Taking Forever.

Fourteen days into life in the cat house.

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Fourteen.

And Flora and Fauna are about half-grown.

Well, maybe bigger than that, but still far from pupation plumpness. That's what I get for raising cats from eggs to butterflies rather than plucking a mature cat off the vine as a house guest.

The past weeks and days-to-come consist of daily shakes of the paper towel lining to remove the pepper-like frass, fresh vine clippings now and again, and wonderment at the cats daily increase in size. Though I complain of taking forever, it truly is a visible day-by-day growth, an awesome measure of short time and quick maturation in a creature that lives a span of months from egg to death.

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Once they pupate into chrysalises, they may take forever to emerge. They are fall season cats, and unless this warmish South Florida weather soothes them into a wintertime emergence, these two may wait 'til spring before showing off their gold-rimmed swallowtail butterfly selves.

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So, this Sunday afternoon, whether you are doing chores or watching the game, 'round here, it's time to check on the cats again, maybe lounge on the back porch in this cool, part-sun, part-cloud weather - it won't last forever!