"...and so the war begins...again"

Every year, for the past 20 years, the month of October is a battlefield at my home. The enemy are thousands and thousands of little dastardly bugs shown on the left. I call them Japanese Beetles because I really don't know what kind of bugs they are. Usually they arrive after a cold spell. When the cold spell ends and the day becomes warm,  they have a party at my house. They arrive suddenly and swarm the house, the windows any place that is warm or open.  They make themselves at home. As soon as we open the door, they attach themselves to our clothing, our hair, and any body part not covered. When one bug makes it in, he or she calls for reinforcements and the war is on!!

For the next few weeks we will literally fight these bugs. We spray the outside of the house and it works until it rains...it rained last night and is still raining. I hope they drown, but I know they won't.

 They arrived over the past two days. In fact they are late this year. I bragged to Tommy that I thought we had finally killed them all. Only to open the door and get smacked in the face by these stinking bugs. They really do stink. They give off a scent that smells like dirt. Nasty, nasty dirt!!! Twenty killed can make a room stink. I would know that smell anywhere.

Yesterday was our first major battle. They engulfed my sun room. To say I was mad is an understatement of the first caliber!!  I was frantic. The only spray I had left was 'flea spray' and that worked. They dropped from the ceiling, crawled into the windows before I could get them all shut. They also landed in my hair giving me the creepy crawlies. Two showers finally rid my mind of the varmints. Today I literally vacuumed the bugs out of the window sills and everywhere else I could reach. I cleaned on my room for 2 hours. Right now it is beetle free...until it stops raining and warms up. I have had candles lit all day to rid the room of the 'dirty' smell. When I go in there I can still smell it.

This fight will go on for another week. Since they arrived so late I am hoping the cold weather will freeze them out. Now all it has to do is turn COLD! I am all for that.

In my corner of the world, things could be so much worse. I should be happy that life is good and the beetles are a minor inconvenience. I should feel that way and for the most part I do but I have to admit I hate those little S**** and I hope they all die...tonight!!