Red and Black

Today's post is in response to the Red and Black Challenge from Natasha.  Check out her site and see the fun interpretations of the Ladybug theme.


Lady Bug! Lady Bug!

Fly away home.

Your house is on fire

Your children are gone.

All except one

And that's little Ann,

For she crept under

The frying pan.

I grew  up singing this little rhyme.  What's not to love about the endearing red and black cuties?  Bright, bold colours that attract even infants.  Harmless, quiet, not scary in the least.  How well I remember marching down the block when I was five, clutching my clean pickle jar with holes punched in the tin lid.  The mission was to collect as many Ladybugs as possible in the allotted time away from home.  Mrs. Brown had the best hedge for Ladybugs.  There was never a shortage of easily-bottled bugs.  Over the years, I have lost the vision of what happened when I got them home, but it seems the jar was always empty the following morning.

Childhood is long past.  Life has taken a turn from idyllic nursery rhymes and harmless pursuits.  In North America, the beloved Ladybug of old has been overtaken by the Asian Ladybird Beetle.  Unlike their predecessors, these Ladybirds are not red and black, but orange or yellow and black.  Not content to be invited inside in clean jars, the Ladybird swarms into domiciles, taking up residence and refusing to leave.  And for the unsuspecting, the Ladybird will give a nasty surprise...she bites.  She is NOT the harmless, friendly Ladybug of our youth.

So, let's talk about Red and Black.

I have decided it's time to confess:

Nelson and I failed puppy school.

-Twice-

she admits sheepishlky, with her face truning red, and redder and even more red.  It is embarrassing that this two  year old dog, who should have better manners by now,  jumps on visitors, barks at the neighbours, refused to come when called and in general, is running our lives like he is the one in charge.  It is humiliating when others discipline my dog.  This is an unacceptable state of affairs, and needs remedy immediately.

We are now enrolled in a new school, in a new place, with a new teacher, with a new, determined-not-to-fail attitude.

As far as black goes, that is the smirch on our record.  We are out to expunge our Black name in doggy school ledgers.  We are planning to clean up our act, polish our tarnished manners and learn decorum as befitting good citizens.  We want to win the gold medal in obedience training, shining examples of achievement.

Red and Black are good colours.  I am wonderfully fond of Red.  I love my red shoes.  Black clothes, they say, are slimming, but bulges still bulge, whether they are clad in black pants or blue.  I use black mascara.  I have six pairs of black shoes, 4 little black dresses, and 5 black purses.  Checkers come in red and black, as does licorice.   Cherries are red.  Black olive tampenade is delicious with crackers or as a basting on salmon.

So even though the adorable red and black Ladybug is no more, we soldier on, taking our reds and blacks where we can get them,  relishing the richness they add to life.