codeine dreams

a few minutes ago, i was jolted awake by the most terrifying nightmare, one in which i was sleeping and was jolted awake - and i can't even go into more detail than that. but as i stood trying to still my racing heart and get my bearings, i looked out and saw this image of nighttime tranquility. in an effort to find reality and lose the dream, i post this for you.

freaky fungi

this weekend, we've had some very damp and chilly weather, the kind where you finally pull on socks and get out the windbreaker. more of the same is predicted for the next several days. imagine my horror (and fascination!) when i looked out the window this morning to check the conditions and i saw this: the lawn has become a mushroom field. the place is covered with all these little drab flat-topped mushrooms. i have no idea what kind they are or when they grew or why they are so prolific. it's almost scary. i imagine this aberration speaks not only to the state of the weather but also to the condition of the topsoil and the grass itself. will these things spread even more? will they ever go away? if they do, will they reoccur? and what do i do about them now?

tick

spring around here is tick-time and this year is a banner one. since wednesday evening, ten of these minibeasts have made their way inside and quickly met their demise squashed between two lengths of scotch tape. however, one got away and was caught too late - this morning, embedded in my side. alas, tweezer removal was unsuccessful and a trip to the emergency room ensued. there the little sucker was surgically removed, still clinging to the small ellipse of skin in the blue plastic bowl. needless to say, tonight, hours later, my skin is still crawling. 

wee beastie

if spring is here, if windows are open, even if screens are in, can inside insects be far behind? this beautiful specimen is the first of the season. i have no idea what it is. all i know is it doesn't belong in the bedroom. and, by the way, it's really not as big as it may look!

newfangled dolls

my first doll had a hole in her mouth and another one in her bottom. when you fed her from her pink tipped plastic bottle, she promptly wet out the other side whatever it was that you put into her. today's dolls have motion sensors so they can giggle and coo and wriggle and crawl as they are approached by their tiny owners. and also by older folks who are mindlessly passing by their shelves in the store on their way to buy shampoo and toothpaste. folks who scare easily when they can't figure out where those odd noises are coming from. believe me when i tell you the din of their collective chattering sounded like a chorus of crazed chipmunks. i didn't even stick around to see if they still drink from their bottles.