Late Summer Bug Out
Late July, early August. This is the time to be careful. Every day I step outside to see some new type of bug (or snake–HA) trying to give me a fright.
Not because they are soooo scary but because they surprise me with their quiet, non-moving, oddly, and sometimes ominously, colored presence in the places that I was the day before and they were not. And because of my schedule. I get to see day bugs, like that one above, and night bugs, which seem even bigger and buggier in the semi dark of my backyard.
I have to look up on the doors and walls and down on the ground. I keep thinking that my lost snake will return like a cat or a homing pigeon, back to stay with the family forever or exact its revenge for abandoning it to the wild. As a bonus, I usually get to be the first one to walk through the webs that our wolf spiders are always trying to build across the door frame.
Yuck yuck yuck. Three different kinds that I was able to get a picture of, not to mention the countless other spiders I don’t see. This moth (?) was just sitting on my flower pot while I dead headed.
Did not move or even try to fly away even when I was shaking the planter. Standing his ground. It knows that I am not going to touch it. I mean, look at it. Eeesh. I also have some kind of giant bee or wasp or something buzzing around my butterfly flowers in the front. I am not exaggerating when I say “giant” either. It’s bigger than the average bee/wasp. Probably, conservatively, 2-3 inches in length and with a wider body. It does not sit long enough yet for me to get its photo, but, you know, I will devote the rest of the season to trying. My son just moved some sticks from our small branch pile in the back, and uncovered a swarming bee’s nest. He got stung three times. Luckily he is not allergic and has been stung several times before in his young life. Both of my kids have. I think that might be kind of weird just by itself. Some people never get stung by bees. And yet my kids get stung practically every summer. Hmm. I don’t really have any more reflecting to do on that. Just throwing it out there because I mostly type what I am thinking. The BF has planned an actual weekend for us. With a schedule and list of things to do and places to go. And I have one more day of work to get through before the fun begins. I may or may not get to post as we go. I plan on putting the actual list here if I can but I don’t want to jinx our plans so I may have to do it after and let you know what we did or didn’t do. Plus, I have to send it to the computer and download and blah blah blah. So here are a bunch of bugs to enjoy while I am gone. Have a nice creepy day.
FYI. Ending on a positive. This last bug is NOT a real bug. It’s a display from the zoo. But what if it was? Think about it. Later.
Stepping Up Our Wildlife Game
S is for snake! This little lady was laying right in front of our door last night when we got home from shopping at Target. I mention the Target part because we do not live in an area where this type of snake roams free. And truthfully I didn’t even see it. I apparently walked right over it. Stevie too. Mason started yelling from the door, “Are you kidding me?? Did you guys NOT see this giant snake sitting out here on the ground?? Are you kidding me??” I am paraphrasing for time. Add many more swear words and repeat 10 more times. I thought he was kidding. Nope.
Of course she slithered herself in between the outdoor plastic tub we have and the house. It was near dark when we found her and could not get a good look. She was rattling her tail and beating it against the ground and bricks while trying to move. So we thought rattlesnake. This is my night pic. The only one I could get:
Looks like a rattlesnake to me. Sounded like one too. So we called the police because we thought they need to know about potentially dangerous animals. They do. BUT. This isn’t really in their scope. They sent an officer who helped us move the tub so we could catch it. We did. Put it in a plastic bin and then into a pillowcase. Left it outside by the garage. Then went to the internet to try and identify. Success! I feel kind of smart too since that is a crappy picture and memory is not as good as you might think when you are terrified that a rattlesnake is going to bite you or try to crawl into your house. Our pretty little snake though, seems to be a Fox Snake. Often mistaken for the rattlesnake in Illinois. Often. Quick FYI’s and possible, relevant, future knowledge, you might need too someday:
Rattlesnake: Similiar colors, but, with a lighter enhancing outline around the dark pattern. And shaped like bow-ties. Thinner in the middle.
Fox Snake: Darker, rectangular pattern with light background. Picture proof obtained.
Rattlesnake: The rattle on the end.
Fox Snake: No rattle, but tries to mimic the rattle, by vibrating the tail just like a rattlesnake. Yep. True that. It rattled that rattleless tail alot to scare us. But, no rattle. Also confirmed via pictures.
Rattlesnake: Slit eyes with vertical pupils. Vertical. Up and down. Very scary looking.
Fox snake: Round eyes. Round pupil. You can see her pretty eyes in the above pic. And here. We really got in there this morning with the picture taking.
Rattlesnake: Light bottom. Similar coloring to top.
Fox Snake: Yellow bottom. Or orange. Could not confirm that until today. Yellow.
Both snakes are available in various lengths, but the Fox Snake is 3-5 feet. Ours is prob 4 feet.
The head is lighter in color, like the pattern gets blurry or smeared, whereas the rattlesnake head keeps the pattern same as the body.
And constricting. Bites for defense, but not poison. The internet claims it doesn’t hurt. Hmm. That will remain unconfirmed. Eats mice and rodents. It’s a sub species of rat snake I guess. Not aggressive unless attacked or threatened. Also, most likely female, based on size. We are just going with it. We played with her for quite awhile this morning and she never attacked. She did try and constrict and curl and keep trying to get out of the bin, so I picked her up bare handed and was able to look at her closely and then put her back into the pillowcase without physical harm.
A few phrases come to mind: “Snake charmed.” They do have a mesmerizing magnetic effect that makes you want to keep them and touch them. “If it was a snake it would have bitten me.” I NEVER even saw the damn thing laying straight and flush against the house. Camouflage in action. “Snake wrangling.” We were quite hilarious and ridiculous last night chasing that girl all around the house trying to pick it up with rakes and sticks. Little did we know we could have just grabbed it. But in our defense it was pretty “strikey” last night until we calmed it down.
At any rate, I posted it on Facebook for anyone to have. We can’t keep it, but we won’t kill it or let it loose somewhere. Could be a pet that got free, because it is not really indigenous to our particular location. One more interesting factoid: It is unlawful to catch, keep or kill this snake in Iowa. Endangered I think. Protected maybe. Mason found that info. There are like, 39 different kinds of snakes in Illinois at any one time, (4 are poisonous), and we get an out-of-towner. Seems funny. And don’t worry, I’m not going to just give it to anybody. It’s not food for something else or material for shoes or purses. If no one legitimately can take it and care for it properly, I am calling a private owned pet store we know of–that only deals in fish and reptiles–to see if they want it or can at least take it and fine a home for it. No animals will be harmed in the making of this post.
So, that was our night. We have to go to a grad party now (Yay Jesse!! High School Over!! College Bound!!) and prob won’t be back until dark again. I cannot wait to see what will be hanging outside the back door later on! The lost reptile wildlife of suburban Chicago must know we specialize in taking care of fish and turtles and are hoping to expand the family with snakes. What will it be tonight? I am hoping alligator! Or crocodile! Either way, it’s going to make an awesome photo gallery tomorrow! Last shot because I have one more picture I want to use.
Tomorrow Weed For Women Behind. What the??
What could this mean?? This could sort of be categorized under “Weird Shit You Find Around The House”, but it’s also a mystery that must be trying to tell me something. These two things were sitting on the table in the living room, together, all by themselves. Obviously left for me (?) or as a reminder to my daughter for something she wants to remember in the morning (?) maybe (?). I really don’t know. But, I really don’t think it was my son. It’s not his writing. And the words, even though they seem to make no logical sense, or form a complete, coherent thought, are all spelled correctly.
It looks like a flower. Boutonniere, actually, (I super-hesitated to type that word because I can’t spell it–but once again, the computer is smarter than me! Thank you Spell Check!), that she may have gotten from the NJHS induction ceremony she went to tonight, to bring in the new 8th graders, to replace the graduating ones–of which she is one–in fact, she is the president of the NJHS in her school–not to brag or anything…and a 3×5 note card that she wrote those five specific words on, in green marker, no less. An act of convenience? Just a scrap that she took out to lay the flower on with no meaning to the words written upon it? And if that’s true, someone still wrote the words at some time and they must have meant something. What this really means is I need a day job so I don’t stay up half the night over-thinking some garbage left on a table in a quiet house at midnight.
Anyway…I got home and it was the only thing sitting on the table with it’s cryptic words on a plain old postcard. Tomorrow weed for women behind. I’ve read it over and over thinking that I must be missing something; like a reference to something; or a word that I’m reading wrong. Is it a slogan? Is it a chore? Something to do? Or maybe my brain is just not processing language correctly because I can’t seem to make the connection between these five words.
Alas, I must sleep with the unknown for tonight. As must you. I want to wake her up and ask, but that never works. My kids sleep so deep that if you do try to wake them up, they just get really confused and start talking out loud to whoever, and about whatever, they were dreaming of. Sometimes they get kind of angry and act all upset that they were even woken up. Pshh. Kids right? Plus that would probably be a really bad “mom” move. Especially since it’s already 2:30 AM, and I should be asleep myself. I should never be allowed to complain about being tired when I should have put myself to bed an hour ago instead of posting this ridiculousness in the middle of the night. At least we can be sure it’s not me, with a “language” issue, because I sure managed to waste alot of words taking about how I can’t understand words. Let me end this now before I write anymore of those words. Later.
Mystery Solved! Weird Shit Update!
Sorry if this takes away the whole existential aspect to the universe, but I think most crazy shit has some basis in reality and here is my small slice of explanation.
(It may provide more explanation if you think you want it! And you’ll feel better about that swear word in the headline!)
This was the mystery:
This is the mystery solved:
It’s from a racquetball glove. Why these little rubber things are on there is the REAL mystery. The BF says decoration. Must be, because they serve no other purpose. You don’t use the top of the glove for anything as far as I know. In fact, the glove looks better without that “decoration”. Now those loop things just irritate me when I see them. That’s the lesson here. Sometimes things should just STAY a mystery.
New Feature!! Weird Shit That You Find Around Your House
I apologize for the graphic nature of my headline…but I needed to GRAB your attention!!
After lounging around the pool all weekend and reading the “Star” Magazine and “US Weekly”, I have decided that I will no longer be just a “blogger”.
No, no, no. I read the gossip about Ashley Olsen and how weird she is, by a source who WAS revealed. Revealed by himself, but still. And he wasn’t just some guy on the street, or some guy on the same plane, as it turns out, with a celebrity. He (I don’t remember the name) referred to himself as a Manhattan-Based Internet Personality.
So please, from now on, I am a “CHICAGO-Based Internet Personality.” That’s right. I’m a somebody. I’m a STAR! And here’s my first stellar post as an “Internet Personality”:
What the hell is this?? We found it on the floor in the utility room. No one knows what or where it came from. But in the interest of world-wide celebrity, I thought of my adoring fans-to-be and put it here, for you, to speculate upon while basking in my fabulous, “personality”.
You are welcome.
It's flexible, plastic and rubbery feeling. It stretches if you pull it without breaking. Looks like it fits into something or around something, like an inlay, but we couldn't find anything missing a rubbery, 3-loop thingy. Mysterious. Weird Shit!
just shy of pretty 