…for the balmy, that is… At 7:10 p.m. the thermometer on the back porch reads 109 degrees.
Hey! Ya can’t shovel heat!
Nary a sign of the summer rainstorms known in these parts as “monsoons.”
But it’s still a bit early for them. I think of monsoon as an August phenomenon. F’rhevvinsake, it’s only July 17.
These are the times that make the humans think 12 months of swimming-pool expenses are soooooo worth it! 😀 Into the drink this afternoon. Hop out. Shampoo hair in the hose. Return to the shack’s interior, where the AC system labors to hold the temp (in the coolest part of the house: the hallway) down to 80.
What a day!
Started with Ruby flushing Ratty out of the marjoram bed. Dayum! She almost caught the poor critter!
Later on: the Great Termite Project.
Exterminator came by. He didn’t think the infestation was too bad…yet. He sprayed the little gals where they were evident, and then laid down one helluva barrier all around the house’s foundation. I decided we should have him come back at regular intervals to harass the critters. Whenever the weather cools some, I’ll try to get him up into the attic (you’d have to be suicidal to go up there in this heat!). He didn’t think the girls have invaded there yet…he did show me where he believes them to be, and provided a pretty convincing argument to that effect.
We didn’t see the much-beloved Pool Dude this morning — Monday is his day to come around. We probably missed him while we were indulging in the dawn doggy-walk. The pool is positively pristine this evening, which it assuredly would NOT be, in this heat, had he not surfaced at some point today.
Wait, I know how to tell: did he retrieve the new pump pot filter basket I bought?
Checking….
Whoa!!! He did NOT!
Holee mackerel! That means His Cuteness never surfaced here today!
He must have had car trouble. Or the world collapsed on his head.
Fortunately, he’s done such a killer job on maintenance over the past few months that the damn thing looks clear and clean. So from a selfish point of view, that’s good. But..gosh… I hope he’s OK…
Back to the subject of infestation: The roof rats are back.
One of them was actually brave enough this morning to shoot right across in front of me.
Cute little fellas. Too bad they carry such nasty diseases. Too bad they do rather more damage than one would like to cope with.
So I set out the traps. When last checked, they were no more successful than they’ve been in the past. But…that was checking their daytime performance. We shall see, come morning, how they worked during our little tenants’ night-time maneuvers.
Awwwww crapola: Cop copters buzzing around overhead.
Check that all the doors are locked. And…hooleee shee-ut! The front screen was NOT locked.
Ohhh well. Now we’re barricaded in: two deadbolts engaged on every exterior door.
Four-legged rats. Two-legged rats. Six-legged rats. What a place we live in!
