Umbrella Bat Strikes Again

For the past 4 summers, a misguided bat (or perhaps friends or relatives of said bat - how long do bats live anyway?) has taken up daytime residence in our deck umbrella. Perhaps it seems quite cave like and cozy when folded, but can't be pleasant to these nocturnal creatures when opened to shield our deck from the bright sun of the summer days! I have pensively opened the umbrella each morning for the past week...unwilling to stick my head under until I find it clear of all beasties. This morning the Umbrella Bat strikes again!

T

Moles in the Basement II

I should be packing, given the time of night it is already. I do have J packed (she wanted her own suitcase this time, and helped to pick clothes), and L's things and mine are laid out on the bed. This requires me to actually finish before I can go to bed! We are headed out, early in the morning to Lancaster area in PA. Husband to a thoroughly stimulating Medical Convention, girls and I to his sister's. After a couple of days we will go to my parents', and are planning on seeing "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" with them on Saturday. I hope to visit one of my college friends, and check in on my Grandparents in the Retirement Center. All in all, it should be a nice break from the daily grind here. We are heading back Sat night, in order to be rested up for J's violin recital Sunday afternoon...a whirlwind of a trip!

All this to say, that while gathering suitcases from the basement, I came across another mole. This one was long deceased, and on the 3rd shelf up from the floor in the storage room. Another mystery...can moles climb plastic shelving poles? Perhaps they are coming in through the boarded up window under what is now the Sun Room? This rodent did, however, heed my orders to stay off the new carpet!

A pleasant week end to you all, well wishes to JT...hope he's feeling better. Here's hoping for more sunshine and a meeting of the Elaines next week!

T

The Meaning of Dreams

Calling all budding dream interpreters out there...

I had a troubling dream Friday night. In this dream, I spotted two little grey mice running across the bedroom floor, and asked my husband, "where did those come from?" He pointed to the open attic access in the ceiling (which we don't have), where I saw hundreds of mice pouring from the ceiling, falling to the floor, then scattering all over my house. I woke up determined to clean every surface of my house! (Hasn't happened.)

While this dream may have been prompted by my visit to the Museum on Friday, where we saw myriads of stuffed moles, shrews, mice and rodents of all sorts. Or perhaps by watching the Brady Bunch episode Friday night where Greg brings home a white mouse for a Science Project, Jan unwittingly sets it loose, and Alice calls the exterminators after spotting it in the kitchen. I have to wonder...do these night time occurrences really mean anything?


A quick check of http://www.dreammoods.com/ revealed the following information: "To see mice in your dream, symbolizes domestic problems, business loss, deceit, and insincere friends. It represents minor problems in which you are spending too much time dwelling on. To dream that a mouse jumps on you or into your clothing, foretells of scandal in which you will largely figure in."


I have a recurring dream in which I realize that I haven't checked my college campus mailbox for weeks and weeks, but can not remember the combination, or even which box is mine. I still wake feeling troubled, 17 years after graduating from college! According to Dream Moods, "To see a mail box in your dream, represents important information that you are about to receive. Pay particular attention to your dream and what message it is trying to convey to you from your unconscious. If the mailbox is full, then it indicates that you have not digested or accepted these messages."

So, I could either be on the verge of some great scandal because of not accepting the important, yet deceiving, information from insincere friends, or perhaps I shouldn't watch Brady Bunch before bed! I'll let someone else with more dream interpreting ability make that call!

T

Spring Break

In another hour and a half, I will not only be finished with work at the University for this week, but I will be finished for almost TWO weeks! Hooray...next week is Spring Break! What a relief to not have to take the girls to babysitters (and all that entails) twice in one week for a while!

It can't come too soon. We need a break. The girls have been naughty little buggers today...destructive, fighting, yelling, breaking things, hurting each other...it just won't stop. Good thing Waynesburg doesn't have a local troupe of gypsies, or I'd sell the both of them right about now.

If only we could see some sun again! Everything seems so dirty. The van is so filthy that I can hardly stand to open the doors. Every time our scant snow fall melts, it reveals the many branches and leaves littering the lawn. In contrast, the basement guest room is looking fresh and clean in its coat of "String of Pearls". Today I ripped out some redundant trim in the neighboring "media room" downstairs, and filled in all the nail holes. Tomorrow I can start making that room look brighter as well, and hopefully speak to the carpet guy about putting in some sparkling, new carpet, untouched by rodent feet!

The groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter...aren't we anywhere close to seeing SPRING?

T

Soricomorpha Talpidae or Moles in the Basement

I'm sorry to have to report of the demise of our fellow Austen aficionado Sunday night at approximately 11:15 PM EST. The BIG mystery is: how did the little fellow get in there anyway?

Thank you all for coming...I had a fun night. Thank you Nancy, for the yummy banana-berry smoothie. Thank you Sally, for the lovely flower - a promise that green, flowered things will indeed return to my yard. Thank you Kim, for the delicious applesauce, caramel cake.



And now, I must go untie shoelaces that Lauren has been very busily tying, and re-roll half a roll of toilet paper that she pulled out before moving on to the shoes.



Have a wonderful week!