Alabama Tracks

For months now we have been fighting small flea like bugs in my master bathroom not knowing what they were.  I had a beautiful peace lily on the edge of my tub that was thriving and it was the only thing that I could think of being the culprit of said bugs.  These bugs were gray/black and very small.  Easy to squish but seemed to be water loving.  In effort to rid my tub of them, I washed many down the drain. 

This past week we saw them in the sinks as well. They were everywhere.  And while they didn’t bite and they didn’t seem to attack my girls I couldn’t put my finger on where they were coming from.  Was it from the drains, the water, the plant, or from a crack in the window?  I researched, and researched, and researched some more. I asked the horticulturist here at work, to no avail. I asked my cousin who used to work in environmental stuff thinking she might be able to direct me if it was water related.  I called the vet to get a price quote to board my girls for a day and necessary shots  so I could bomb the house.  And just as I did all that I could do and researched every kind of bug terminology I could find, I found it!

It is a Springtail.  They are mostly mistaken as fleas because they jump but they aren’t “bloodsuckers” like fleas are.  They came in on my soil from my plant and can mostly be found in planter trays where water and decaying plant matter resides.  I have since taken my plant outside and have sprayed it with an herbicide, fungicide, and miticide to kill anything else that may be on the plant or in soil.  I will probably still replant the thing in hopes of riding my house of these pesty little critters. 

In order to get rid of the ones that are in the bathroom already, I have to now keep my tub dry and cloroxed so they don’t have an area to thrive.  I’ve washed all my bath rugs and towels and cleaned the window sill as well.  I can only hope they will die off quickly and without much ado.  But I have success!  The bugs have been identified!

 On another note, Lucie has acted completely perfect since we picked her up on Monday.  I still don’t want to drive her at night or downtown until I give her a little bit more time to prove herself.  Slowly but surely my confidence is building and I don’t panic at every little movement from the engine/transmission. 

This week we also had the Farmers Market here at work.  A few local farmers come to the parking lot and sell to the employees for an hour and half.  I managed to get some really good local peaches, tomatoes, and purple hulled peas.  I wanted to get more but I had to face the reality of eating all of it.  There was locally milled cornmeal, grits, and other grains, honey, fresh cut flowers, peppers of all kinds, melons of all kinds, tomatoes (green and red), peas, okra, squash, cucumbers, corn, and blueberries.  I really wanted more peas than what I bought so I could put them up in the freezer but I just didn’t want to spend the money on them quite yet.  Last year I got an ice bag full of purple hulled for $22 and put them up for the next year.  It was great being able to just warm them up and go for dinner.  I’ll have probably two servings with those that I bought this year but they are fresh.  I can still by more from the farmers markets later on during the summer.

So tonite I hope to get another pair of maternity pants and wash the others that I have.  We’ll have salmon for dinner and then veg watching a movie.  We’ll let some friends cats out as well but other than that, I’m looking forward to a fairly uneventful evening.  The weekend will be here soon and we’ll spend it at home most likely.  Yard work calls as well as posting things on Ebay.  Little by little, we’ll get it all.

After quiting on me three times as I headed home on Friday and leaving me very fearful of driving anywhere, we took my sweet  demon possessed car to the shop on Sunday afternoon.  I was at my whits end with her especially after she quit another two times on my way to the garage.  As we left the garage on Sunday afternoon, I made the comment that I just can’t keep going on like we have been if we still can’t determine what is wrong with her.  My dear husband who seems to know the right thing to say at those hard times said “What kind of car do you want?”  Music to my ears at that moment.  Afraid to get my hopes diverted, I waited until 2:30 today to call the garage for an update.

 PRAISE GOD!  They found the issue.  Apparently the wire that connects to the Crank Shaft Position Sensor was laying too close to the Exhaust Manifold.  As the car got hotter, the wire got hotter and would automatically shut the car off.  I just had to drive it enough for it to register with the computer.  After much ado, they finally had computer codes to go from and it’s only going to cost around $150.00.  I haven’t driven her yet but they tell me she hasn’t had any problems since they replaced the wire this afternoon.  I am trying to be somewhat reserved though as she cooperates with them  and seems to act up on me.  So we’ll see. 

For now, I am very pleased and I feel like I can breathe a little easier.  My Lucie is on the mend and I can consider buying a new car on my time rather than on hers. 

The past few days I have found several people that have just seemed to find a nerve and pick at it until I’m ready to go crazy.  I don’t understand it as I’m usually very even keeled and let such aggravating things roll right off me.  Last week my boss seemed to get on my nerves, this week, it’s my coworker.  I am hopeful that I can chalk it up to the hormones and that it will only be here for a short time.  It’s really starting to bug me that things / people are bugging me so much.  Hopefully it will only be for a season.

We took Lucie into the garage yesterday and are planning on leaving her until Thursday to give them plenty of time to check her out.  I’m a little nervous that they will wait until Thursday afternoon to check her out and still not find anything.  My dear sweet husband, who is so much my stabilizing force, continues to remind me that they have never done anything that would make us question their ethics so hopefully they will at least come back with something.  We are now looking at replacing a few tires as well. 

We’ve managed to sell several things on Ebay here lately and I’m quite proud of our success.  I still have over 150 mini shoes to sell and I’m sure I can find many other things in the house that just need to go.  It’s like having a garage sale without all the hype of the setting up, haggling, etc.  At present I think we have changed our plan and will use the money for the wedding pictures that I still do not have so I can at least start putting together my creative memories book.  I know that as soon as the baby comes, wedding pictures will take a supreme back seat, even more than they already have.  I’m tempted to see if I could buy my proofs but I don’t think that is realistic.

I’ve gone to the chiropractor twice now and thus far I feel so much better.  Having one leg almost an inch shorter than the other is causing issues with my tailbone.  Throw in a little sciatic nerve issue on top.  I was pretty impressed with how much my back decided to take the adjustment and not slip out right away so hopefully this Friday will be my last visit for a while.  I continue to hope to get the yoga video my sister talks of to help as well. 

We don’t have anything planned this weekend and I’m looking forward to just a few days of whatever.  I may try to go through more stuff and prepare a few more things to go up on Ebay.  We’ve also talked about going to see a matinee movie on Saturday as a treat.  There are several movies out that we both want to see so we might have to flip a coin to decide.  First and foremost though is that I plan on sleeping a bit.  After that, it might just be another pancake morning. 

So that is my world for this week thus far.  Normal?  That has yet to be decided.

 

My kindred spirits came to visit this weekend.  Sarah, Jeff, and Tara came on Friday night and stayed until Sunday afternoon.  Sarah, Jeff, and I used to stay up late at Jeff’s house and play cards almost every night while in college.  We’ve managed to remain close the past 8 years which has continued to be a tremendous blessing.  We kid around with each other and yet we care about each one so much. 

Seeing that this town has not much to see and do I was a little concerned about the agenda for the weekend.  Ultimately we did what we do best.  Hang out, play games, and enjoy each other’s company.  We played a new game for us called Greed.  It is played with 6 dice and is pretty fun when you get into it.  I wasn’t prepared for a mini pre-30th birthday party.  They were so sweet to remember my big day will be just a month and half around the corner.  They seemed to appreciate the time and effort I put into preparing the food which always is a good boost to my self esteem.  By the end of the weekend, I was exhausted.  In fact Saturday night 3 of the 5 of us fell asleep at 10:30.  Gone are the days of staying up until 2:00 every night.  Two pregnant ladies (Tara and myself) just can’t do it like we used to.

When they all left on Sunday afternoon, both of us crashed.  My husband headed to the computer to veg out to his gaming and I went to the couch to watch tv and doze off.  We ate dinner around 8:00 and watch The Diary of a Big Fat Black Woman.  It was pretty good.  Add it to your Netflix if you haven’t already.  It’s worth seeing as it does carry some Biblical context with it.

So I’m back at work today, tired and yet emotionally energized by my friends.  Friends that are more than just friends. They are my kindred spirits.