Hermit Crab Resting Place: My food bin...suspicious

---

Maintenance Monday:

Every Monday we go around the garden and clean up weed, mow, rake, leaf blow...it is no one's favorite day.



Part 1: I actually had a Botanic Garden committee meeting that took me away from helping the volunteers on their first real day of work. I also had to get them started before 7am when I usually let them linger a little with their coffee and finishing breakfast but because the meeting was with board members in the garden pavilion, I had to make sure everything was clean and everyone was on task.




Part 2: Office research for the rest of the morning...which I am not a big fan of because I am not used to being indoors behind a computer anymore. Now that I have a taste of working hard and seeing the physical results of labor, I am not sure I can go back to electronic gratification.



Part 3: On my way home from the office I pick up groceries. I sing on the car drive home and think of how great I am getting at driving stick (however I stall as I try to stop the car to open the gate). Humming and bopping my head side to side in the kitchen, I playfully enjoy writing my name on all of my food. Then I get out my food bin (used to protect from animals), which is labeled clearly JEN, put it on the counter, open it up, and as I am about to put away my peanut butter I see a familiar but out of place object...It takes me quite a while to figure out that there is a hermit crab in my bin and after I thought to myself "seriously?! really?...No, there is no way a hermit crab opened the elastic band holding the cupboard together, climbed up to the second shelf, found your bin, opened the sealed lid, dropped himself down and found a comfortable spot to die right between your mac'n'cheese and tootsie rolls...maybe?...NO, there is no way, Jen."



Part 4: I take pictures as evidence. I consider the options and motives. I call Marielle and say you will never guess what I found in my bin...and when she can't stop laughing I realize who the culprits are...#1 Natalie, #2 Mariel, #3 James...I am adding pictures so you will all know who to look out for if you find dead creatures mingling with your food...


Part 5: After the investigation, I solidified my findings with trickery until they cracked. I also let it be known that as my favorite English teacher taught me "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

---

Photos

Just in case...
Path to volunteer camping area

The Suspects!
left to right: James, Natalie, Amy (innocent), Daniel (innocent only because absent in the morning of incident).

Comments

[James]

I'm glad you learned something from Mr. Lowe!