04 February 2008

It's WAY Past My Bedtime

There's another storm blowing through tonight (presumably - assuming they know what they're talking about - whoever "they" are), so Mulletman did not come home from work. He commutes over 60 miles to work, so when the weather is bad and he's working 2 days in a row, the hospital pays for him to stay in a nearby hotel room. This is lovely because he gets to skip the commute and I don't have to worry about him dying in a horrible car crash during a raging blizzard.

"Cause if he died I'd be mighty lonely and sad.

He's my sweetie!

However, when he spends the night away it throws my schedule all catty wampus and I don't know what to do with myself. There are moments of glee when I realize that I can goof around on the computer or eat one more dessert (and no one will know) or read an entire novel in one evening. But reality is that I can't settle down for long because it's weird not having him here.

So here I am blogging and rambling a good hour after my usual bedtime. And a fruitfly is hovering in my face.

A fruitfly? In February? No, actually I think it's a blackfly because the stupid thing won't leave me alone. Fruitflies like fruit; Blackflies like people. I just slapped myself on the head. ouch.



That brings up the topic of flies.



Flies weird me out because it's too cold for them in the winter, right? They freeze or hibernate or whatever.........wait, I just looked it up, they "diapause". There, go add that to your word-for-the-week file.

Anyway, as I was saying, bugs chill out in winter. They take a little snooze and wait for the warm weather to wake them. Then, when they do awaken, they are hilariously slow and lethergic. But that's not what disturbs me.

What disturbs me is having flies in my mudroom. My mudroom is really just an entryway. It's a place for one chair, one rod for coats and a couple of boot trays. It has two doors, one goes out to the driveway, the other goes into the kitchen. There are 2 well cased and well sealed windows with mini-blinds. My mudroom is not heated, but it does get the afternoon sun, so it can get warmer than the inside of the house.

And it has flies. I must kill 2 a week in there. In the winter. In Maine.

Flies in a room with no trash. A room with no food. A room that gets cleaned regularly -vacuumed, dusted, shaken, and washed.

Where do they come from? How do they get in there? Are there little maggots out there playing hide and seek with me? Do the flies just appear by magic? Do they have a secret trap door and invite their buddies in out of the cold? If it's cold and they're diapausing, then how do they even THINK to get in?

And why, yesterday, did I see a house fly crawling on an icycle?

These are the mysteries of life.

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I've been busy in the internetherworld this week. I'm thrilled to say that I'll be grilling interviewing romance author Marianne Arkins on this very blog on March 11, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime you can peruse Marianne's Blog and her Website.

I've also bullied my way been kindly asked to write a guest post for Kailani's blog when she's on vacation next week month. She's an Hawaiin airline stewardess, so ya know I'm gonna have a blast hijacking her blog!
(This is not really a photo of Kailani, but I was so tickled when I saw it that I had to use it!)

I've been busy updating my Trek Across Maine Squidoo lens.

I've been locating missing imaginary friends and finding fun websites to add to my Procrastination Squidoo lens.

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OK...now I'm getting sleepy. Finally. It's one more snack for me and then off to bed. Tomorrow is another busy day!

11 comments:

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

Lullaby and good night! go to sleep groovy sugar! LOL! Huggles

Anonymous said...

I also find myself perplexed over the behaviour of flies. They turn up in the most unexpected of places. I am so looking forward to your interview with Marianne and what you come up with when you hijack Kailani's blog. I can smell a beach party!

Anonymous said...

Um, you do know that I'm not leaving for another month, right? hee hee No, really!

And where did you find that old picture of me?

groovyoldlady said...

Kailani,

Oops, did I say "next WEEK"? I meant next mnth. I was just

A. very tired and

B. very tired and

C. REALLY looking forward to wearing my costume!

Susan said...

You are funny. Your mind goes places I never dream of.....like flies!!! Enjoyable, fun read. When you figure it out let me know!!!
Susan

Diane Viere said...

Ah yes, the mysteries of life!

You are too funny! Too bad you didn't get a photo of that fly on that icycle! Could have submitted it to National Geographic! Sounds peculiar enough to make it!

Flies don't bother me half as much as snakes! Don't get me started on snakes that insist on living under the bushes at the front of my house, when there is a perfectly fine wetland in my backyard for them!!!! Geesh! And rodents....how rude! They come in uninvited and scare the hostess of the house to death! And the host of the house, having grown up on a farm, when asked to help the hostess remove the little critters....says, "They found their way in, they'll find their way out!"

Huh!

Diane

Carole Burant said...

Well...I always say that flies appear by magic because that's what it seems like to me! It's just too funny that you should mention flies because today at the restaurant, mom and I were waiting for our order and this darn little black fly was in our face...what the HECK is a black fly doing out in the middle of winter with our frigid temps and all our snow??? Isn't it supposed to fly south for the winter or something...oh ya, that's birds! hehe Hope MM gets home soon so that you don't feel so lost without him:-) xox

Dawn said...

Great musings on the fly - I have NO answers for you!

I'm glad MM doesn't have to drive on scary roads. You've certainly had a lot of those this year, haven't you??

Anonymous said...

That's nice Mulletman doesn't have to drive home in the weather. How's your mother liking all that cold?

I don't get flies either. I had the Terminix man come out and complained to him about the flies. He said they were garbage flies and bred in the garbage. I never found the garbage but was certainly shamed by his pronouncement. It's not like we hoard garbage inside.

And we've got mosquitoes out! Of course, it was in the 70s yesterday (sorry) but really, it's not decent for mosquitoes to show themselves before spring or after.

Back to the flies. Probably my highest and best physical skill is using a flyswatter. If I could wield a tennis racquet with such speed and accuracy, you'd be seeing me on TV.

Kill them all!

Overwhelmed! said...

It's way past my bedtime too. Unfortunately, the only blogging time I seem to get nowadays is late at night or early in the morning. :)

So, last year you participated in my Favorite Ingredients Friday Chocolate Edition recipe exchange. I’m hosting a second edition today, in preparation for Valentine’s Day, and I’ll hope you join in again!

Karen said...

Flies. Bleh! We tend to get those little black house flies I call "rectangle flies" because that seems to be the pattern in which they fly. All angles and stuff.

I think they hitchhike in on stuff, hidden away in corners and wake up when they realize it's warm(warmer). Then they get pesty (pestier).