Tuesday, May 24, 2011

What makes you tick?

I'm someone who actually enjoys winter. I like the colder weather and crisp nights. I like the time change with darkness arriving early in the evening. Cozy nights by the fireplace. When the skies are clear, the stars are absolutely magnificent to see. I like boots and heavy coats. I like snow and winter storms -- and blizzards so strong we can't see outside past our windows. That is, as long as we don't have to drive in it. Which is often. But oh well...

In my humble opinion, the only major downfall to winter (other than driving in bad weather) is the snowplow driver who likes to cruise around at 6:30 a.m. going about 70 mph. (ok, ok, in actuality, he's only going about 5 mph -- but it sure sounds like 70.)

As much as I do enjoy it, it is always exciting when winter comes to an end and spring rolls in. We're no longer buried in snow and/or ice and/or freezing winds. The boots, heavy coats and all the hats and mittens and gloves are put away in anticipation of warm, starry nights and hot summer days... evenings spent outside with friends and lots of boat rides.

Along with the warmer weather come other things. Things I really dislike. Things I do not have think about during the winter. Creepy, crawly things. In just the past few days, this is what I have had to deal with:

Wednesday, May 18:


  • 9:30 pm: Arrived home. Checked the back deck. Two possums are hanging out. I don't like possums. They're pretty harmless but they're ugly and they look like they want to kill me.
      
  • 11:50 pm: Woke up to noises on back deck. Turned on light to see multiple raccoons having a deck party. I don't like raccoons. They're not scared of anything and they have beady eyes. These raccoons appeared to be plotting my death.
     
Thursday, May 19:
  • 7:10 am: Open front door to go to work. Huge snake about 6 inches long is hanging out by the front door. I scream and throw my car keys at it. It slithers away. I use long stick to retrieve my keys from the ground. I leave by the back door where the deck is because I'm certain the snake has a plethora of friends all waiting to kill me.
      
  • 9:45 pm: Arrived home. Check the back deck. The raccoons are back and the party is about to start. I turn on the light and bang on the door and yell and they just look at me. Pretty sure they were pointing to me to identify to all their friends hiding in the trees that I cannot see that yes, this is the one we kill soon. I open the door and throw my empty Diet Coke can at them. They leave. A murderous backwards glance at me from one of them gave me shivers. 
      
  • 10:15 pm: Check the back deck to make sure raccoons are gone. They are. Instead, there is a possum checking out the Diet Coke can. I turn on the light and the possum runs away as fast as he can, stumbling over the can. I retrieve the can. 
      
  • 11:15 pm: I see shadows moving in the front yard underneath the light that shines over our acreage at night. It's the raccoon gang. I go to bed.
     
Friday, May 20:
  • 6:50 am: Leaving for work. Open the front door and walk to my car. A bazillion flies are outside and on the attack as I run for the car. Pretty sure they would've killed me if I hadn't made it just in time. 
      
  • 9:35 pm: Check the back deck. I turn on the light, open the back door and a tiny gigantic skunk looks back up at me. Skunks give me that sinking, break into a cold sweat, I suddenly can't breathe feeling -- like something very bad is about to happen. I quickly and quietly shut the door. (I discovered last year that one should not scream and slam the door when a skunk is on the deck.) Skunk was already turning to leave when the light came on, and he jumped off and ran into the trees. I am now a prisoner in my home because there is a skunk outside and probably calling up all his skunk buddies while plotting to kill me.
      
  • 10:15 pm: Hear a loud "ka-thunk-thunk-thunk" followed by an "eeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-chugga-chugga-chugga-BOOM" on the back deck. I chose to ignore this. I'm positive that whatever it was meant certain death if I went out there. I live another day.
     
Saturday, May 21:
  • Basically uneventful. I hear thumps outside but have no desire to go and check it out.
     
Sunday, May 22:
  • 9:30 pm: Arrive home. Two deer run away from our property as I pull into the driveway. That was cool.  
      
  • 9:55 pm: Check the back deck. Possum looks back up at me. I open the door and yell "boo!" and he lumbers off. 
      
  • 10:00 pm: I'm still standing by the back deck and a smaller possum arrives. I open the door again and yell "boo!" and he scrambles away.
     
Monday, May 23:
  • 9:10 pm: Arrive home. Look in the back yard out kitchen window. Two skunks hanging out. One on the deck, the other in the grass. I bang on the window and one runs away and the other runs under the deck! Great. Oh, just great. I decide to leave the lights on as I've read skunks apparently do not like light. However, enormous, giant bugs do like the light. I can hear them buzzing and thunking outside.
     
  • 9:30 pm: Hubby, who is at the lake, calls to report he felt "itchy" and then discovered a TICK on him. Eeewwwwwwww!!! He mowed the property earlier in the day and decided he must've somehow picked one up. Ticks are the worst! Even the word "tick" brings that dreaded, break into a cold sweat, something very bad is going to happen feeling.
     
  • 10:10 pm: I do not know WHY, but I suddenly had that awful feeling that maybe I also had a tick. So I started looking at my arms and legs. Then I felt a tiny little bump, and sure enough -- a tick. Eeewwwwwwww!!! A humongous tick about the size of a little seed. I about died. I have never had a tick before and I was freaking out!
     
  • 10:11 pm: Grab tick with a kleenex and throw it into the toilet. Flush toilet. Flush toilet another 7 times.
     
  • 10:15 pm: Yank off all pajamas and along with the clothing I wore that day, turned the washing machine on to HOT and started doing laundry.
     
  • 10:20 pm: Took another shower with HOT water. Was tempted to use a Brillo pad for a washcloth.
     
  • 10:45 pm - 1:15 am: Look up photos of ticks. Read all information available regarding ticks. Listen to the songs "I Want To Check You For Ticks" (creepy) by Brad Paisley and "What Makes Me Tick" (cute!) by Loretta Lynn on YouTube. Vacuum the carpet and all furniture a few times. Talk to hubby on the phone about ticks. We finally decided that Holly picked up the ticks when she wandered through some tall grass earlier in the evening -- and then because the Frontline she receives made it a hostile environment on her, they jumped ship and found us.
     
Tuesday, May 24:
  • 1:20 am: Go to bed.
     
  • 1:45 am: Wake up from bad dream about bugs and/or itchy feeling and/or heard noise on the back deck. Since the light was on, I could easily see into the backyard... and what do I see? A Skunk. Guess they don't mind the light after all... 


Compared to the tick, the skunk suddenly looked adorable! What do you think?

 


I'll take the skunk any day over the tick!!!


I'm so ready for winter.


8 comments:

Misty and Eve said...

I love the winter too. I love the cold nights that make it a necessity for my Hubbs to cuddle with me at night. And I hate bugs. Following you back! Can't wait to get to know you. I love your background. Very serene.

Eve
bumblebliss.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

A. I abhor snakes. Unfortunately, they eat bugs. Pick your poison. I'm told they are more afraid of us than we are of them...wanna bet?

B. Possums and skunks are nocturnal animals; if you see one in the daylight, it's not good news. Do you have a 410? Learn how to shoot it.

C. Raccoons are varmints. If they are around, there must be something to eat. If you starve them, they will leave. Want to have some fun with them? They wash everything before eating it. Leave out some marshmallows for them...hee, hee, hee!

D. I love the changing of seasons. I think I have seasonal ADD; I get tired of one, and there is one to replace it. I have to admit that spring and fall are my favorites. Well, fall without spiders...

Yvonne@StyleBurb said...

I'm sorry you've had your life threatened by furry animals so often lately!!! The ticks were plain old bad luck! On a brighter note, your post was really entertaining to read! I love summer, but I didn't appreciate the bat that flew inside a few years ago. And I'm getting a little tired of my kids who scream at the sight of a spider.

I hope the partying raccoons keep it down tonight!

Jodi said...

EWWW, now my skin is crawling! I hate snakes, ticks, flies, bugs, skunks....hate them all! Not fun, I guess, at least in the winter we don't have to deal with all that do we?? :)

Jodi

Lori E said...

I am sorry but I am laughing at your misfortune.
If they find your body under the deck we will all report to the police fingering the evil racoons and their skunky sidekicks.
They would party under our deck and then fight amongst themselves. Not scared of us at all. They just mock us.
I would rather put up with all of the critters you mentioned than to see even one snake. They are the end of me.

Foley said...

The skunks would freak me out... sounds like you have the beginning of a zoo..Have a great summer!!!

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

OMG, where shall I begin??? First of all this comment may not come through. Blogger is being weird and some comment go and others will NOT??? Anyway, I hate winter. Mostly. I do like boots and pretty jackets but NOT the COLD:):) And even in winter we have raccoons that like to LIVE on our roof! And they leave their "business" up there too....alot of it. YUCK! Winter and summmer we now have STINK BUGS, YUCK, YUCK!!!! They are horrible and everywhere. We have even felt one in BED with us one night and last night one buzzed my head and I screamed:) The snakes and possums don't come around here....at least I ahven't seen them:) Be brave woman:):) XO, Pinky

Mary in SC said...

Oh, honey! You and I are so living the same life! Mine is in Virginia at the moment, with every imaginable species of wildlife, including foxes and coyotes, but we are moving to Iowa in July. Our daughter has already asked me "What is the state bug in Iowa?" Ain't nature grand?
Seriously, though, the photos of the lake views from your home are truly breathtaking, and the nature wonders around my home are equally impressive. Wouldn't trade it for the world, would we?
Have a marvelous day, everyone!

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