I spent a month and a half cleaning our basement this spring. We found mold behind the drywall and that sure explains why my health has suffered greatly for years. That’s an entirely different story than the one I am here to share today. One day, I heard a strange noise in between vacuuming sessions. I feared an injured bird in our crawl space, but really I had no clue what it was. Of course, when I asked my husband to come listen, silence. We thought maybe it got back out. Then a few days later, he heard it and said it was a cricket! What?! We don’t have them here in Laramie, Wyoming, hence my lack of knowing the sound. So, for the next 3 or so weeks, the cricket kept me company while I cleaned. I said hi to him every time I heard his song and told him I was sorry he was trapped in our duct work and that I wish I could do more. I too felt trapped, cleaning a moldy basement is zero fun. Probably like being trapped in duct work. Then, a few days ago, I was coming up after putting a load of laundry in, and I saw a black insect on the floor. I thought it was a big beetle that we sometimes find. To my delight, it was my friend the cricket! I was overjoyed that he was still alive, so I scooped him up with a cup and piece of paper and released him into our side yard. That night, I heard him chirping away, trying desperately to attract a mate and define his new territory. I named him Chirpy after hearing him outside, probably a lot happier there than trapped in our duct work. How he arrived in Laramie, and consequently our ducts, I’ll never know. In doing a bit of research, I believe him to be a Mormon cricket. I didn’t stop to take a picture of him, as I just wanted him to live his best life outside. So, Chirpy the Mormon cricket lives on. Perhaps in the same way as in the opera I helped my friends Ashely Hope Carlisle, Jeff Lockwood and Anne Guzzo with. Here’s a link to the opera about Mormon crickets! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwwHO6x0TMc All that to say, I sure am glad the cricket is free to roam and that I am done cleaning the basement! Who knew that cleaning the basement would lead me down the path to my next sculpture. Stay tuned. My husband got his PhD under Jeff and I have a lot of his pinned insects I’ve been saving for a sculpture. I think this topic is next in my studio!