Friday, September 23, 2005

Fall... It's Super-Freaky

I've lived in this area for over 6 years now, and I still find it bizarre how closely the local weather follows the calendar seasons. Calendar says "first day of autumn"? Expect to wake up to a wet, dreary morning on a day that will eventually reach a high of 55 degrees. It will happen even if the previous day was hot, clear, and 90 degrees-- just like each of the previous 90 days.

It's weird, I tell ya.

OK, I grew up in a place where the calendar was basically only to tell you when to wear white shoes. (And I didn't pay much attention to that anyway. I never had more than two pairs of shoes before college.) The seasons we had weren't on any calendar: first allergy season, monsoon season, second allergy season, and holiday season-- that couple weeks when the temperature drops below 65 at night. (Bundle up, kids!)

I've adjusted to actually having distinct seasons in my weather. It's nice to have change sometimes. The thing about autumn that I keep forgetting is: It's too cold for our puny weakling mice to sleep outside now. So they invade. And they're not typical scared-of-their-own-shadow mice who only creep out after the household is asleep. Oh no. These are the kind that will play hockey in your kitchen during dinner and run across your toes to beat you to the bathroom.

So I don't feel the slightest bit sorry about poisoning them and flinging their vile little carcasses onto the trash heap. Maybe I can get the neighbor's evil pit bull to eat them. Two birds and all that. Pah.

2 comments:

Shannon said...

Loved this post. It is a cheerier, though more sadistic you. You seem to be relaxing and your creativity is really showing. Plug into that dead mice, pit bull energy, I'd love to read more.

It was cold and rainy here this morning. We even lost a big limb (100lbs, and 20ft long) on one of our dead trees. I mowed under it yesterday afternoon. Fall has arrived! I look forward to moving when it is NOT 102 degrees with 80 percent humidity.

Anonymous said...

We had an infestation of mice around Christmas time one year and our pit bull never even noticed.
They moved in through a dishwasher connection and nested in the hall closet, and one moved into the laundry room and ate the soap. (yuck, so yuck)

I berated him, "You can't smell this, Dog?"
Useless.