I paid for my day off. Yesterday was almost 80 degrees. It was so hot that HeWho did not even attempt to build a fire. He did dress like it was 40 degrees, even when I warned him that the long sleeved flannel shirt would be too much.
Since the weather was so nice I decided to tackle painting the back of the house. We re-sided the main building and that has been done. Well, sort of. There is still some painting that needs to happen on the east side that would require me to go well above my comfort level of two steps on the ladder. I would have to stand on top of the ladder to even begin to reach the peak, so that was out.
The back of the house is nice and low and only required one step up on most of the length. It was still a big job. Last time the back was painted, HeWho loves anything mechanical, used a sprayer. He sprayed it all, windows, whatever might be in the way. Fortunately, there are only two small windows and I have long since scraped and cleaned them several times. There were vines covering the back of the house when we moved here. I pulled them all down and had every intention of scraping the boards. I didn't and what was left of the vines was painted.
Yesterday, armed with a 4" scraper and a pail with a brush, I scraped and painted the entire back of the house. I did a really good job, if I do say so myself. Took most of the day, but I still managed to do laundry and cook and take down Halloween décor. What did HeWho loves to ride do, you might be asking?
HeWho bought himself a truck last week. I agreed that he could. It was a fantastic deal and he really needs a truck to haul things. BUT, I did say he had to get rid of the Jeep. And the other F-150 that needs a motor. So, last weekend he said he had emptied the Jeep. That was no easy task, as anyone who has ever seen the inside of his vehicle will tell you. Well, yesterday he spent the entire day cleaning out the Jeep. Lest you think he did some intricate detailing, he didn't, he just finished the job he said he had already done. These things take time if your wife is not keeping you on task.
The biggest obstacle I faced yesterday was not the ladder or the scraping ..... it was the beetles. They were clinging to the side of the house I was trying paint. They bite, you know. I sprayed my body and clothes with Repel, even my hair. It did not repel them. I tried some general outdoor insect spray with little results. Then I pulled out the big guns. Wasp and Hornet spray, my weapon of choice hat sits next to my cash register in lieu of a firearm. I pretty much soaked the back door and the house with it. It helped, but they still managed to work their way into my hair and under my shirt.
When I was finished for the day and came inside and hit the shower, I was washing them out of my hair and finding all the tiny bites they left on me. Then I went into my bedroom to grab some clean clothes and discovered the window was full of the little devils. I vacuumed them out of the window and immediately emptied the container, because they will crawl back out!!
I dreamed about them last night. It was not good.
5 comments:
EEEE! The horror! I'm pretty sure these "beetles" of which you speak are what I call "ladybugs," which have a special meaning for me! It was a MASSACRE!
Sure, maybe they bit you. As Hick would say, "They won't eat much." It sounds like the swarm that lived in my mom's drop ceiling. Yes. They DO crawl right back out of the vacuum. Or the Dust Buster she used. And smell pretty bad if you smash them.
Anyhoo, thanks for sparing my feelings by not calling them "ladybugs." I'm sure you did that especially for my benefit, because everything is ALL ABOUT ME! I'm pretty good at reading between the lines, though, after engaging in a battle of wits with 100 adolescents a day before I retired. When I saw your comment after I'd already had my suspicions, I surmised that my initial suspicion was correct!
Ladybugs don’t bite. These bugs are Asian Beetles, brought in to fight some bugs that are in the crops. Now there are millions of the little beggars. Now the powers that be are trying to figure out how to get rid of the masses. BTW, the Asian beetles have more spots on them than ladybugs and they bite. I think that they are akin to when they brought dandelions from Europe. Nothing will get rid of them. Y house needs power washing.....maybe in the spring.
I hate those little things. Nothing like a good bout of sunshine to bring them out.
We too have been inundated with roaches this year. They are like a plague. I've killed hundred, if not thousands, and yet they seem to be as prolific as ever. The problem I have in the backyard is with red spider mites that one can hardly see yet their bites are ferocious. You have my deepest sympathies.
Stink bugs are worse, and they were all over our doors. I didn't know those beetles bite.
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