Thursday, July 24, 2014

This n That - The Insomniac Cut

Recently, I've gotten into the bad habit of waking up at 3-something and being unable to drift back off to sleep.  So here I am, at 4:30-ish - after having already run through my FB feed and my blog roll - bringing you the Insomniac Cut of my life's soundtrack.  (Sans backbeat.)

So yesterday it was ungodly hot and sticky in SW MO.  I stayed in the house until late afternoon - after the 'storm' blew through and dropped the temperature about 10 degrees.  I put quotes around the word because while everyone else it went past got rain, all we got was wind and the rumble of thunder in the distance.  Talk about anti-climactic.  Anyway, here's how that conversation went:

Me:  We didn't get any rain.
Hubs:  It all went south again.
Me: Dirty rain-stealing bastards in Arkansas*.

Being in the sweet spot for not getting storms unfortunately also means we're not getting rain - which isn't so sweet.  I guess I'll be back outside with the hose again today watering my gardens so my hard work doesn't shrivel and die.

Of course, once the storm that wasn't a storm dropped the temperature, I took Max for a walk around the yard.  Pretty uneventful until we got around to the blocks by the iris bed and even then it was only eventful for me.  There's one block on the corner of the bottom tier that didn't get filled in with rocks.  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught site of something big and green in that hole.  And I wondered why in the hell a katydid was hiding in there.  When I stooped to get a better look, I saw something black and shiny skitter behind the katydid.  Then I noticed the gossamer webbing in front of the hole and holding the katydid in place.  :shudder:  Damn big black widow.  She'll be dying as soon as I get Hubs out there with the permethrin.

Speaking of permethrin, I'm still catching brown recluses in the sticky traps, so while the stuff is pretty awesome, unless you have a way to get every nook and cranny in the house, you're going to continue to find spiders.  We had one guy tell us those buggers smell the insecticide and run.  Personally, I think they're just so good at hiding (hence the 'recluse' in its name) that it'll take several treatments to get them all.  Meanwhile, I have the sticky traps and every one on a sticky trap is one that won't be noshing on me while I sleep. 

Speaking of sticky traps, I was checking them yesterday and one was missing.  So I asked Hubs if he moved it.  He said he didn't even know I had a trap there.  My first thought was 'oh god, a mouse is dragging one through the house somewhere'.  Then I found it - stuck to the top of the bottom shelf of the table it was hiding behind.  Somehow it had gotten from upright on the floor to upside down on the shelf.  So there I was trying to peel it up, without getting it stuck to myself and without knocking over all the stuff I have on that table, when I noticed what I think is white fur.  How Kira got behind that table and why she could go there is beyond me.  Of course, this is merely a guess on my part because the trap is still sitting there, stuck to the table because neither Hubs nor I could pull the damn thing off without removing everything from the table and neither of us was in the mood for that freakin' project.

We both have enough freakin' projects right now.

Speaking of projects... What on your plate today?


*When we lived in CO, our non-stormy sweet spot led my saying to 'dirty, rain-stealing bastards in KS'. And no, I don't actually think people are stealing our rain. I may be a little nuts, but I'm not whackadoodle.

8 comments:

  1. Lack of sleep and insomnia can definitely lead to whackadoodle! I was in my early 40s when the pre menopause or whatever they call it kicked in, turning my sleep pattern on its head. I'd be up until 1-2 because I just wasn't tired and then I'd be awake again at 4 and wide awake to boot. No chance of getting back to sleep. I thought I would go nuts trying to sleep but I guess your body knows what it wants. I'm now 54, back in a more normal sleep pattern but I still get insomnia occasionally.
    The weather here in the UK is very hot and we're getting bombarded by swarms of midges and other winged insects, and that's before the wasps get in on the action. I don't do heat well, so I'm really glad my office has air con. Just wish I had it at home too.

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    1. Don't say early 40's, Fran, cuz that's where I'm at and I don't want pre-menopause. I have found that I'm taking a nap almost every day now. Maybe I'm regressing back to my toddler days. ;o)

      You know, I never think of the UK as being hot. Shows what I know. And ugh about your bug problems. Yay for AC at work, but yeah, having it at home would be better. :hugs:

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  2. Menopause is different for everyone so don't sweat it. Get it? Sweat it. :o)

    Umm, okay. Moving on. My menopause lasted exactly 3 weeks. It was as if my body woke up and said, okay, enough of that.

    I once caught Nana, the wonder dog in a sticky trap when she was just a puppy. She was small enough to get under the ball and claw foot tub where scorpions frequent. We had to cut her fur to free her. I washed her in loads of hair conditioner after that to remove some of the residue that lingered.

    I squash black widows when I find them too close to the house. Fortunately, none have been in the house. Maybe the scorpions keep them out.

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  3. ROFL... I got it. Good one, Maria. And yay for your short menopause! May we all have such good genes.

    I got the sticky trap off the table this morning. It was white fur and too long to be mouse fur. (We caught a mouse in one this morning.) But I checked Kira and she doesn't seen to be missing any patches of fur, so who knows.

    I squash black widows, too. I do not need one of them hatching out a nest of babies. :shudder: Unfortunately, I just checked and this one seems to have eaten her fill and moved.

    I don't think I could handle scorpions, too. Yuck.

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  4. Black widow spiders and scorpions! shudder. I do not like spiders or scorpions...although I've never actually been up close and personal with one. Good luck with the sleep issue.

    Today I'm weeding flowerbeds. But only because my mom's making me. LOL

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    1. I never had to deal with them when I was in Michigan, Karyn. I think that's the trade off - cold weather and no nasty critters vs warmer weather and critters.

      Have fun weeding! It's a pain in the buns, but it'll look so nice when you're done.

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  5. What's on my plate today? Same old, same old. Same editing project that will fry my brain, I'm sure. If I don't go slow, I'll end up just reading it to my heart's content, so I'm forcing myself to go slow. So slow I wonder if I'll ever finish. But hey, when I do, it'll be awesome. At least, I sure HOPE so!

    Sorry you didn't get any rain. It rains (pours?) at least once a week here that I haven't had to water the yard. Not that I would have anyway. I don't do gardens. Too many bugs! Haha! :)

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    1. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I know what you mean about just reading what you're supposed to be editing. It's nice getting lost in your own story, but it doesn't get the job done. ;o) And yes, I'm sure it'll be awesome, too.

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