Monday, May 3, 2021

The Critters You DON'T See!!

And you thought I lived alone!!   Today I present to you the OTHER members of my family, since you've already met the skunks, fire ants and gophers.  Meet Mrs. Black Widow.  She's a nighttime visitor who you will rarely see in the light of day.

Sometimes it's scary to think about all the critters you DON'T see!!  I spray a couple times a year for these guys, which seems to keep them at bay.  One evening I went outside with a flashlight and counted 14 having set up camp on my patio alone.  Like the in-laws you really wish would just leave, I was really wishing these guys didn't exist.  

I have to say I've never been bitten by one and they do eat a lot of nasty things like flies and mosquitos, so this one who set up housekeeping out front, was allowed to stay, only because she wasn't between me and the sprinkler control I was heading for.


Also known to haunt my garage and occasionally my patio is the potato bug.  These guys eat the roots of potato plants.  Trust me, there are NO potatoes growing in my garage, nor within 500 miles of my house.  These guys are HUGE, like two inches long, so stepping on them is out of the question.  


They might also be known as Jerusalem crickets.  I'll be honest, this scares me to death!!   I've never gotten close enough to see if this is what they look like, nor is it my intention to EVER do so!!  Now you know where all those creepy alien movies came from.  THIS is why I wish I did NOT live alone!!  Will you get rid of all these visitors would be the first line on the job application.  


It was a quick trip to the store yesterday.  Everything has become very expensive, definitely shortening my grocery list.  Again, all the meat is sky high, but I found some off brand chicken breasts for $2.99 a pound.  

One thing I was looking for was something to clean my stainless steel fridge, which was so dirty you could hardly tell it was stainless.  I've tried lots of things, but nothing has ever worked on the fingerprints.  Since this was the only thing in the store, I figured I would give it a shot.

It took me ten minutes to get the first wipe out of the can, but you know what?  It worked like a charm.  A little messy at first ... it looked kind of like soap when I rubbed it on ... but I kept rubbing a little more and just like that ..... it's a clean shiny fingerprint-free piece of stainless.  Wow ... that was easy!!  Maybe next week I'll do the stove!!


Okay, I'll admit the REAL reason I went to the grocery store is because I decided to try and get off sugar again.  It calls my name incessantly.  I had the ingredients to make the raspberry jello surprise, but forgot one very important factor.  You have to beat the cream cheese FIRST, along with the cream, BEFORE mixing in the jello.

As you may be able to see, when you do NOT do that, you get huge chunks of cream cheese.  I'm not a fan.  I ate ONE and by the time I was done, I had cream cheese stuck to every surface in my mouth.  OMG!!!  I CANNOT EAT THIS!!!  

Every time I opened the fridge door, I stared at the remaining FIVE cups.  I just couldn't!!  A trip to the store included more jello for a second batch.  


I'm happy to say it came out perfect, as I creamed the cream cheese, cream and wannabe-sugar BEFORE mixing with the jello.  Quite tasty!!

In the meantime, my search for the perfect generator continues.  I rather have my heart set on a Honda 2200i, but alas, they are few and far between.  I haven't been able to locate ANY!!  The alternative would be possibly the Firman brand that Costco sells.  It's all about the quiet when it comes to generators, and of course needs to be something I can lift into my truck.  As much as I would love solar, it's on hold for the moment.  

In the meantime, I'm off to check my game camera to see if anyone ELSE came to set up housekeeping in the middle of the night.


14 comments:

  1. Yep, seen all them bugs and spiders before. I remember when I was about 19 years old, still at mom and dads, and one night I feel this 'thing' crawling on my arm which is up against the wall. I froze for what seemed to be an hour (ok, 3-4 minutes) and then it drops between the bed and the wall. I spring up, pull the bed away and what is it? One of those black crickets! HOW it got up on the second floor of the condo we were living in is beyond me...probably hitched a ride on the pants leg of my levis.

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    1. Yup that would scare me half to death. I'm not a fan of creepy crawlies!!

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  2. That potato bug has one scary face and I would run if I ever came across one! Between "Dawn" dish detergent and a bottle of "Spray Nine" I get all cleaning jobs in and around the house done except for Windex for the windows but Dawn does it too.

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    1. Spray Nine ... I've never heard of that one. Considering the fridge hasn't been cleaned in about six months, this stuff did really good. Dawn is also a favorite of mine.

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  3. Nice find for your refrigerator! Quite often Raley's had chicken breasts for 97¢ a pound. And this week they have the whole chicken for 77¢ a pound.

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    1. Wow ... that's a deal on chicken. Save Mart here rarely puts stuff on sale. It's what the market will bear I guess.

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  4. Even Walt Disney used real life Bugs, Animals, Trees, Shrubs and Landscapes as models for his animations before movies like Star Wars started doing it.
    Check out Harbor Freight for their Generators. Quiet and a fraction of the cost of a Honda.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. They are definitely cheaper at Harbor Freight.

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  5. I could do without those critter pictures, Nancy! Yeuchh! And the thought of the spiders on your patio like that, gives me the willy's.
    I'm going to be having a Norwex party in June, online, of course. They have a stainless steel cloth that is supposed to be amazing. I could only order a few things with my sister's party, it is expensive (buy once stuff) so need to spread it out. Our fridge constantly needs cleaning too.
    The Jello doesn't look too bad but I do see the cc lumps in there. Mine is too runny because of my booboo, aren't we a pair? haha

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    1. Hahaha Patsy ... your pictures are why I decided to make it again!! I'm glad I'm not the only one to mess up jello!!

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  6. We have that brand of cleaner in a spray can, works well. Check out the Champion inverter generators, I love ours.

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    1. In a spray can ... these little towelettes were the only thing I could find in the store. I'll look for champions on the internet.

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  7. I will freely admit that Barb is the spider killer in our family, I cannot stand the sight of them! One that you forgot is scorpions, I am sure you have a few of those hiding around there as well,

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    1. If I see any scorpions, they get hit with a sledge hammer, that's how much I dislike THEM!! Spiders I can deal with as long as they are under 2 inches!! LOL

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