There is a spider living in our mailbox... one of those thick-looking black spiders with white dots. I've named her Charlotte, for obvious reasons (if you've read "Charlotte's Web"). The spider is not very big, maybe the circumference of a dime in size, but she's thick and sturdy-looking, sort of soft and fuzzy.
I have removed that spider at least seven times, using the edge of an envelope to lift her from the door of the mailbox and flip her onto the grass by the road. I've seen that spider land in the grass each time, but the next day she's back inside that box, just waiting for me to open the little door. "Surprise! I'm back! Did you miss me?" (Proof positive that the country air turns one's mind to applesauce... I am now making up conversations with a spider.)
I don't want to kill the spider because the white polka-dots on her black body make her look as if she should be the star character in a children's book. ("The polka-dot spider sat down beside her...") So far, she has not attempted to build a web inside the mailbox or anywhere near it, and I have to admire her tenacity for climbing back up that post after being continually flipped into the grass. And do spiders get lonely? She's always by herself, unless she's hiding her companion in the dark recesses at the back of that mailbox. ("Here she comes! Get lost for a minute!")
I will continue to flip Charlotte into the grass when I see her, but the moment she hitches a ride on a piece of mail and ends up in the house, that's when the spider-party ends because I will smash her polka-dots flat in a split second.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
More rain... more fire ants.
I truly know that we need all the rain we can get up here, and yes, it's nice that all the ponds are filled again. But honestly, do we need more fire ant mounds? With the rain comes the countless mounds of dirt that the ever-industrious fire ants build above ground level. Those ants must work 24 hours of every blessed day in order to move so much dirt.
If you're lucky, you will see the mounds before you step on them. But sometimes, those mounds are more horizontal than vertical, and then you can barely see them unless the grass is cut very low and you happen to be looking down as you're walking. That sort of walking is a country trick--- looking down for fire ants while looking ahead for spider webs and also looking up for snakes that may happen to be stretched out on a tree branch. (My husband says I'm always 'looking for trouble.' Well, that may be, but I'd rather see the trouble ahead and get away from it before the trouble finds me.)
We read an article on the Internet that said plain old cornstarch will kill fire ants. We tried that, and yes, it eventually did kill those ants, but it took a while. If you're patient enough, I guess enough cornstarch will kill any sort of crawling insect, but nothing beats a good shot of Raid spray. Psssssst! You're dead! The Raid works that quickly.
I've tried to be extra careful when I'm out walking Savannah... she loves the tall grass and so far, that puppy has either stepped around or jumped over fire ant mounds. There was one morning when one of her back paws got too close to a mound and within a heart-beat, she had at least 25 ants on her paw and crawling up her leg. Savannah jumped out of that grass and stood on the road and just looked at me helplessly. I quickly took one of the plastic bags that I carry for pooper-scooping and put that bag over my right hand and then brushed the ants off of her leg. That seemed to work just fine, without me getting bitten by the ants. (I am allergic to those bites.)
The two outside cats never seem to get into the fire ants, thank goodness. I'd never find the ants on Mickey because he's solid black and the ants could quickly get lost in his fur. As for Gatsby, he's like the Cowardly Lion and he just stays away from everything unless it's in his food dish.
Our weather has been warm, which is fine with me. We've had a few cool nights and even cooler early mornings, but nothing that had me running for boots, gloves and a scarf. Speaking of boots, I need to find some warm fur-lined boots for cold-weather walking with Savannah. I have two pairs of dress boots, but I don't want to be using those to walk in the tall grass looking to pick up Savannah's poop.
When I told my husband that I was going to buy a pair of puppy-walking boots, he asked me why I couldn't just wear the boots that I have. "Those are dress boots to wear with my good jeans," I told him.
"What are you saving the good boots for?" he asked.
"I'm saving them for when we come to our senses and move back to civilization," was my answer.
He gave me that look. Men just don't understand certain things, with women's shoes being near the top of that list.
If you're lucky, you will see the mounds before you step on them. But sometimes, those mounds are more horizontal than vertical, and then you can barely see them unless the grass is cut very low and you happen to be looking down as you're walking. That sort of walking is a country trick--- looking down for fire ants while looking ahead for spider webs and also looking up for snakes that may happen to be stretched out on a tree branch. (My husband says I'm always 'looking for trouble.' Well, that may be, but I'd rather see the trouble ahead and get away from it before the trouble finds me.)
We read an article on the Internet that said plain old cornstarch will kill fire ants. We tried that, and yes, it eventually did kill those ants, but it took a while. If you're patient enough, I guess enough cornstarch will kill any sort of crawling insect, but nothing beats a good shot of Raid spray. Psssssst! You're dead! The Raid works that quickly.
I've tried to be extra careful when I'm out walking Savannah... she loves the tall grass and so far, that puppy has either stepped around or jumped over fire ant mounds. There was one morning when one of her back paws got too close to a mound and within a heart-beat, she had at least 25 ants on her paw and crawling up her leg. Savannah jumped out of that grass and stood on the road and just looked at me helplessly. I quickly took one of the plastic bags that I carry for pooper-scooping and put that bag over my right hand and then brushed the ants off of her leg. That seemed to work just fine, without me getting bitten by the ants. (I am allergic to those bites.)
The two outside cats never seem to get into the fire ants, thank goodness. I'd never find the ants on Mickey because he's solid black and the ants could quickly get lost in his fur. As for Gatsby, he's like the Cowardly Lion and he just stays away from everything unless it's in his food dish.
Our weather has been warm, which is fine with me. We've had a few cool nights and even cooler early mornings, but nothing that had me running for boots, gloves and a scarf. Speaking of boots, I need to find some warm fur-lined boots for cold-weather walking with Savannah. I have two pairs of dress boots, but I don't want to be using those to walk in the tall grass looking to pick up Savannah's poop.
When I told my husband that I was going to buy a pair of puppy-walking boots, he asked me why I couldn't just wear the boots that I have. "Those are dress boots to wear with my good jeans," I told him.
"What are you saving the good boots for?" he asked.
"I'm saving them for when we come to our senses and move back to civilization," was my answer.
He gave me that look. Men just don't understand certain things, with women's shoes being near the top of that list.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Frogs and worms...
... and heaven only knows what else is out there in the dark that I am not seeing. Sometimes ignorance is indeed bliss.
Walking Savannah after dark has gotten to be a challenge. I don't leave the driveway and walk this puppy on the road after dark, and I'm glad there's enough grass next to the driveway for her to inspect and choose for her nightly 'business.' However... tonight before I even got to the driveway, there was a long worm on the stones of the walkway... at least 16" long would be my guess, and unfortunately, I stepped on the stupid thing before I knew it was there. Good grief.
My husband bought me an easy-to-hold and very bright flash-light to bring outside with me after it gets dark. My mistake tonight, however, was not shining that light down onto the paving stones before I crossed them. Had I done that, I could have side-stepped that blasted worm. As it happened, my foot was on the worm when the light hit the stones and there I was, one foot on a stone and one foot on this ridiculously long worm.... and by that time, not only was the damage done to the worm but I had to lift my foot off of that blasted thing and hope that he wasn't heading in the same direction I was. Good grief. Just the thought...
Luckily, the worm was somewhat injured when I stepped on him, and I saw him trying to move the back half of his body so it could keep in pace with the front half of his body. I'm cringing as I type this. I don't know where the worm went and what happened to him, because by the time Savannah was finished in the grass by the driveway, that worm was nowhere to be found on the paving stones. I hope he doesn't go off into the tall grass and keep growing till he's three feet long.
However... in searching for that worm so I wouldn't step on him a second time, I missed seeing a brown frog on another one of those stones. Thankfully, that frog saw both me and Savannah and he jumped out of our way and went off into the grass, but not before scaring me so much that I nearly screamed out loud right there on the walkway. I'm not afraid of the frogs... they're sort of cute, actually, but that one on the walkway surely wouldn't have been so cute had I stepped on him. Good grief.
Will there ever be an end to the critters and crawlers and slithery things that are out there after dark? Probably not. I will never get used to this. I'm doomed.
Walking Savannah after dark has gotten to be a challenge. I don't leave the driveway and walk this puppy on the road after dark, and I'm glad there's enough grass next to the driveway for her to inspect and choose for her nightly 'business.' However... tonight before I even got to the driveway, there was a long worm on the stones of the walkway... at least 16" long would be my guess, and unfortunately, I stepped on the stupid thing before I knew it was there. Good grief.
My husband bought me an easy-to-hold and very bright flash-light to bring outside with me after it gets dark. My mistake tonight, however, was not shining that light down onto the paving stones before I crossed them. Had I done that, I could have side-stepped that blasted worm. As it happened, my foot was on the worm when the light hit the stones and there I was, one foot on a stone and one foot on this ridiculously long worm.... and by that time, not only was the damage done to the worm but I had to lift my foot off of that blasted thing and hope that he wasn't heading in the same direction I was. Good grief. Just the thought...
Luckily, the worm was somewhat injured when I stepped on him, and I saw him trying to move the back half of his body so it could keep in pace with the front half of his body. I'm cringing as I type this. I don't know where the worm went and what happened to him, because by the time Savannah was finished in the grass by the driveway, that worm was nowhere to be found on the paving stones. I hope he doesn't go off into the tall grass and keep growing till he's three feet long.
However... in searching for that worm so I wouldn't step on him a second time, I missed seeing a brown frog on another one of those stones. Thankfully, that frog saw both me and Savannah and he jumped out of our way and went off into the grass, but not before scaring me so much that I nearly screamed out loud right there on the walkway. I'm not afraid of the frogs... they're sort of cute, actually, but that one on the walkway surely wouldn't have been so cute had I stepped on him. Good grief.
Will there ever be an end to the critters and crawlers and slithery things that are out there after dark? Probably not. I will never get used to this. I'm doomed.
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