Rodent Population = x - 1

... or what the womenfolk have to do when the menfolk decamp for Oregon.

... or "New Miserable Experience"*

Warrior Princess and I took the dogs out for one last potty break last night. We observed approximately 5 rats in various positions on my bird feeder which is on a straight metal pole.

I set a trap, such as the one to the left or up (or where ever blogger puts the damn picture!). I went to bed and dreamed very bad things about squished rodents in traps.

Next morning, sure enough there is a seemingly dead rat in the grips of the 'rat snapper'. As I move in for a closer look -it moved! Holy living nightmare, Batman!

(I don't like animal suffering, even among disgusting, disease-carrying rats -Duh)

I did what the menfolk normally take care of: I delivered the kill shot via pellet gun. Can we getta eewww, eeewwww!? I tossed the body over the fence into the empty lot. The ants will take care of recycling, part one.

And while WP and I were just busy exclaiming, "yeah! We're free!"...

It seems we miss the menfolk after all.

*Gin Blossoms, I love you.

Our Town: So Environmentally Sensitive!

Inspired by Crummy Church Signs, I spotted a Crummy City Sign while at a swim meet this summer and I felt like sharing. Notice the electrical tower right behind the sign in the middle of all the brown grass.

To the left of this highly informative sign are houses and I'm betting they were built by Elliot Homes. Hmmm?

To the right is a city park with mowing strips and at least 3 soccer fields and a lighted softball field.

Right in the middle, near the street is a smallish puddle of gray water with iridescent white bubbles. There are oddly bent meager-looking fish in the water. On the other side of the street from this 'sensitive area' is a huge racquet club.

Now what part of this strip of land between houses and soccer fields is environmentally sensitive? God knows I have nothing against houses or sports fields. After all, I live in a house and my children have enjoyed the use of these fields over the years. But WTF is up with that sign? It's like putting a sign in front of a shark declaring it's an elephant. They should tell the truth. Something like this:

"No Trespassing because if you electricute yourself or fall into smelly water and drown, we do not want to be held responsible in a lawsuit. This is a narrow bit of land we couldn't develop due to power lines. It collects run off from people's chemically infested lawns and parks. We called it 'environmentally sensitive' in the plans so we could get a break on our developer fees from the city because we're showing just how much we care about the environment."

They probably felt sure that no one would walk past the grim gray water with the disordered fish and feel their sign was total rubbish.

They were right I suppose. If I had to look at this sign everyday, I might be tempted to knock it over.

Fallen Leaf Lake

Notice how this rock is embedded in the tree roots.

This is Taylor Creek. It connects Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake.

A few weekends ago we went camping at Fallen Leaf Lake up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Lake Tahoe. I hiked to the lake one morning very early and became fascinated with all the upturned tree roots on the shores of the lake. It was dawn and the lighting was so gorgeous.

Can a Late Night Fried Egg Sandwich Help Stave Off Seizures?

I wish. Nine months. That's how long it's been. But he's been working long hours and not getting enough sleep, so... boom, boom.

There is an upside. Yes, really. TestCase felt an aura. He said, "No!". Brother FPM saw him turn his head, fade and watched his body stiffen. A mere 5 seconds later TestCase came to. He actually managed to derail the convulsive progression. Somehow. He was exhausted as usual, but didn't have a crushing headache.

So, a few days later he came home from work at 11:30 pm from another long day. I whipped up the old TestCase favorite- fried egg sandwich.

I wondered, could I "help" him make it go away?

(My friendly blogpals know that I write about this stuff as stress relief, not for sympathy, cuz Lord knows, things could be so much worse for him and I am profoundly grateful to modern pharmaceuticals. I'm a big picture, glass half- full kinda girl for the most part.)