mistressofmuses (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mistressofmuses) wrote2026-01-30 04:21 pm
mistressofmuses) wrote2026-01-30 04:21 pm
RIP Clickbait (~August 6, 2025 - January 24, 2026)
Poor Clickbait has finally passed on to the greenbean fields in the sky.
He was the first katydid Alex caught last summer. August 6th was the first day I heard a katydid clicking in the trees, and Alex caught him later that same night.
He was the smallest of the three that we had last year, and the "fussiest." He would make little tiny territorial clicks at just about everything; water running in the sink and cereal bags crinkling were big for him, haha. He acted like he wanted to make sure everyone knew that he was the toughest katydid in the room!
And it turns out he was! Typically broad-winged katydids like ours only live a couple months as adults; the two from last year both died in October, I think, and the two others from this year died in late October/early November. When Clickbait was still going strong, I thought it would be really cool if he made it all the way to December, but I didn't expect it. Then he did. Then I thought "Christmas? Christmas katydid?" And he was here at Christmas! "All the way to the new year??" And he made it to the new year!
I was very sad he finally passed, though a little glad he waited until I was home from the hospital. (I returned late on Thursday; he passed on Saturday morning.) He clicked all the way up through the end, with plenty to say even on Friday night! But he didn't eat his Friday night beans, and then he went down to the bottom of the cage, which is always how it goes at the end. :(
It's hard to even say "aw, poor guy" because he lived more than twice, approaching three times as long as expected! He was just about two weeks shy of hitting six months, which is wild!
I'll miss him. He was a fun little guy to have, and the overnights are just a little too quiet without him click-click-clicking like mad. I hope that some of our katydid eggs (most of which were probably sired by Three, but some of which were sired by Clickbait) will hatch, and we might have some of his progeny roaming around.
(Eating green beans, his truest love.)
For me: I am recovering! The process of trying to gather everything required for the leave application has been the biggest frustration and time sink and stress of the last week. (There will probably be a bigger post about how much I hate government paperwork later.) For now, it at least feels like things are improving. Food has mostly been sitting well, though I'm still trying to be really cautious. (Lots of soup. Lots of yogurt. Some toast.) I would commit minor crime for a pizza or something, but I think that'll have to be a few days out, still. My guts are still not right, but seem to be slightly better than they were. My incision sites still look pretty gross, but are healing well. Trying to walk more, as advised, to deal with the fact that I am still just bonkers bloated.
Thank you so, so much for all the kind thoughts and comments. I'm going to try to respond to at least the most recent ones. I am also going to try to get caught up on the weeks of stuff I've missed here, but it'll take me a while. I hope everyone else has had a better few weeks than I have!
He was the first katydid Alex caught last summer. August 6th was the first day I heard a katydid clicking in the trees, and Alex caught him later that same night.
He was the smallest of the three that we had last year, and the "fussiest." He would make little tiny territorial clicks at just about everything; water running in the sink and cereal bags crinkling were big for him, haha. He acted like he wanted to make sure everyone knew that he was the toughest katydid in the room!
And it turns out he was! Typically broad-winged katydids like ours only live a couple months as adults; the two from last year both died in October, I think, and the two others from this year died in late October/early November. When Clickbait was still going strong, I thought it would be really cool if he made it all the way to December, but I didn't expect it. Then he did. Then I thought "Christmas? Christmas katydid?" And he was here at Christmas! "All the way to the new year??" And he made it to the new year!
I was very sad he finally passed, though a little glad he waited until I was home from the hospital. (I returned late on Thursday; he passed on Saturday morning.) He clicked all the way up through the end, with plenty to say even on Friday night! But he didn't eat his Friday night beans, and then he went down to the bottom of the cage, which is always how it goes at the end. :(
It's hard to even say "aw, poor guy" because he lived more than twice, approaching three times as long as expected! He was just about two weeks shy of hitting six months, which is wild!
I'll miss him. He was a fun little guy to have, and the overnights are just a little too quiet without him click-click-clicking like mad. I hope that some of our katydid eggs (most of which were probably sired by Three, but some of which were sired by Clickbait) will hatch, and we might have some of his progeny roaming around.
(Eating green beans, his truest love.)
For me: I am recovering! The process of trying to gather everything required for the leave application has been the biggest frustration and time sink and stress of the last week. (There will probably be a bigger post about how much I hate government paperwork later.) For now, it at least feels like things are improving. Food has mostly been sitting well, though I'm still trying to be really cautious. (Lots of soup. Lots of yogurt. Some toast.) I would commit minor crime for a pizza or something, but I think that'll have to be a few days out, still. My guts are still not right, but seem to be slightly better than they were. My incision sites still look pretty gross, but are healing well. Trying to walk more, as advised, to deal with the fact that I am still just bonkers bloated.
Thank you so, so much for all the kind thoughts and comments. I'm going to try to respond to at least the most recent ones. I am also going to try to get caught up on the weeks of stuff I've missed here, but it'll take me a while. I hope everyone else has had a better few weeks than I have!
no subject
Glad to hear you're on the mend!
no subject
And good for you that you're doing better! Your job needs to not be a twat about it. I wish there was something else out there for you to do rather than that place - something that has compassionate bosses.
no subject
Otherwise I am so, so happy and relieved to hear it sounds like you're slowly but surely on the mend!!! ^_^
Fuck *everything* about how convoluted your leave application process has been from the sounds of it. Seriously.
For other mild foods to try to work up to the holy grail of pizza haha, would warm white/basmati/jasmine rice with milk, honey, and cinnamon be remotely appetizing? Bananas perhaps? A mild pasta dish like fettuccine? Sweet potatoes or squash?
I'm not sure if your incisions have that weird yellowish glue circle covering self-dissolving stitches but you're going to be in for an amazing treat when your doctor gives you permission to wash the glue off and the glue eventually comes off the incision scars themselves after your post-op appointment haha. xD (It's going to look pristine underneath and all the weird iodine staining/gnarlyness will be instantly *poof!* gone haha.)
As for the bloating, I can only imagine how utterly pissed off your innards are being infected and then essentially vacuumed(?) out for said infection, much less the usual laparoscopic bloat that comes with that surgical procedure, but, damn, I hope walking and gently moving around helps settle things and you'll be much less inflated soon!
no subject
Sorry about having to deal with paperwork stupidity with everything else going on. Seems like the worst time to be dealing with nonsense. I hope you feel better and have can pizza soon!
no subject
no subject
Ugh to all the paperwork! And I hope your guts heal enough for you to have pizza soon. I know from my mom's experience that not being able to eat what you want to really sucks.
*hugs*
no subject
Incredible! I'm glad he held on until you got home. *hugs* And also very glad about the "you're home!" part in general. I hope you keep healing up well.
no subject
It sucks that you have to deal with loss of a pet at the same time as all of this. Hugs. But it must help that he lived a really long happy life. Glad to hear the guts are beginning to heal up, that's an encouraging sign :)