but one day a carpenter bee i was trying to save (i was trying to pick him up with a leaf to give him some honey-water, his wings were damaged) stung my hand and something changed. it was my first sting. i don't know if that's the exact day but gradually i developed this deep fear. if a bug lands on me or touches me, my blood still runs cold. i still scream or have to fight the urge to scream.

in my mind it's very silly -- i've been through some of the worst nightmares i could even conjure up, yet a small bug (besides butterflies) terrifies me so much.

i started raising butterflies at home when i found so many caterpillars in my garden. i learned that few caterpillars survive in the wild so i decided to learn all about what they need to thrive. i set up butterfly stations and planted a lot of milkweed. soon i was around bugs very often.

a few years later, i took in a leopard gecko that was rescued from a bad home. she was actually rehomed twice, once from a hoarder prior. i learned that she needed an array of bugs so i started raising my own.

then i took in another spider -- a jumping spider -- and she just loves the bugs, too.

i've always loved spiders. and i've always appreciated them for killing bugs.