All I wanted out of life was to be able to retire peacefully and live out the fullness of my years in sweet comfort, but whoever Murphy is created a few "laws" that seem to have been visited on me. Do I resent it? You betcha! What did I ever do to Murphy that he should remind me constantly that I am not in control of my own spaces? Fie! To wit:
Conundrum #1: Bugs.
For reasons known only to God, I have been experiencing an infestation of earwigs in my home. Earwigs are beetle-like bugs with pincers and a love for cool/wet places and rotting stuff. I have no clue how they are getting into my house, but I have to be constantly on alert. I get occasional big black ants, but they always stay on the floor. The earwigs can be anywhere...counters, tables, bed...you name it. (Even diabolically inside shoes.)
Here are things I have learned about earwigs, other than what I have already mentioned: 1. If you step on them, they will die. If you don't pick up the dead carcasses, live earwigs will be attracted to the dead ones. Cleanup is essential. 2. Earwigs aren't very smart. Two died of acute alcohol toxicity when they drowned in a leftover glass of wine that I didn't clean up in time. Another was found floating, dead, in one of my toilets; an apparent sewercide. Yet another young one died an untimely death just this morning when I nuked my breakfast in the microwave. He wasn't in my food so had to be already in there, which raises the question: if bugs can find their way into a microwave that isn't even a year old, what keeps microwaves from escaping?? BTW, the earwig came out quite dead and crispy. Poor fellow. 3. My Gal Friday came to mow today. I had given her $$ to buy some Home Defense spray to use around the base of the house, which she did. We'll see how that works. I have no idea how the little buggers are getting into my house-on-a-slab, but I'm hoping this ends the invasion!
Conundrum #2: Refrigeration.
About five or six years ago (would have to look it up to be sure), I invested in a new refrigerator. I was looking for a value item that met my needs. I don't like stainless steel, so I got a black one, side-by-side Frigidaire. It had an ice/water dispenser that wouldn't be used because placement in my kitchen puts it too far from the plumbing. Since my house is on a concrete slab, any plumbing for the fridge would have to go up into the attic and down, rather than hidden in a non-existent crawl space. It's done well, if you don't mind all of the burps, gurgles, moans, and whistles that come from it. The ice maker has been removed, so that is not the problem. I've learned to ignore the refrigerator noise.
What I can't ignore is the water that recently has started coming out from under the fridge. I put a cloth down to soak it up. Sometimes it comes from the middle of the two doors, and sometimes it comes out from under the freezer part. Still, nothing in the freezer is melting, and nothing in the refrigerator is spoiling. Occasionally, there is a puddle that runs in front of the garage room door and dries up.
I got out the manual for the refrigerator and found, to my dismay, that there is no removable drip pan under the unit. Where do I go from here???? How do I fix something that apparently isn't broken??
Conundrum #3: Wildlife.
I live in town, but that doesn't prevent Nature's fauna from visiting my humble abode. One evening, I opened my front door to look out at something, and there was a puzzled opossum looking up at me on my front stoop. It ambled off without any challenge from me, but it does give me pause about venturing out in the evenings without checking. I know 'possums are good guys, but I really, really don't like their looks. Keep moving, little dude!
And then there is the red squirrel that plays around in my front yard near--and under--my car. One day, I watched as the little bugger jumped up into the undercarriage of my vehicle. I have no clue what he intended to do under there, but I envisioned chewed wires and food caches. So far, nothing seems to be broken, and I don't want to mess up Mr. Squirrel's life, but he could do me a favor if he would stay away from my means of transportation!
And the birds. Oh, the birds! There is no huge variety of birds where I live; just the usual garden variety of robins, blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, and wrens. And some hummingbirds. I love the hummers! Several years ago, I put up hummingbird feeders just to watch them, and wasn't disappointed; however, I've always been a bit slow to get the feeders out each spring. This year, my Gal Friday brought the feeders out of the closet, and I was going to make the syrup to fill them. Didn't happen. Didn't happen for weeks. And then, just as I was ready to finally do something, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources asked the public to remove all bird feeders--including hummer feeders--due to a mystery disease that is killing songbirds. For once in my life, my procrastination was justified. I just hate the reasons.
Conundrum #4: Family.
I miss the daylights out of my family. While the pandemic improves in time, I don't have much time left to give. Yep, I'm still kicking, but I'm 74 with "pre-existing conditions". I have lost an entire year. My whole focus right now is how/when to be with my loved ones again. It doesn't help that they live almost 2,000 miles away. It seems that my grandchildren will be here for a few days at the end of August. Hallelujah! It's a start. It will never be enough, though, but I'm learning...
Can't wait to get my hands on my nearly-adult grandchildren and, perhaps, their puppy. Need to get my fence gate fixed. Wish me luck!
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