Stinkbugs

This morning Tetsu went to work a little irritated. Not really irritated at me, but irritated because he was late and in the long run I guess irritated because I didn't check his clothes. I should have checked his clothes for THIS. (picture from the Internet)

Do you know what this is? I never saw one when I lived in the States and I don't think I ever saw one until I lived next to the forest. This is a stinkbug and he and his fellow stinkbugs live up to their name! We all know when a stinkbug has gotten into the house and the cats will bat at one a couple times, wrinkle their noses and bound off in the opposite direction.

I have put on a shirt, 30 minutes later or so smelled the distinctive stinkbug smell, and suddenly feel something crawling up my arm. And other people will notice the smell too (but the bugs are so common everyone thinks one has gotten in the house) and I will innocently pretend that it is not me who is stinking.

Right now we are in the stinkbug season. They must live in the forest and come up to our veranda and sun themselves on my laundry. This morning Tetsu put on his shirt (remember I dry my laundry outside) and a few seconds later he had taken everything off and was doing an Indian dance and shaking his clothes out. About 7 stinkbugs plopped to the floor and I scurried around gathering them up and putting them back outside. They will probably make their way back to my laundry today.

So Tetsu was late for work and irritated. At the stinkbugs. Not at me. I "sthink".