The Unexpected Guest

JOURNAL ENTRY #4

WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2026

There is something special about old houses. They seem to hold little surprises, waiting patiently for the right moment to reveal themselves.

This morning began like most mornings at The Union House of Hogarth.

One of us always wakes first and starts a half pot of coffee and a half kettle of water for tea. Today, that person was me.

Still moving slowly and not yet fully awake, I grabbed the glasses from my nightstand and made my way downstairs. Unfortunately, they were my old prescription glasses — not terrible, but certainly not the clearest.

As I reached the bottom of the staircase, something caught my eye.

A strange dark mark stretched diagonally across the grain of the wooden floor.

I paused.

“What is that?”

I didn’t remember seeing a mark there before.

“Is that moving?”

Curiosity quickly replaced confusion. I pulled out my phone, opened the camera, zoomed in, and immediately started laughing.

There, slowly making his way across the floor, was an unexpected houseguest.

A leopard slug.

Now, waking my husband before delivering his morning coffee is generally unheard of, but exceptions must occasionally be made.

“You have to come see this,” I told him, trying not to laugh. “There’s a mark on the floor at the bottom of the stairs.”

Together we investigated the mystery.

After a quick image search confirmed that our visitor was one of the garden’s beneficial residents — a helper that feeds on decaying plant matter and unwanted garden pests — I decided he deserved a proper escort home.

I slipped into the studio, grabbed a sheet of drawing paper, and patiently waited while he made his way aboard.

Once safely transported, I carried him outside and found a shady patch of mint and violets nestled among soft, composting leaves. It seemed like the perfect place for a creature whose purpose is to help nature recycle and renew.

I laid the paper down and watched him slowly disappear into his new surroundings.

He seemed content.

And honestly, so was I.

Moments like these remind me why I love this old house. Every day brings something unexpected — a flower blooming where none existed before, a bird song I’ve never heard, or, a leopard slug taking an early morning stroll across the hardwood floors.

The Union House continues to surprise me.

And I find myself looking forward to whatever tomorrow’s visitor may be.

— LHogarth