11/2/2023 to 11/12/2023 (That’s how long I’ve been trying to do this blog)
On Sunday and Monday, the last few days of October, I was outside in the backyard, catching some rays. I had 2 dog cots out there and my chaise, it was beautiful and sunny for two days. Then Tuesday was gloomy, ushering in much cooler weather. This morning it was a balmy 30 degrees when we started our walk. In the blink of an eye, the weather changed. I really don’t mind the cold weather, it feels good and I know Max loves it because he’s always in a fur coat. Luckily I have my dog hair-covered fleece leggings that are warm enough for cold winter walks.
The dogs and I have been hanging around the house most of the time. I usually walk them 3 times a day, morning, early afternoon, and after dinner. I try to wait until after 8 on weekdays so that most of the “going to work” traffic is gone. After dinner I wait until 6-ish, most people have gotten home and are inside. Then on the weekends, I try to walk before 8 AM, when people are still sleeping. I have met a few people walking their dogs, that’s the easiest way to meet people in a neighborhood. Several people comment on how well-behaved Max and Barrio are. They don’t know that they are secretly psychopaths, that Barrio does the loop around the house, crying, with a toy in his mouth for 30 minutes at a time, or that Max has to smell my breath every time I eat something. Max has food issues, Barrio has mental issues.
Right after we moved here my neighbor said I needed to get my yard treated for fire ants. I hadn’t seen any and didn’t bother to call anyone. Then we had torrential rain and the fire ants came out in full force. I found out just how much fire ants hurt, and how much they itch and then blister, by stepping into a nest in flip-flops. My fear was the dogs getting in them, especially Max with the tons of fur on his body. I called several places to come treat the yard and they were all booked out for a few weeks. Most charged $125 and said I would need to have it done a few times a year. I called several different exterminators. One guy came out and said he could do it that afternoon but it was $200; however, there is a year warranty. So if I see fire ants again within the year, they will come back and spray. That sold me. He came back that afternoon and treated the yard. The front yard didn’t have as many nests as the back so I was letting the dogs out front to go to the bathroom. I kept them in for a few hours after the yard was treated and he said to give it a good week to kill the ants. Ten days after he treated the yard I decided to let the dogs out back again, it’s fenced out there, and much easier to keep an eye on them. We were just coming in and Barrio was on the porch jumping around and licking at his feet. Damn, his back legs had fire ants all over them and they were crawling up his legs. I tried to get as many off as I could, then took him out front to the concrete and the hose. I laid him on the driveway and washed them off. I was picking ants and squishing them but they were still crawling on me and biting me. I took him back inside, stuck him in the tub, and filled it up. I shampooed him really well and rinsed him a few times. Once he was dry I gave him a Benadryl and canceled my dinner plans for the evening. I wanted to keep an eye on him. He was groggy but not scratching. I didn’t want to put anything on him because he would lick it off. He was fine the next day. I called the guy who sprayed and he said he could come on Tuesday. He re-did the whole yard. He was surprised there were so many new nests after he treated the yard. This time seems to have done it because I don’t see any ants in the nests. However, I see so many nests along the road when I walk the dogs, it’s crazy.
My neighbor Joyce told me about two groups I should join, one is a local FB group for our neighborhood and the other is called Next Door. That’s an app, once you download you enter your zip code and are in a chat group with people in your area. The first time on there I saw a woman post that she wanted to meet people and didn’t know how or where. She said if anyone was interested in hanging out to message her. Totally out of the norm, I responded. We messaged a few times, and then she came over to meet me and walk the dogs with me. She lives about 5 miles away. Since then we have gone shopping and we do Saturday night dinners, checking out the local restaurants. Margy and I went to Mezcalito twice, it’s really good and the atmosphere is not your typical Mexican restaurant.
Last night we went to Longhorn’s. It’s a meat restaurant and it smells like a cooked cow in there, but they serve several chicken dishes and other no-meat options.
My friend from PA (she lives thirty min. north of me) is coming down tomorrow and we are trying the new Thai restaurant. I’m excited, I love Thai food.
I have been sitting on the outdoor furniture couch I bought in KY because I left the leather couch in KY for Bill. Sitting on the outdoor furniture isn’t bad for a little bit but night after night, my butt was screaming. It was so uncomfortable.
I finally broke down and ordered a couch and oh my gosh, what a difference.
One of the things I liked about this house was the fact that there were no houses behind my yard, it was just fields. I never gave much thought about the fields, until one day a week or so ago. I was in the yard on my chaise, the dogs had their cots out there and we were chilling in the sun. I kept hearing a noise but didn’t give it much thought until it got closer. Damn. They were cutting the fields and producing a huge haze of dust. I schlepped everything inside and got the boys in too, just in time. It was dust and tiny particles of the crop that had been previously planted everywhere.
Now we can see the deer better and the dogs can bark at them.
I live in the flight path of Seymour Johnson Air Force base. It is home to the F-15E, strike eagle. Luckily, they consistently fly over the house and I am captivated every time they do.
The following is from the internet. The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night and in all weather.
The aircraft uses two crew members, a pilot and a weapon systems officer. Previous models of the F-15 are assigned air-to-air roles; the “E” model is a dual-role fighter. It has the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions and fight its way out.
To me, these planes scream FREEDOM. God bless our military.
I just got back from walk #2 and it’s damp and cold out with more rain predicted. I just made a chai latte and I’m going to plop my butt on my new comfy couch and read.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone and thanks for the push from Florida Maryanne. This would have still been in the editing process if you hadn’t messaged me.
Mermaid on a Raft 