Jennifer's 365 Project

When I see grasshoppers, I think giant empty cans of Folger's coffee (the metal ones with a thin plastic lid) and the strange faint aroma of coffee.

Why, you ask?

My Grandparents loved coffee. Well,my grandfather did. At least it seemed that way as a kid. So there was always a steady supply of metal coffee tins to run about and collect critters in. Specifically, insects. (I learned later that while I had pet mice as a kid at home, to a man in the country they are no friend.)

As a kid my little brother and I would zig zag around in their backyard. They lived in the country and while they themselves were not farmers, they were always surrounded by their neighbor's crops which provided a healthy supply new things to investigate.

Among the tall grass and cornfields were grasshoppers. Tons of them. So every time we visited my little brother and I were out there scooping them up in the coffee tins and tossing in handfuls of grass and sticks, listening to the poor things bounce around trying to get free. I have no doubt the strange-smelling tin barrels were a frightening experience.

In a day or two, depending on how long we were staying, my little brother and I would release the grasshoppers and start anew the next visit.

And that is why grasshoppers make me think of coffee.