Wait For Me

Here in my fortress of solitude, I am feeling more and more like Marlon Perkins. Between the golden Chinese ladybugs that overwinter in the nooks and crannies of the eaves, sneaking in the house somehow and birthing their fucking annoying babies, or the invasive Chinese stink bugs who also show up in the fall looking for a warm place to sleep for a few months--is tiresome. 

It isn't just aix-leggrd critters that annoy. A woodpecker in the last couple years has systematically knocked out the screens from these circular holes that go along the eaves of the house-front, sides and backs, such that it has become a vast rookery. I have all the bramble in the area we found coyotes knocked down near a 10 foot stump of a long dead 50 year old elm, only to have trash pandas move in three weeks later. Why couldn't it be something cuter? Willow almost caught one the other night-it had the temerity to be on the wrong side of the fence --Willow was a second away from a fight she would win, but not unscathed. Fortunately, the masked bandit made it over the fence in the nick of time. For the record, I'd rather have coyotes--they have sense enough not to fuck with something 2x their size. A pack of raccoons, I know from personal experience are much more likely to flip off any threat, stand their ground, and attack as a mob. Willow might take one or even two out, but she would be seriously injured and likely blinded. I learned from the attack Buddy suffered in Ravenna, when I rushed outside naked with a broom at 3 a.m. swinging at the fences with a broom. I got them off of Buddy, but not before he got a cut under his eye. The vet told me that raccoons blind their opponents first. Mischievous little bastards. 

On the other hand, the hummingbirds are back and that is a bonus.

In other animal news, Willow and I went to the park this afternoon for an hour and all that exploring wore her out. I loved that for her and me.

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Hadestown

Jared and Leiney went to NYC for the weekend. Abby, despite approaching finals--took the train up to see them. It's 3.5 hours each way--in a country that spent money on infrastructure it would be an hour, but what do I know? Speaking with her yesterday evening, Abby had brought all her homework with her so she could study on the train. 

My girls are the best. They got bagels, went to the NYC Public Library, and went to see Hadestown together with Jared. Jared must not know the Greek tragedy, because he was very disappointed that Eurydice died. I blame our education system and his failure to read Percy Jackson. When Leiney was in

Orpheus' Descent Into Hades. Restout, 1763.

her Percy Jackson phase, I bought her some kid's book version of Greek myths--I fed on these as a sick child home alone. Rick Riorden did the world a service renewing an interest in these timeless tales of morality and the caprice of fate. The next time you are on the verge of feeling sorry for yourself, just remember the fate of Oedipus, Achilles, Heracles and many other Greek heroes. 

It feels so good the girls have become closer as they grow up, so proud of my kind, smart, curious lovely children. We did well.

Sunday funday. My dryer died about 6 weeks ago. Yesterday, the repair guy came. It turns out a fire 🔥 is what took the machine out. 17 years of lint buildup on the heating element. While the repair guy said that they don't make them as well as the dead dryer, the cost to repair it was 1000 dollars or more. Because the sticker with the exact model number was missing, I was told, even if they did those repairs, there was no guarantee it would work. FML. 

I took Willow to the vet to get her boosters and

regular scheduled vaccines the other day. It was a year ago that the vet prescribed trazedone. If you talk to the groomer we had last year, I can tell you how much the drug didn't work, and how close Willow came to eating the groomer and her assistance. It was only my presence and intercession which prevented that happenstance. The vet told me they would do the grooming--ita going to cost more than 800 dollars, but worth every penny to make sure Willow has a comfortable summer. I really wanted to be there with them, but given these unforeseen expenses, am pretty flippin' glad I am not there.

As an aside, I had Abby buy her ticket home soon after the unprovoked war started. I am glad I did, having waited until after the war was well under way, I have seen the coat of electric dryers  go up between 100-150 bucks. Most of it is price gouging, to be sure, but it's real. My now mountain of laundry may be waiting a while before it is washed and dried at home.