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Friday 21 July 2017

Bits Of Fluff

You could be forgiven for thinking I'm about to lament the cat hair in our house again -- but, no, the bits of fluff are the random things floating around my head.



THE FRIDGE
I have learned that water pooling inside the fridge is better than water pooling under the fridge, and is likely to be caused by a clogged drain. The first trick is to find the drain. Ours is located JUST out of the line of sight of any human being unless that human is down on his or her knees, praying to find the drain, and happens to look up. The next trick is to figure out what is clogging the drain: ice or bits of gunk. We still haven't figured this out yet, although I'm guessing it's ice because I keep the fridge very cold. Now that we've vacuumed five pounds of cat hair (oops! I said cat hair!) off the coils at the back, hopefully all the other problems will solve themselves. (Wishful thinking is the solution most relied upon by procrastinators and un-handypeople. Sometimes it even works. I guess we'll see.)

MUSICAL EARWORMS
Technically, "musical earworms" is redundant -- the term is just "earworms" -- but I didn't want to make you think I was going to talk about earwigs or something equally shuddery. I have had an earworm for over a week now. EVERY SINGLE TIME I find myself humming (which is a lot; humming is my expression of happiness, boredom, anxiety and just about every other emotion) I am humming the SAME TUNE. It's a great tune, by talented singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, with a surprisingly intricate melody, the kind that sticks in my head until I learn it, no matter what the lyrics are, but I need to pass it on to someone else and get myself a fresh tune to hum. Here it is and don't say I didn't warn you:


And if you want the official lyric version instead, here it is:



PLEASE SOMEBODY TAKE THIS EARWORM OFF MY HANDS!

A week is a looooooooooooooong time. Sob.

EARWIGS
I know, I know -- I made you think I wasn't going to talk about those critters, didn't I? I lied. I used to despise earwigs. I've been pinched by them: I've had them crawl out of bed when I was crawling in; I've had them holding a parade in the basement; I've poured them out of a box along with my cereal that year they were really bad. I used to stomp on them, squish them, swat them -- whatever it took to demolish their skeevy little bodies. I'm not a violent person but try telling that to the adrenaline in my veins. But then last year I read that earwigs are good for the garden. They eat garden pests. (What? Aren't THEY THEMSELVES garden pests?) And I decided they can't help what they look like, or how they crawl so creepily, or how they like to hide inside things and jump out when the things are disturbed. I took a deep breath and determined they would get the "cup and card" treatment and be picked up and put outside, just like the spiders and ladybugs and moths are, at our house. That was fine. I remembered my vow this year, and have dutifully been picking up baby earwigs and setting them free outside. The only ones I was finding on the floor were, seriously, babies. Aw! Look at the little baby earwig! Not really cute babies, but still. Then came the day (it was inevitable, really) that I went to the cupboard to get a square of chocolate, picked up the bar and BOO!!! an earwig the size of a small lobster hurried out of the package and waved, once, awkwardly ... because he probably had his mouth full of MY chocolate ... Yeah. I tossed the rest of that bar, which represents a week of chocolate because I ration it out ... Since then I've been on High Earwig Alert. Those grown-up earwigs are frightening.

SUMMER FESTIVALS
I could probably write a half a dozen posts on this topic, but I promise it will be just this one paragraph and then you won't hear about it again. We have a LOT of stuff going on in our area in the summer. It starts on Victoria Day weekend in May and keeps going until the end of August. I'm an introvert who does not like crowds, loud music, running marathons, listening to bagpipe music, or golfing, among other things, so these events do not appeal to me. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind them taking place except that while they are on it's hard to get around town. Streets are closed off at random times and in random places. And the noise of outdoor events carries down the river to our house, filtering in through our windows (it's summer, the windows need to be open!). I am so happy when September comes and the town becomes quiet again. I feel like I am holding my breath all season and let it out when fall comes. Thank you for indulging my hermit-y rant. You are fine people.

Now that the fluff has been cleaned out, my brain is all nice and tidy :)


And since I would NEVER put a picture of an earwig on my blog, this will have to do instead:



Wishing you a nice and tidy weekend, free of bugs of all kinds. Unless you are a bug-lover, in which case -- can I interest you in a shipment of earwigs??



 

34 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Sorry, I won't be taking that earworm off your hands. Hand? Brain.
I find that only truly dreadful tunes install themselves in my head. The worst of Abba and the like. Or 'we all live in a yellow submarine'. Or teeny weeny polka dot bikini.
Earwigs I can more or less cope with. It is what are known here as 40 leggers - either the centi or the milli versions - which seriously creep me out. And maggots. Fortunately I don't see any of them often.
Have a wonderful weekend.

River said...

I don't like that song, I've never heard it before and probably won't ever, so that's a good thing.
Earwigs? don't send any, we have plenty and any that find their way inside get squished just the same as the slaters and centipedes. In the garden they're fine, I don't care how many there are, but in winter when our blue tongue lizards are in hibernation, the rotten little creepy crawlies get free run and I put on my stomping shoes.
I'm not a fan of festivals either, luckily I'm far enough away from the city that I don't hear the noise, except for the Clipsal 500 car race which is very noisy.

Terry said...

Hi Jenny, thanks for playing Ed Sheehan. He's English (obviously). I can't stop saying 'obviously' it's a bit like your obsession with earwigs - it won't go away. (Obviously). There I go again.. I'll say it all day

Little Red Hen said...

I, too, despise earwigs. I don't even care that they're good for the garden. I figure for every 2 or 3 I manage to squish, (because they're fast little things) there are 500 more in the garden.

Martha said...

Ah, Ed Sheeran... There are a few tunes of his that I like that easily turn into earworms but I won't mention them because you're already suffering from this one.

Earwigs are so creepy. I know they are beneficial but they are still creepy. I've also been pinched by one and never forgotten it. But lucky for me I haven't seen one in the longest time. Definitely not in our house! And now that I've mentioned all this, I'll probably see an earwig.

I used to totally freak out with centipedes but honestly don't mind them anymore. They are extremely beneficial, especially if you have some in your home. They typically live inside the walls and because they are carnivores, they eat up all the bugs. When we lived in Kingston we sometimes ran across one or two in storage areas. My first encounter was one bordering on hysteria because I wasn't sure what I was looking at. So I did research and learned that it was a centipede and how much of a friend it was to us and not to kill them. All that information changed my mind about them. I mean, sure they look extremely creepy and scary, but they don't mean to. And you know what? Our home, because of these critters, was bug free year round!

only slightly confused said...

I've got my own, 'stuck in my head song' and it's been there for weeks now because it's from a commercial and the dang thing is on the air daily. Sometimes it actually makes me feel ill because it keeps replaying in my brain. Ear wigs....we get them here especially in damp weather. Nasty things have a habit of falling off things and on to you. Possibly geriatric ear wigs?

Geo. said...

Here, it's tree frog season. Tiny guys, maybe 1/2 inch long and fearless. They jump onto my head when I go out the back door. I carefully return them to flower pots. Also, they like to get into door sills and have horrible accidents. So I check areas with a flashlight at night and nudge their little butts to get them hopping off to safety. They are very pleasant idiots and I feel awful when they get hurt. And yes, I keep a cup and card in the back porch but they usually just climb onto my hand.

Mr. Shife said...

I think you are the first person I read this week that has has had something nice to say about Ed Sheeran. He didn't have a good week after his appearance on the season premiere of Game of Thrones. I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well.

Anonymous said...

The only insect I don't like is the ant. Since they invaded my home in the early 80s I've had a thing about them. Horrible, horrible things.
I don't know anything about present day singers or their songs, but that Ed Sheeran song was quite catchy.

Joan (Devon)

dinthebeast said...

Yes, refrigerators have little trays underneath them where the condensation is supposed to drain and then evaporate.
But condensation isn't the only thing liquid inside a refrigerator, and even the condensation dissolves stuff and carries it down into the tray.
So it gets kinda icky down there, to say the least.
So when I used to deliver and install refrigerators and haul the old ones away, I learned to check those trays before tipping the refrigerator back onto the dolly to keep the awful contents from spilling all over the customer's floor.

-Doug in Oakland

e said...

No more insects here, we have plenty. If they don't get to you, the odd reptile might! Happy weekend.

jenny_o said...

I've just googled Australian centipedes and really, really wish I hadn't. Ours are at most two inches long and quite dainty. Yours are monsters! No wonder you are creeped out!

jenny_o said...

A car race would definitely be noisier (and not as pleasant) as a musical festival. I should probably be counting my blessings we don't have a racetrack nearby!

jenny_o said...

Haha! My overused word is "actually" so I get it :) I really do like Sheeran's music. I think he is very talented.

jenny_o said...

They do seem plentiful! Some years they're worse than others here. When I was growing up there weren't any around our region; I can remember the first time I saw one - yikes.

jenny_o said...

Bug-free, except for the CENTIPEDES, you mean!!! haha

A little information can be a big help, eh? Just don't google "Australian centipes" unless you want to have nightmares :) (see Elephant's Child comment and my reply above)

jenny_o said...

Well now, maybe that's the problem - the old earwigs are losing their balance ... maybe they need some canes or walkers ...

jenny_o said...

I think a tiny frog would be quite lovely to have in hand but I will never knowingly let an earwig near me! Charity has its limits and I know what mine are :) I'm so glad you are vigilant about your little froggy visitors.

jenny_o said...

I heard that some fans couldn't wrap their heads around that ... but I saw the clip and thought he fit right in. Ah well :) Are you a GOT fan, Mr. S?

jenny_o said...

VERY catchy! TOO catchy! Honestly, although it was stuck in my head for far too long, I still love the tune.

An ant invasion sounds awful. I can see why you'd dislike them!

jenny_o said...

I bet it only took one spilling before you learned to do that :) The tray on ours is only accessible from the back. I don't know if that is normal, but there it is.

jenny_o said...

But, e, don't you want some reptile food so they won't eat YOU out of hunger?!

No, I don't suppose you need any more bugs in Florida :)

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Nice to see you are covering all the serious stuff in life Jenny - earwigs, fridge drainage and fluff and humming habits. Much more important than The Islamic State, plastic debris in the oceans, why official Trump souvenirs are made in China and Indonesia, forest fires in British Columbia, Saudi Arabian bombing of Yemen, cholera in Yemen etc.. Yup! Your subject filtering system is very effective.

P.S. Send me all the fresh earwigs you've got. They are great in stir frys.

Steve Reed said...

I once had an earwig fall out of a box of cereal too! They must LOVE cereal.

jenny_o said...

I'm sending them through the intertubes, YP. Here they come ...

jenny_o said...

... and chocolate ...

baili said...

Insects can be beneficial I learnt it while reading your post and comments.
Sorry for the trouble it is making for you.
If I got you right I too often be victim of any one of my fav song and its echo inside my head irritates me until i replace it with something other.

I will pray September come soon to calm down your area dear Jenny!

I nominated you for Mystery Bloggers Award if you please check it out

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Okay got 'em! I can tell they are Canadian earwigs because they are very polite and dressed like miniature mounties. They'll be delicious! Thank you.

jenny_o said...

Ha ha!

jenny_o said...

Yes, you understood "earworm" exactly, baili! Thank you for your kind thoughts, my friend.

Oh my, I've never experienced a blogging award before! I will check it out shortly. Thank you - how nice of you to think of me!

Diane Henders said...

I feel for you with your earwig problem, but I have to admit that I laughed until I cried when I read "...an earwig the size of a small lobster hurried out of the package and waved, once, awkwardly ... because he probably had his mouth full of MY chocolate". The mental image was equally horrifying and hilarious!

Wishing you a bug-free week! (And thank for the earworm - now I've got it, too.)

jenny_o said...

When the bug traffic through the house gets worse than the town traffic during our festivals, I will throw in the towel, Diane :) I must admit I was equally horrified and laughing at the time I found that guy in MY stash of chocolate!!

Giving you the earworm sadly did not take it out of my head. Sorry to infest your head also :)

LL Cool Joe said...

I think that most of Ed Sheeran's tracks are like that. You wait to your hear Galway Girl. Anyway, he's a really nice down to earth guy. I'm not a massive fan of his music but his popularity is unbelievable.

jenny_o said...

It seems like he's - as you say - very down to earth and just a nice guy. And seems to have a good sense of humour. I had heard Galway Girl without realizing who was singing it!