Hug

I was introduced to Suzy (the hugging one) and Bartholomew (the sulky one) yesterday after my mom emitted a blood-curdling shriek from the front patio. I found her pointing a shakey finger at her half-dead tomato plant. Suzy and Bartholomew, who had eaten all its leaves for dinner, were plumply perched upon its stem.

I couldn't blame Mom for making such a fuss. If you've never had the privilege of meeting a Tomato Worm, consider yourself lucky. These guys are each 5 inches long, and easily as thick as my thumb. I think they look more like long green ogre fingers than caterpillars. They give me the heebie-jeebies.

And yet, it isn't every day that one finds not one but TWO giant worms, with easy access to a camera. The photographer-Jericha and the heebie-jeebie-Jericha had a wrestling match in my head. Guess who won?