attack of the larvae

It was a normal day. I was on my lunch break. All I wanted was come home, eat lunch, do a couple things around the house, and get back to work. As I walked in the door, I noticed a stench coming from the carport. Mmm ... trash. See, the garbage men pick up our trash in the alley behind our house. Which, from the back yard, is straight up hill. Taking the trash out requires putting the smelly trash in the trunk of your car and wheeling it around to the alley. As one might imagine, it is tempting to leave the trash in the carport for days at a time.

On this particular day, the trash had probably been out for roughly four days, and contained the leftovers of a cookout. Pork, and lots of it. Flies LOVE meaty trash. Flies get into meaty trash and procreate. So, to alleviate the smell I go to move the trash. From the hole that has formed in the bottom of the bag spill hundreds - literally, hundreds - of maggots. I can't remember if I screamed or gagged or both, but I definitely experienced some sort of freak out reaction. Their writhing, disgusting bodies were everywhere. According to Google, one of the things that kill maggots is furniture polish. So I grabbed the Pledge and soaked the suckers with it's lemony fresh venom. Larvae still wiggling, I gave up and went inside for lunch. Funny - the only thing I had to eat was a frozen meal that was made mostly of orzo pasta. Mmmm.

In an attempt to keep flies out of the trash, I hurried to the nearest Walmart to purchase a large trash can for the carport. A trash can which cost me $30. Not to mention a $10 roll of giant trash bags. Today when I went to put trash outside, what do ya know - maggots. In what I thought would be a maggot-free zone.

Maggots, I shake my fist at thee.

big shuna

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Buddy Love Hill's Breath

The Shuna is Gonna Get Ya

When we think that we just can't handle the foul odor that is Buddy Love Hill's Shuna breath, we remember that he is both adorable and spiritual ...

[after a tragic paw accident, sporting a protective paper plate]

[reading colossians and praising the lord]

Coyotes seen in Redmont Park Again!!!

We received our lovely neighborhood association newsletter today....the #1 story article has been copied below.... what kind of neighborhood do we live in? Plus, take note of these helpful tips for all you out there that may cross a coyote.

Coyotes have been spotted in our neighborhood once again. Normally, coyotes are timid animals and will run away when challenged. However, humans increase the likelihood of contact with the animals by deliberately or inadvertently feeding them, whether by hand-outs or by providing access to food sources such as garbage or pet food. This can lead to the coyotes losing their natural fear of humans and they could become increasingly agressive.

If a coyote ever approaches too closely, pick up small children immediately and act agressively towards the animal. Wave your arms and throw stones, and shout at the coyote. Make yourself appear larger by standing up if sitting down, or step up on a rock, stump or chair. The idea is to convince the coyote that you are not prey, but a potential danger.

To prevent conflicts with coyotes:

1) Never feed coyotes.

a. Feed dogs and cats indoors. If you must feed your pets outside, do so in the morning or midday, and pick up food or water bowls, leftovers, and spilled food before dark everyday.

b. Don't feed stray dogs and cats. Coyotes prey on animals as well as any food you leave out for them.

2) Keep dogs and cats indoor, especially from dusk to dawn.

3) Don't give coyotes access to garbage. Once a coyote finds easy prey or food it will continue to hunt and scavenge the area.

Best to you all and your coyote battles....

Show Tunes Tuesday

The hills were alive this morning at 6:30 am. One of the lovely things about sharing a bathroom with a vocalist is that morning singing is never off limits. Mandie and I get ready at the same time most days. While somewhat cramped, we have a nice large mirror in our bathroom and have no trouble sharing. Is this too much info for this blog? Am I supposed to be saying "bathroom" on here. Well anyway, I digress. So, I don't know how it all got started, but on this particular Tuesday morning we shared several tunes from the beloved Sound of Music soundtrack. Oh we needed no accompaniment...belting out Edelweiss in two part harmony was enough to launch a full on medley. From the Lonely Goatheard to Favorite Things, each song was worked into our routine. It was beautiful. Well...maybe not, but we had fun. Jessica had the sheer privilege of being on the other side of the bathroom wall. Did she hum along...or rev up her hairdryer to drown out the AM annoyance? Who knows. What will next Tuesday morning hold? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious has always been a favorite of mine...we shall see. Until then, I urge all my co-habitating friends out there to make the most of your mornings. Additionally, Show Tunes Tuesday Vol 1. will be made available for purchase by late November.