Spiders I Have Known

Today was a rather sad day, in some ways. I finally had to get rid of the spider that was living in the corner in my bathroom. On the one hand, I was quite sad, as I'd become accustomed to her hanging out there. On the other hand, I couldn't wait to get the vacuum out, as her web was getting quite large, and so was she, for that matter. Plus, it looked like she had a nice batch of eggs waiting to hatch. So the other day I decided it was time for her - and her offspring-to-be - to go.

As she tends to spend a lot of time away from the web, I decided to wait to vacuum it up until I actually caught her at home. That happened, unexpectedly, this afternoon. Normally Mrs. Spider doesn't spend much time in the web during the day. I usually catch her that at night, but it's normally too late to fire the vacuum up. So Judy, you'll be pleased to know that she and her babies are now residing in the depths of my vacuum cleaner, and it's once again safe to use the bathroom!

Rest in peace, Mrs. Spider and family...

In other spider news, I had taken the dogs out for a bathroom break one day last weekend. As I walked by the swing, I just happened to catch a glint of something out of the corner of my eye. It turned out to be a beautiful, pristine, delicate spider web, with a very tiny spider in the middle. I took a lot of pictures, not expecting good results as the sun and the web were at awkward angles, but I managed to have one turn out beautifully. Here it is:



Charlotte's Web


I also got some pictures of a weed that was growing out back. It had the most beautiful tiny pink flowers, and even though it was very windy, I managed to capture a couple of good macro shots. I particularly love the way the stamen in the first shot look like little pink-and-white striped witch's stockings!




Witch's Stockings!


Pretty Pink Weed


I am just waiting for laundry to finish before I head to bed. Doing the laundry gave me a bit of a turn today. I had bought two sets of sheets awhile ago - a lovely apple green set, and a pale yellow set. I've been using the green ones, and because a certain dog who shall remain nameless upchucked on the bed this morning, I had to wash the bedding. I decided that instead of using the green sheets again, I'd wash and use the yellow ones. I pulled them out of the package, unfolded them, and turfed them in the washer. As I was throwing the pillow cases in the washer, I noticed a small dark spot on one of them. As I was about to inspect further, the small dark spot started moving. It was so small that I couldn't make out just what it was, although from the way it moved I think it was a baby centipede.

It gave me some anxious moments. I killed it and disposed of it, but then started wondering where it had come from. Was it in the sheets in the packaging? Were there a million more of them crawling around the sheets? Or was it on the floor in the laundry room, and just crawled on the pillow case when I had put it on the floor? If it was in the sheets in the packaging, how did it get there? Did it crawl in from the warehouse? Or did it crawl in when the sheets were made in Bangladesh? Did I now have a gazillion eggs of some exotic insect waiting to hatch and take over my home? Should I wash the sheet set and trust that would kill whatever was there? Should I throw them and the packaging in a bag, seal it up tighter than Fort Knox, and take the set back to the store for a refund?

Okay, so it gave me more than a few anxious moments. I decided to wash the sheets. After all, they were being washed in hot water, and being dried on a hot setting. Surely that would kill anything that might still be there. Besides, I tossed some bleach in as well, so that would also help to kill any critters that may be lurking. I hadn't seen anything on the other pillow case or on the two sheets when I'd unfolded them all, and even though it was a tiny critter, it was still sizeable enough that I'm pretty sure I would have noticed any more of them.

Throughout the day I would think of the sheets, and envision them freshly laundered and on my bed. Teeming with creepy-crawly insects. I could see the little buggers crawling all over the bed, getting under the sheets and the mattress protector, and laying eggs in the mattress. I would have to throw out my mattress, rip up all the carpets, and throw out all the other furniture in my place, as they would have invaded everything in short order.

Once the bedspread was dry (it was okay as it had not yet come in contact with the infested sheets), I got a grip on my imagination and bravely pulled the sheets out of the washer. I inspected them as best I could and saw no further signs of insect life. In the dryer they went. As I waited for them to dry, I was cautiously optimistic that they'd be okay, and I might not have to get rid of all the furniture and carpets - perhaps just the bed and the bedroom carpet. Hm, perhaps I still might want to reconsider using the sheets...

Finally the sheets were dry. Out of the dryer they came, to be inspected as thoroughly as possible once more. Again, there was no sign of insect life. They were reinspected as I courageously opted to put them on the bed, and all looked fine. So far I've not seen hordes of teeming insect life running rampant on the bed - or even one insect, for that matter - so I'm thinking I'll be safe.

Of course, it's impossible to get into all the folds of the material, and unless I pick the hem out, I can't see inside that. So who knows what might be lurking and waiting to crawl out in the middle of the night? If I'm not up by 10:00 AM, Judy, sneak cautiously downstairs, can of Raid in hand, to check and see if the girls and I have been devoured by ravenous exotic insects. If we aren't there, then you'll know that the little buggers are able to eat bone and all, so you'll just have to burn the house down immediately - it's the only way to save yourself!

Oh, um, you DID check the backyard first, just to make sure we aren't out on a puppy potty break, didn't you? Judy? Judy? Oops...

Okay, the other sheets (the green set - the safe ones) are almost dry, and I am just about to head to bed. I'll wish you all sweet dreams - I'll likely be wide awake all night, waiting for millions of critters to crawl out of the hems, and the vengeful ghosts of Mrs. Spider and her spiderlings to launch their own attack (if the aren't still alive in the vacuum bag and crawling out to get me as I write). Eep.

Thank the Gods and Goddesses

Here it is, just after midnight. I should have been in bed awhile ago, but this has turned out to be a really good evening, and I guess I just don't want it to end. So I figured before I hit the hay I'll do a quick blog entry. Well, I intend it to be quick, but I know how I get when I go off on tangents in these things, so we'll see how long it gets!

I've added a couple more links to my favourite general websites. Ted's Caving Page is a very well done and intriguing site. Basically the tale of a caver who's discovered a new cave within a cave - very creepy, and well-written. It really got a lot of people going, as they weren't sure if it was a real story. As it turns out, it's not real, but there are still people who think it is. I definitely recommend this one, but be prepared to spend a lot of time in there - it's quite lengthy.

Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About is one of my all-time favourite sites. In fact, I was going to post a blog entry last night, just to add this link, but then I ended up reading the damned thing over again! It's another one I recommend, and I'm fairly certain that it will appeal to the sense of humour of those who usually comment here. I find it absolutely hilarious - one of the few sites that actually make me laugh out loud while I'm reading. The neighbours probably think I'm nuts, but who cares?

Now, on to the thanking of the Gods and Goddesses part. I did a ritual and some spellwork awhile back, and part of the spellwork involved asking for help in getting some bills paid, and getting my finances in better order. I've been stressed about finances for several years now, and it seems every time I start to get ahead, I get shoved back again. I've been doing some praying and some small bits of spellwork on this since the ritual, but nothing major. I'd actually forgotten that I'd included that in my ritual spellwork. However, I was reminded of it tonight.

I was paying bills, which always stresses me out to no end, when I realized that I actually had enough money to completely pay off one of the bills that I make monthly payments on. Now, it wasn't a large balance, however, I did not expect to pay it off this soon. I double-checked to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything, and then put the payment through. It was such a wonderful feeling, although I admit that I also felt weird. When I'm used to making monthly payments on something, it takes awhile to sink in that I don't have to worry about it anymore. I was kind of looking over my shoulder waiting for something to bite me in the ass, but so far my ass is intact, so I think all is well!

I had forgotten about the spell (which is actually a good way of strengthening a spell - to just put it out of mind once it's been done), and hadn't been consciously doing anything differently regarding finances, but I was able to keep enough money left over from the last paycheque to pay off one bill, and also to put a tiny bit more on a couple of other ones. Another example of how well spells can work.

Another weird thing is that my mind started jumping in the mix. "So what? So you paid it off. Look how much more you have to still pay on other things." I firmly told my mind to "shut the hell up. I paid it off, damnit, and it's out of my hair, thank you very much." My mind keeps trying to pipe up again, but I give it a very stern look (you know the look, Judy - Dad's "look" - ) and it shuts up.

Anyhow, not major news to most people, but great news for me, and I've had quite a nice evening since then. It's also helped that it's cooled down out there! It clouded over late this afternoon, and a nice strong wind picked up. By 8:00 pm I was able to open the windows, as it was very cloudy, VERY windy, and was sprinkling. It rained quite a bit through the evening, and my place cooled down enough that I could actually turn the damned fans off. Yes, I said "damned fans". I love fans, as they do help, however, they've been running constantly in here for several days, and they give me a nasty sore throat, nose, and sinuses.

So the coolness really made me happy, and paying off that bill was an added bonus. Of couse I was a bit concerned that too many good things were happening to me in one day, but then I decided that I'd just take it and enjoy it, since lightning hadn't come through the ceiling to strike me down yet. (Knock on wood...)

I was going to post a couple of pictures for you tonight, but that function isn't working at the moment. So I shall sign off, say my thanks to the Gods and Goddesses, and any in Spirit who helped me to come to this wonderful moment of having one bill out of my hair, and I shall wish everyone a good night, and pleasant dreams!

Good Thing I Don't Believe In Hell

It's a good thing I don't believe in hell, because if I did I'd be thinking I was in it, what with the weather we're having. It's way too damned hot - hell, all I have to do is twitch an eyebrow and I break out into a sweat. My feet are constantly burning, and by the end of the day my ankles are tending to swell.

The dogs aren't faring too well either. Lady has diarrhea something fierce, and Misty is starting to get it too. They're going to the groomer tomorrow to get their fur coats shaved off, so that should help a bit. As for me, I think the only thing that will help is if I fill a pool full of ice and lay in it all day. God, that sounds like an awesome idea...

I've been pining for a couple of the mountain lakes around where I grew up. Mountain fed, very cold, and most invigorating. The one I went to most often was Irrigation Lake, just outside the town I lived in. It was a great place to go swimming. Nice and cold, and no leeches to worry about. Of course there were some squeamish moments when they'd stock the lake with trout, because all the baby trout would hang out close to shore in the swimming area. But once one got over the fish heebie-jeebies, it was fine.

The other lake was Sunset Lake, just outside a small village about 20 minutes or so away from the town I lived in. It was a beautiful lake, but extremely cold. One did not dive in - that would likely have caused instant heart failure. One had to slowly walk out into the lake, advancing step by step as each body part turned blue. Okay, so the body parts didn't actually turn blue, but after a swim in the lake every part of the body was numb for awhile. Seriously. It was heaven to swim in on a hot day, although anyone not used to mountain lakes would not likely be too thrilled with it.

At any rate, I've been yearning to go for a swim in either one of those lakes. I must admit, just thinking about it makes me feel a tad cooler. I'll have to keep that thought in my mind as I try to get to sleep tonight!

Okay, enough whining about the heat. For tonight, anyhow. Tomorrow is another day.

I've added a couple of links to the sidebar, and will probably be adding a few more as time goes by. Lex put a link on her blog to mine, so I thought I'd link hers here. I am honoured to do so - I get a real kick out of reading her entries. She has a great sense of humour, and a heart of gold. Check her blog out at Ms. Self Destruct. Thanks for linking me, Lex!

In the Hallowe'en section, I've put a link to The Haunted Studio. This is another one of my favourite sites. The artist does some fabulous paintings, and I'm determined that I'm going to buy a print or two one of these days. Some of the paintings have ghosties hidden throughout them, and while they can't all be seen on the computer, I'm sure it would be great fun to try and find them all in the actual paintings or prints. The artist also does commission work - you can send him a picture of your house and he can turn it into a haunted house for you - or even just do a beautiful painting of your home, if you prefer. Of course you know me - I'd be going for the haunted house look all the way!

That's it for me tonight. My eyes are wanting to slam shut, so hopefully I'll get to sleep. God, I can't wait for autumn... Sweet dreams everyone, and sleep well!

A Beautiful Night

It is a beautiful night here. A nice cool wind is blowing, the odd flash of lightning brightens the sky, and all is fairly quiet. I am enjoying this cooler weather so much, and I am so relieved that we haven't ended up with the endless hot weather that had been forecast in the spring. It's still pretty toasty out there during the day, but at least we've had some cooler breezes, and a few days of cooler temperatures, to help us get through the season.

It was reasonably nice this morning too, so I wandered out with my camera, hoping to get some video of some other birds. Of course they were all playing somewhere else - I think they knew I was looking for them! Since I had no birds to play with, I decided to get a couple more videos of the girls. That little adventure was swiftly curtailed when a rather large and curious bee decided to check me and my camera out. I didn't get the bee on video, nor did I attempt to try. I was more concerned with getting away from it than asking it to say cheese. I decided to transfer the video to the computer, and I had to giggle when I got to the end. I figured it would at least give Judy a chuckle, if no one else, so here it is - the Bee Attack video!



Bee Attack!



A little while after I had posted my last blog entry, I happened to look out my window to see a beautiful sight. There had been a rain storm, and just as the sun was setting, the clouds began to break in the west. The neighbour's trees looked gorgeous - grey storm clouds behind them, and the setting sun lighting them up on the sides. It was still drizzling a bit, but I just had to run out and get a picture. I was quite pleased with how it turned out, so thought I'd share it with you.



Sunset on the Trees


I don't really have much else to natter about tonight. I'm just about to head to bed, so I shall wish you all a good night, and sweet dreams!

The Birds and the Bees

Hah! THAT got your attention, didn't it? Sorry to disappoint you all, but this isn't going to be a chat about sex.

I got home from work to find Judy and her hubby out in the front yard. Hubby was working hard on the flower beds, and Judy was snooper - er - supervising. The flower beds are looking very nice, and I decided to grab my camera and take some pictures. As I was trying to get a few macro shots of the marigolds, I kept getting chased by a wasp who felt I was infringing on his territory. When I finally got my shots and went around to the other side of the flower bed, a rather large bee went flying by - thankfully it did not decide to chase me! At any rate, the bird pictures I took the other day and today's bee encounter inspired tonight's blog title.

I'm not going to post all the pictures I took this evening, but I cropped and resized a few of my favourite shots to share with you. Judy likely has some similar pictures, as she was out there with her camera too.


My Favourite Flower Bed

I love the shape of that flower bed! The next batch shows some of the marigolds in the garden. I really like the way these turned out.









The next set are a few of the coleus plants - very pretty colours.







I have no idea what this next flower is, but I love it. I also love the pink rose and the wee baby tree.


Pretty White Flower


Pink Roses


Baby Sumac

The weather has been cooler the last few days. I am thrilled with that, and I hope it stays this way. Since it's only the middle of July, I won't hold my breath, but I'll certainly enjoy it while it lasts. It looks like we're in for some rain tonight, and rain always makes me happy! I heard one peal of thunder a few minutes ago, but nothing else since.

I have one small rant before I close tonight. A coworker quit - his last day was last Friday. He left one hell of mess behind him, and we are about ready to tear our hair out trying to sort everything out. Many things that he said were done have not been done, and other things were done but were screwed up royally. I am very angry and disappointed in him, to say the least. So is everyone else, so for his sake I hope he doesn't contact anyone in the near future, or his ears will likely be ringing for the next decade.

I don't understand why anyone would pull that crap. He lied to many of us, and totally let the company and his coworkers down. I can understand him not caring much about the job, especially as he knew he'd be leaving, but it boggles my mind that he would not have done the best he could before he left. When I left the bank, I was there until 7:00 PM on my last day, just to make sure that things were done and in order before I passed the job on to the new lady. I hated the bank, and was thrilled to pieces to be leaving. I did not care about the company at all by the time I left, but I DID care about my reputation and about my coworkers. I would not have dreamed of leaving things in a mess, nor would I have remotely considered putting my coworkers in a position where they had to sort out a pile of errors. If there had been things I could not have finished, I would have made sure to organize them and leave detailed notes so that the person who got them when I left would know exactly what needed to be done and would not have had to scramble trying to figure out what was done and what wasn't.

I know that everything will get sorted out eventually, and all will be running more smoothly soon, but it just really irritates the crap out of me that he left us all in this position. He's created some icky Karma by pulling this, and I know it will bite him in the ass one day. Still, I wouldn't mind giving that ass of his a good swift kick right about now...

Okay, I'm done ranting, and I'm done with pictures for tonight! Take care everyone, and have a wonderful night!

Fly Away, Little Bird...

I was out with the dogs at one point today, and spotted a large flock of wee little birds playing around in the yard. They are often on the fence and in the trees, and I decided today that I'd take a few pictures of them. They also like to play on the large chain link gate that my brother-in-law is putting up, and I managed to capture a video of a few of them on it. Of course I just have to share all of this with you...

To begin with, I'll show you the video of the wee birds. There aren't a whole lot of them on the gate in this one - sometimes I go out and there are birds sitting in almost every opening. But I still thought this was cute, and it gives an idea of how tiny the little guys are.



Cute Little Birdies!



Now for the pictures. I couldn't get close enough to get quite the shots I'd have liked. No matter how slowly I moved, they'd only let me get so close, then off they'd go. That means there isn't as much detail as I'd like, and I ended up cropping the pictures so that the wee critters could be seen a bit better.

In the first picture, I didn't notice that I'd actually captured three of the little guys until I went to crop it. Then I had to re-crop as I'd cut off most of the third one's head. See if you can spot the third critter!


Feathered Trio


Keeping An Eye On Me...


Staring Me Down!


Curious Couple

Remember the Chokecherry tree with the lovely white blossoms that I posted in the spring? Here's the same tree, with plump, ripe little berries. The tiny birds love this tree - little wonder! - but there are also larger birds that hang out in it too. I spotted a larger bird just off to the side of where I'd taken this picture, but by the time I snuck around to get a better angle on it, it had taken off.


Chokecherries

That's it for the pictures. I had fun taking them, the dogs enjoyed wandering around without me bugging them to hurry up, and the birds - well, I think the birds just thought I was crazy. I did get more video of the dogs, but as they were just wandering about sniffing, I figured you all wouldn't be overly excited about that!

It's been quite toasty again today, although a bit better than earlier in the week. However, last night we had a wonderful thunderstorm, which cooled things down immensely. As soon as it started, I raced around flinging all the windows open. Words can't describe how glorious it was to feel that cool, fresh wind blowing in through the screens, and how delicious it was to smell the fresh, clean rain. It stayed cool through the rest of the night - I actually had to turn off my fan. As a matter of fact, it was almost too chilly to leave the windows open, but after all the heat we've had there was no way in hell I was going to close the windows! It was so refreshing, and it was wonderful to wake up to a cool house this morning. Unfortunately it's been sunny and toasty all day, so things have heated up again. Still, it's not as bad as it was, so I'll savour it for now as the temperatures are supposed to continue to climb infernally again...

I know I'll be bitching about the cold when winter comes, but this looks good right about now. Actually, I'd settle for temperatures of between 15C and 18C for the rest of the summer. I'm not going to get them though, so I guess I'll just keep hiding out in the living room, with the fan going, and ice cream to help cool me off!

Speaking of ice cream, I think I'm going to go and have some. So I shall wish you all a good, cool night, and sweet dreams!

Anyone Have A Spare Oasis?

It is still very hot here, with little relief in sight. It was supposed to cool down quite a bit tomorrow, but that forecast has now changed. I was so disappointed, as I've been looking forward to the cooler weather! Ah well, I suppose I can't do much about it. I have to admit I was very tempted to check out jobs in Inuvik, though. It was 10C there yesterday - sounded like heaven to me!

The forecast is calling for 14C next Tuesday, but I'm not holding my breath after the big change to tomorrow's forecast. I'll certainly be thrilled if we do get down to 14C, though. Problem is, it's going to be around 21C or 22C the following day. That's still better than what we've been getting to date.

All of the old furniture is out of the house now, and I had decided awhile back that I was going to use bookcases for end tables, as that would provide more storage. I had gone to Canadian Tire to buy the bookcases, but they were out of stock. The salesclerk took my name and number, and promised to set two aside and call me as soon as the new ones came in. I hadn't heard anything from them, so while we were out grocery shopping on Sunday Judy suggested that we pop in to see if they were in stock yet. Thank goodness we did, as they were in, but there weren't many left. I still haven't received a call from them...

At any rate, I bought two of them ($15 per bookcase - can't go wrong there!), and so far have put one together. I think they will work quite well. They are a lot narrower than a normal end table, but I'm already getting used to that, and I think it's a rather interesting look. It will be more interesting once I get books in it, but hey, one step at a time! In this heat, getting one of the suckers put up is good enough for me. This is what it looks like at the moment:



The more I see it, the more I like it, and I'm very pleased to have the extra room for books. I was running out of room anyhow, so this solves that problem quite nicely. Now it's just to decide which books I'm going to keep in them.

I was starting to babble on about another topic, which the heat has brought to the front of my mind, but it's a bit too long to add here, so I'll save it for another entry. For now, I'm just going to try and cool off, so I will wish you all a good evening, and pleasant dreams!

Happy Canada Day!

I'd like to wish a Happy Canada Day to all Canadians, and a happy 4th of July to all my American friends. I hope everyone enjoys their celebrations, and that you all stay safe.

So far we've had a very nice Canada Day weekend here. The weather is a lot hotter than I'd like, but I know there are a lot of people who are thrilled with it. Last night I left work early (as I had gone in early) and came home to find out that my brother-in-law had decided to haul all the old furniture out. It's nice to get it out of here, but man was I sore from all that! Today Judy and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and head out to the flea market. We haven't gone there for ages, so we really had a great time wandering around, in spite of the heat. We also made a quick stop at the new Goodwill store that recently opened in our area. I must admit that I am even more sore after all that, but it's well worth it to have the furniture out, and to have had a fun day of excursions!

I didn't buy a lot of stuff at the flea market, but I did get a couple of little treasures. I got a nice little sandalwood fan - much sturdier than the usual paper ones - and a lovely little CorningWare casserole. It's quite small, and was only $6.00. I've never seen one that size before, so it was a nice addition to my collection. At Goodwill, Judy spotted another Corningware piece, and it was only $3.99. I've been wanting this particular piece for a long time, but it's usually $25.00 or more, and I was not willing to pay that much for it. So I snapped it up pronto at $3.99!



So we had a fun day, and tonight I am just relaxing and will likely watch a movie or two, since I picked up some cheap ones last weekend. Oh, and I'm also enjoying my new computer stand. I got it set up last night, thanks to some help from Judy, and I'm quite pleased with it.



Yes, that's one of my own dandelion pictures as a screensaver. Said screensaver is on Judy's old monitor, which I'm also enjoying. Mine has gotten too dark, so it's time for a new one, and she kindly lent me hers until I get one. Thanks, Judy!

I don't have much else to natter about this evening, so I shall wish you all a good night. Celebrate safely, and enjoy!