Tag Archive | hermit crabs

An Impatient People

Feb10

IMG_0159My daughter and I have two hermit crabs. One of our original pair died a few months ago, and we replaced it shortly after Christmas. Just a day or so after we got the new guy, he burrowed under the sand in his crabitat, and we haven’t seen him since. Titan, the original hermie, decided to go with him.

That was at least 6 weeks ago. With the advice of my crab-aficionado friend, Robin, we decided to see if we could gently dig them up to see what was going on. So yesterday, with trepidation (I had found Charlotte dead the last time I had dug for a hidden crab), I gently dug around in the sand. Much to my delight, I first found Titan, hiding in a little hidey hole all by himself, but alive and well. Next, the search was on for Alex. Just a short while later I found him across the tank. He also was alive, but not as kickin’ as Titan was. I brought them both topside, cleaned up and refreshed the items in the tank, and then left them to see what they’d do.

Within the hour, both were back burrowed under the sand.

I have no idea what that means.

But upon reading in “The Story” Bible this morning in preparation for the sermon at church this morning, I came upon this verse: “‘Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who  brought us up out of Egypt, we dont know what has happened to him.'” There were the people of Israel, whom Moses had just led out of slavery in Egypt, speaking to Aaron, Moses’ brother. Moses had been gone on the mountain to meet with God for 6 weeks. The people grew impatient. Aaron had them give him all their gold jewelry, he threw it into the fire, melted it, and formed a golden calf, which they then proceeded to worship.

Oy vey.

When Moses came down from the mountain, having been warned by God that this had happened, he heard this from Aaron: “‘They gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!'”

Taking matters into our own hands instead of waiting on God is a very dangerous thing. Abraham and Sarah did that. The result was Ishmael–and today’s Arab nation, which has been at war with Israel for thousands of years.

The Israelites grew impatient when Moses was away for 6 weeks. The result? A golden calf, God’s anger, and further judgement on Israel.

Nothing bad happened when I took matters into my own hands and went searching for my secluded crabs. If they had been in the middle of a molt, I could have further stressed them and caused their death. I am thankful that didn’t happen, but it could have.

“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary” Isaiah 40:31.

God’s plan is always the best. Pushing our own way gets us in trouble.

Thankful today for:

821. Sunday mornings

822. French toast for breakfast

823. a normally beating heart

824. classic literature

825. traditional values coupled with forward thinking

826. the staff at my church

827. help

828. lesson plans

829. a paycheck

830. happy bird song

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!

Jan31

ImageWe have a couple of varieties of animals that have become worrisome for me. Our hermit crabs, Alex and Titan, have been buried since the day after we brought Alex home from the pet store to replace our dear departed Charlotte a couple of days after Christmas. Hermit crabs, if they are healthy, molt on a regular basis, shedding their old, tight exoskeleton for a bigger and shinier one. (Well, maybe not the shinier part, but you get the idea.) From what I’ve read, that’s a very stressful process for them and, depending on their size, this can take many weeks, maybe even a couple of months. What’s hard for us is the waiting. They know what they’re doing naturally, but they are hidden from our sight, not eating, not drinking, not seeing the light of day. It’s been more than a month now, and I’m beginning to worry that they didn’t make it.

Our second worrisome set is a trio of kuhli loaches we bought to help control the snail population in our aquarium. They had been recommended by my fish guru, Tiffaney, who assured me that these eel-like creatures would be munching escargot soon. Well, I can’t find them now. They’ve shown themselves a few times, but rarely, and the snail population flourishes. I don’t know much about them, but Tiffaney says they’re shy, and the forums say they like to bury themselves, but I’m beginning to fear they might not be alive either! We purchased three, and at any given time I’ve only seen two, and the last time was several days ago, maybe even a week. Loachies! Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Crabs and loaches. And God.

Do you ever fear that He might not be around anymore? Does it seem like a really long time since you last heard from Him?

John 20:29 records this interchange between Jesus and Thomas, His disciple: “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”

I’m not sure about the kuhlis and the crabs, but I know about God. Enjoy this song from The Newsboys, declaring the truth that He is alive!

Thankful today for:

789. my singing bird

790. fast-moving clouds doused in sunrise

791. maturity

792. the freedom to gather and pray

793. godly leaders

794. new friendships

795. education

796. spontaneous visits from faraway family

797. surprises

798. new life

799. laughter

800. music

801. talented people

802. mistakes overcome

803. the journey

804. new stuff

805. reminiscing

806. indoor plumbing (just sayin’)

807. my students

808. a breeze

809. books

810. quiet

Five Lessons From Hermit Crabs

Apr16

Having recently added hermit crabs to our household menagerie, I’ve learned a few things about life from them. Here they are:

1. Just because I burrow under and keep to myself for a season, it doesn’t mean I’m depressed or sad or anything of the sort. It just means I need some time to myself.

2. Molting requires a feeling of safety. If I’m not comfortable with you, I will not be shedding my “skin” (it’s actually an exoskeleton in a crab). That takes way too much vulnerability.

3. You can’t judge me by my name. Hermits have a reputation of wanting to be left alone, but hermit crabs actually like the company of  other crabs. Just because I call myself a Californian, or a mom, or a wife, or a writer, or a Christian, you can’t let your preconceived notions color who you think I am. Get to know me, why don’t you?

4. Sometimes I make a mess of things, but that’s just the way I am. I don’t mean any harm.

5. If you see me hanging on for dear life, don’t just stand there, have the trampoline ready! But don’t try to rescue me; sometimes I get in tight spots just to see what will happen. That’s a faith adventure!

Thankful today for:

194. sleeping in my own bed

195. a no-homework week

196. hand lotion

197. caffeine free diet Dr. Pepper

198. talented photographers

199. creative friends

200. my back porch

201. text messaging

202. ministry partners

203. time

New Members of Our Menagerie

Feb22

Yesterday, Morgan and I added two more members to our family: hermit crabs! Morgan had expressed an interest in getting one, and would be paying with her own money, so I agreed (Dad simply acquiesced). I put it out on Facebook for a crabitat and a friend came through with a 10-gallon aquarium, food, extra shells and a lot of good advice. She has 8 of the little guys herself. So with the purchase of sand, we were in business to buy crabs.

So yesterday afternoon, we all (minus Dad and Grandma) trooped down to our local Petland and, after a detour to pet puppies, Morgan acquired a crab (and I had to get one, too, just so the poor little guy wouldn’t be alone. “Hermit” is a misnomer, don’t you know.)

Morgan with "Charlotte" and "Titan"

So now we’re a family of Grandma, Mom and Dad, two brothers, one sister, one dog, one cat, 8 fish and 2 Ecuadorian hermit crabs.

Taking care of animals seems like it might be an easy task, but taking care of them properly is quite another proposition. That’s why I’m so glad to have people to whom I can direct questions. My friend Tiffaney is my fish expert. She’s helped me many times as I tried to get our fish tank in order. Check the water chemistry. Don’t put too many fish in the tank. Don’t feed them too much. Don’t buy them from a big box store.

Now Robin is our hermit crab whisperer. She directed me to websites and is always willing to answer any question. Keep the humidity between 70 and 80%. Feed them people food from an approved list. They don’t like to be alone, so get them a companion.

People who know what they’re talking about are very helpful and should be listend to.

This is Berkeley (on the right) with his favorite neighborhood friend, Sebastian

We have friends who recently adopted a yellow lab puppy. I have gladly and willingly shared my experience with them as we have already navigated the waters of dog ownership–and big dog ownership at that. Use treats to teach. Let her know who’s in charge. Get her socialized as soon as you can. We’re anxiously awaiting the day Berkeley and Zoey get to meet.

That’s what Paul was telling Timothy in his second letter: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

Learning ourselves, and then teaching others. That’s a beautiful thing.

And let's not forget Oreo in all this

And the fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankful today for:
45. chocolate and peanut butter

46. a soft kitty

47. new pets