they've hatched!" I think maybe he understands a little bit more why we "do" Monarchs. Wonders never cease!