Thursday, July 19, 2018

I'M AT WAR!!!!!

There I was, sitting on the couch sewing the binding on my favorite Texas Star quilt when there was a movement at the window that caught my eye.  HOLY CRAP!!  I stabbed myself with the needle as I jumped up and ran for the kitchen, dripping blood all the way.

I grabbed my swiffer floor sweeper from the closet and snuck back to the window ready to SMACK him!!!  Wasn't I surprised when I discovered he was on the outside of the window.  Wait ... there's a screen on that window and he's between the glass and the screen.  That can't be!!

I carefully got close enough to take this picture, then headed outside to make double sure he wasn't INSIDE the house.  Sure enough, he was caught in between.  How could that possibly happen?  There wasn't a fraction of an inch around that screen where he could crawl behind it.

SAY GOODBYE HONEY!!  SMASH!!  The Great White Hunter strikes again!!!  He dropped like a rock as I jumped back six feet!!  Oh wait ... he's behind the screen.
Yup ... he's BIG ... BIGGER than the scorpion by far!!  WELL over three inches wide.  Just to be sure he was a goner, I pried the screen off with great difficulty and dropped him to the concrete.  I do believe he's dead.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief, then panicked when I realized I was barefoot on the walkway where things like bugs and scorpions crawl.  

I tried to do some research and find out what kind it was, but the only thing that looked even close was a brown recluse, which scared me even more.  Maybe it's because something like these were in that Arizona Highways Magazine my Mom used to scare me away from snakes.  It worked really well.
This morning I saw a cricket as big as godzilla crawling across the patio.  I am not ONE with the creepy crawlies .... I may have to stay elsewhere during July and August.  At any rate, I did find my roses blooming even more.  Apparently they really like the systemic food I gave them in March because they are growing like gangbusters.  They really need to be pruned, but I'm becoming afraid of what might lurk beneath them.
As I wandered around I discovered Daddy dove came to visit Mom.  She leaves the nest once a day for water down at my station below the yard.  I've been trying to catch her off the nest to get a picture of the eggs, but no luck so far.
After all the drama with the spiders and scorpions, I needed something to sooth my ragged nerves.  What better than tiramisu?  It's an Italian coffee flavored creamy desert without too much sweet to make me even MORE nervous.

The problem was finding ladyfingers to make it with.  In my neighborhood in California, they are fairly easy to find.  I found some at Safeway that I can truly say are NOT ladyfingers.  The hunt was on!  I did finally find some and will give you the recipe tomorrow, along with pictures.  It's super simple and mighty tasty.  Perfect for that RV rally potluck or the poker game you are going to or to sooth your frazzled nerves from fighting spiders and scorpions.  

I'm going to go outside now and sit on the patio with my first cup of morning coffee ... shovel and swiffer in hand.






12 comments:

  1. Spiders, scorpions and snakes makes for some excitement there in the Arizona summers. The great white hunter is on the prowl again! Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It must be all the rain because last summer, when there was nary a drop, I didn't see anything!!

      Delete
  2. scorpions and cockroaches are a problem in my neighborhood in Las Vegas. Afer 2 yrs of trying to handle it myself, I finally gave in and got monthly service from a pest control company; they spray the yard and exterior of the house. $60 a visit but so worth it not to have to worry about where I step or sit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really! I never would have thought about scorpions in Las Vegas ... but then again, I guess it is the desert. The problem is I DO have a pest control service.

      Delete
  3. Let see shovel,, swiffer,,πŸ¦‚⚰️🐜⚰️πŸ•·⚰️ Next 🐍 🀦‍♀️
    That's a great visual you running around πŸ‘£ Outside in the yard no less
    Good thing you didn't strap the big gun on You'd be killing a little critters your neighbors would think you have an a gun fight
    I think bonkers has got the best idea,, If you do that every other month ?
    Think of it as not going to the ER insurance no bullet holes in the concrete or windows!!
    Isn't that why you have miss Nancy's adventure as a heading
    If it's any consolation were laughing our axx off over here🀑 :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But I DO have a service Ed ..... it just doesn't seem to be working very well at the moment!

      Delete
  4. A < $20 jug of Ortho Home Defense from Lowes or Home Depot you can spray yourself. Around the foundation and around the windows and doors. So easy and works really well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Don .... actually I did buy a jug and sprayed around everywhere except the windows ... never thought of going that high. I sure will now!!

      Delete
  5. It is a desert recluse, related to deadly brown recluse (brown does kill a few people now and then), but venom is not nearly as strong with the desert recluse. Ya, I would have smashed it too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG Dave ... don't tell me that!!! I need to get a bigger shovel!

      Delete
  6. Bigger than the 3" scorpion??? Oh my God. You can bring your wheeled home to Canada and stay at the Ridge for July and August! you can bring your shovel just not your GUN, Annie. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a nice invitation!! I just might do that because I'm not sure I'm going to handle these critters well. Definitely I need a change of plans for next year!!

      Delete