Yes, it has been awhile. But, hey, I didn't promise that my gift of words would be delivered to you on a daily basis. Though I do know how you so look forward to my prose. Okay, enough of stroking my own ego. A whole lot of nothing has been going on and I have been exceptionally busy at work running in my little hampster wheel, which has caused me to be physically exhausted and mentally running in circles. Yes, I know the mentally running in circles is not uncommon with me, but when you add the physical exhaustion you get a very non-productive Cay on your hands.

So, let me start with our recently aquired pet. I didn't have to purchase anything to gain this tiny, cute, cuddly pet. I only had to leave my kitchen window open. And in order to rid myself of my little friend, all I had to do was put out a green little square of poison. Or two. My smarter than smart Dad gave me the wonderful poison, my more than resourceful stepmother promised it would work, she had experience and tales of tails to back it up. The poison went to the creature's habitual visitation corners and was eaten everyday, per my ever observant son. He checked not just daily, but twice a day and report back to me, flashlight in hand. Yes, the mouse had eaten more of the poison blocks. Yes, there are pellets, lots of them. Yes, he should die soon.

Now here is where it gets interesting:

One feeding, the box said.

One whole block is gone, and one is 1/4 of the way eaten.

Four of my family members have contributed to the demise of this little creature.

And yet, the mouse is still alive.

I think we need more poison.

Maybe a few traps.

And a big, strong, sexy man named Sven to clean up the mess for me... Okay, maybe I don't need the last part, but I'm definitely not going to be the one to pick up the dead mouse if it ever does die. Because, let's face facts, it just might not. It could be one of those radioactive mice that can live longer than a cockroach*. Don't laugh, stranger things have happened. And if it is radioactive, I think I should find a way to get it on MY side. You know, name it, be nice to it, stop screaming everytime I see it, let alone hear it.

Not only do I have a mouse that has inhabited my home and scared the you-know-what out of me, but also I have discovered a spider in my laundry room. Of course, it was actually discovered the day the mouse moved in, but I just have not mentioned it here as I am realizing with each telling of the discoveries that I have grown peculiarly squeemish. (Why is that? Can anybody give me a plausible reason?) And, seeing as how I never viewed myself as such and discovering myself to be (drat!), I am hiding from you all exactly how much I am. And if you followed that sentence, then you get a brownie!

Anyway, back to the spider. Once I steadied myself and then studied the creature I came to actually like the markings, not the spider, but the markings. Bug and I have even taken pictures with my camera phone. (Still need that cord to download them!) He, or she - I don't think it cares either way - has a beautiful golden color on it's legs and body with horizontile black strips on the legs, and black stripes going toward the center of the body on the torso. Then, right in the middle of the torso is a white, almost silver, cross. Quite interesting. I pray everyday that it is just a common garden spider and not some crazy Amazon spider that will grow to the size of my hand and eat my face in my sleep. To insure that my son and I are in no danger I seek out it's current web when ever I go into the laundry room. I think Bug is doing the same thing, because he always runs back up the stairs, yelling,"Mom, lemmie use your phone to take a picture! Quick! I found the spider!"

Maybe we should name it with all of the attention we give it.

Other than my two unwanted, but definitely settling in pets, I have not had much, but my rambling thoughts to pound out here on the keyboard. I will probably sit down one of these afternoons and wax philosophical, or wan, or wax, wan, wax on, wax off, wax on, wax off...



*I have personal experience with these creatures as well. Not only are they extremely bold and too dumb to die, but they grow to huge proportions. Oh, and they can live for nine days after you cut off it's head, finally dying due to starvation. Yuck!