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Friday, July 20, 2012

Phrenetic Phriday Phrasings.

I have no idea what that means - it was just fun say three times phast!  We will wrap up our week with Phrenetic Phriday Phrasings (you can tell I've been hanging out with medical types = "we"):

After trapping over 22 rats and being the cause of many more rat deaths (Lord, I hope), I was appalled to hear that my neighbor, Lithuanian Lawn Guy, is now trapping them!  I doubt if they are "mine", as we are about a mile apart, with a major road between us.  He believes it is the Year of the Rat.  I know it is the Year of the Dragon - so we can count our blessings, because I would bet Dragons are a lot tougher to trap.

This weather stinks.  I know I am singing to the chorus here, but it can't be said enough.  Stinks!  Stinks!  Stinks!  Speaking of stinks, and referencing the afore-mentioned rodent problem, there is something decomposing under my deck.  And I don't care.  It's not like I have a social life and people come over and sit on my deck in the evening drinking cocktails.  (sniffle)

My daily commute is getting worse by the week.  Every bridge/road/over/underpass is under construction.  What type of sadist decides to take four lanes of highway down to one in less than a half-mile?

I am cheering on my zucchini plants - someone remind me I did this in a week or two.  I was thinking about running garden totals on my side bar like some of you 'real' gardeners, but what a ludicrous thought!  How about I run a Trapped Rat Tally and Dunked Japanese Beetle Totals?  I bet I could outstrip even Erin!  Do you know that - many, many years ago - upon seeing my first Japanese beetle, I thought it was a thing of beauty?  Ignorance is bliss.

I made it through my annual physical unscathed - except for a blistering headache on my way home last night.  I think it was a combination of:  14 hour fast + no coffee + too little sleep + too little food + stress.  Do you think so?  I forced the goaties into early lock-up and went to bed before 9P.  It was easier than usual because I had the nurse-practitioner, Alan.  I can boss him around and say I don't want an EKG and get away with it.  I can also make him laugh.  Not so, with Dr.B; she's one tough cookie.

As if donating precious chicken feed to rats, crows, sparrows, starlings, and chipmunks isn't bad enough, I now have a red squirrel that apparently spends the day hanging from his toes, head in the feed, gorging himself.  I've caught the little bugger at it twice.  Next time, I'm bringing Scrappy.  He has a 'thing' for squirrels.

I'm going to stock up as much as possible on feed - the drought and loss of corn crops is going to hit us hard and soon.  I'm also going to go pick my annual 10# of blueberries early Sunday morning.  This year, I'm going to can the leftovers instead of freezing them.  I have GOT to focus more on stores that won't be lost due to power outages.

I was going to give you my list of "to-dos" but it is laughable.  I prefer to steep myself in denial and think I will get them all done.  So there.

Have a great weekend - and rain to all who need it!

12 comments:

Sue said...

What a funny post. Yea--do the rat totals....it's "unique"!
:)

Susan said...

Sue - Ah, yes. If "we" are nothing else, "we" are unique!

Unknown said...

I can't do pressure cancing on my glass stove, but I'm also focussing "more on stores that won't be lost due to power outages." More canned, dry goods. I'm going to get out my dehydrator too and work on basic veggies- carrotts, potaoes, celery, etc...

Carolyn said...

I second the "dead rat" and "dunked beetles" scorecard on the side.

Oh, and like you, I also liked the look of those beetles. Then realized what they were. Too bad, 'cause they ARE beautiful. Almost feel guilty for crunching them. Almost.

Mama Pea said...

Great post! You may be crazy, but you sure can write a funny post. :o}

I'm going to follow your lead and can some of my blueberries this year, too. Just think how good they will be over yogurt! (I once tried to dry them and wound up with black marbles that were inedible.)

I'm also going to be dehydrating more veggies this year. Their shelf life is longer (than freezing) and they take up so much less space and we won't have to depend on power for the freezer. (Although I love my freezers more than . . . more than . . . more than a lot of things!

Amy Dingmann said...

You know, I bet if you would offer cocktails on the porch to all you blogging friends, we'd all come and help you figure out what that decomposing something is... Just sayin'....

Candy C. said...

Ah, the dreaded road construction...it's EVERYWHERE!!
On one of the photography blogs I follow, she posts pictures of the tree rats (squirrels) hanging by their toes eating out of the bird feeders! LOL!!
We had the neighbors' cat crawl under our porch and die just days before our big 4th of July BBQ. We took up a porch board and "fished" it out. What an unpleasant experience. (gag)

SweetLand Farm said...

I do enjoy reading your posts! Glad you caught so many rats. The year of the rat indeed! hahaha
I would like to sit on your porch and have a cocktail!! I think it would be fun!
We have lots of construction going on here too. Guess it's that time of year and some of the roads really need it!
I often have a "to-do" list that is laughable too! We could drink cocktails and laugh at our to-do lists together!!

Erin said...

This had me laughing! I would totally come over and visit on your deck, rat and all! :)

Akannie said...

LOL...thanks for the chuckles...it seems like all the varmints are worse this year--they had a segment on the local news here with a pest control guy, and he was talking about varmints and spiders and--eww!! I turned it off. lol


I'm dehydrating a lot and canning more and trying to freeze as little as possible. Had a freezer go out on me last year and it was almost a catastrophe.

Susan said...

Nancy - That's a bummer. Have you tried steam canning? I love my dehydrator. I have mushrooms in it now.

CR - You know, I'd do it except for the fact that the NYS Health Dept. is probably trolling the blogs. I don't need a visit from them.

Mama Pea - I love your freezers, too - especially the one with the Papa Pea decoration on top!

Mama Tea - You're invited! After a couple of cocktails, we won't even notice Le Pew.

Candy - OMG! Talk about timing! Did this cat have an issue with you????

Susan said...

SF - You are invited, too! I think we should ALL meet on my deck for cocktails! And I bet, if we all got together with our to-do lists in hand, we could write The Book on to-do lists..

Erin - Ditto above.

Akannie - I am not a fan of any rodent, although I did (before this summer) think that chipmunks were cute. I had the same thing happen with my freezer - it died the morning after I put a whole pig and a lamb in it. It was a nail-biter.