Aug. 21, 2002 ~ Small joys
It doesn't take much to make me happy. Remember how I was going to mow the yard yesterday? Didn't want to do it, but being a GOOD GIRL, I was going to do it anyway. Got all geeked up in full anti-sun regalia, including high SPF sunscreen, two shirts... short and long-sleeved. Hey, it gets hot here. I burn or tan right through my clothes. No kidding. Put on the long pants, socks, boots and gloves. Got the dork hat -- wide straw hat with the required goofy flower. Drank a lot of water. Trudged bravely outside, turned the key, and TA DA! It wouldn't start. At all. Now this is a mixed blessing, of course. The yard will have to be mowed no matter what, and I was all set to do it. And I would hate it if the mower had really, truly died, because it's been out of warranty for a while now, parts are expensive, and it would probably make sense to get a new one. But who has the money? Us? Ha ha ha ha ha! No. So the yard is unmowed but it is NOT MY FAULT, which means I get to feel virtuous (Hey, I DID try. Hard.), without doing the actual work.
My other small but exciting news is that our other son, hereafter referred to as College Boy, got an honest-to-goodness JOB today! Is that exciting or WHAT?! I am practically beside myself with joy, and it's only a tiny little part-time job. Just imagine my rapture should he ever work full-time in the summers! I would probably faint dead away from the excitement. I don't know how he swung this, but I'm sure I'll find out tonight. This was his first day of school, and he was hired for an on-campus job. He started today, right after lunch. How can that be? Well, I guess something similar happened to me with my current job -- I was hired on the spot and put to work immediately, before references were checked -- but isn't that extrememly unusual? Is this a common thing, and I just don't know about it?
Anyway, that's it for me. The mower wouldn't start and College Boy got a part-time job. Hey, we live in a small town and there are very, very few jobs available at all! Especially part-time jobs. So it's nice that he found something on campus, which fits in nicely with his class schedule, too.
In the category of Non-joys... I got bitten by a mosquito yesterday. Normally this would not rate a mention, but West Nile is all around us. Not far, as the crow flies. Susan and I found a dead bluejay while walking the other day, and someone turned a bluejay in to her the other day, wanting her to send it to the authorities. But the authorities won't accept a bird that is covered with ants... the theory is probably that decomposition has already started. Not in my backyard. If you step into my yard or pasture and stand still for no more than three or four minutes, you WILL get fire ants on you. Every time. It's good to wear boots. So I don't know how the authorities will ever get ant-free specimins from our area. If you don't know what I'm talking about (though I'll bet you probably do), West Nile Virus kills birds, particularly crows and bluejays.
The bird thing probably doesn't matter, though, because I just heard on the news that there are two suspected human cases in a nearby small town. It's here, whether it's been confirmed or not. Anyway, I got that stupid mosquito bite yesterday, and it wasn't even prime mosquito-biting time! They tell us to be especially careful in the late evening and early morning, and this was in the afternoon. Darn. Well, such is life. I, for one, am not going to spray insecticide on myself every time I go outdoors, because I hate that stuff. I try to cover up and avoid the really late or early hours, but honestly, how much can you do? I can't imagine worrying about this all the time and being totally paranoid. I'll take a few precautions and that's it. Chances of infection are slim to none, and only a tiny percentage of those infected become seriously ill or die. I am worried about the horses, though. Want to see a couple of them? This is a winter picture, and they aren't at their best, but hey. They're still my babies. The black and white one is Dakotah; the brown and white one is Bucky. Hope their West Nile vaccinations take effect soon.
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