Mosquitos @ MindSay 
Have I ever mentioned that upstate NY has the biggest freakin mosquitos I've ever seen in my life? This is not like being in the south at all. These mosquitos are as big, if not bigger, then house flies. Their freakin suckers are like 1/4 of an inch long! They are out all day, and go in when the sun goes down. Again, not like the southern blood suckers. Normally the bats would have helped with this situation by now, but they don't seem to have returned this year. I was cursing these bats 2 years ago when I discovered they lived in a little metal overhang above my garage door. Now I think I would throw them a homecoming...if only they would come home. Of course there would be a bit of a problem since the bats come out at dusk, and the mosquitos seem to be all gone by then. This particular breed of mosquitos seem to be resistant to repellent. This afternoon we all sprayed down with Off brand Skintastic family something or other. It didn't matter. Those huge vampires little suckers kept dive bombing us. Several would get within an inch of my eye and turn around because of the spray. Others didn't care about the spray and would penetrate my clothing for a pint taste of my blood. They didn't seem to be bothering the kids as much, although Elijah did talk about them all the way upstairs for bed. I had to lie to reassure him that they weren't in the house. Hopefully he won't have nightmares. Tomorrow I have to go to the Agway and try to find something to spray or sprinkle in the yard that won't hurt my children or my garden. Otherwise all outdoor play may be suspended indefinately, and I'll need full body armor to tend my garden. Planting the 20+ sunflower seeds the kids gave up on was no fun with those pesky creatures in my face this evening.
And where do the Girl Scout cookies fit in here? Well, they don't really, not with the mosquitos anyway. Unless I add that we were outside waiting for the troop leader to arrive with money so that I didn't have to invite her into my messy house. Of course she didn't come until the exact minute we were all seated for dinner. So volunteering to be the Cookie Mom has been one of the worst things I ever did. The troop leader and co-leader both took home extra cookies they didn't order. They did this because they have a place to sell the extras. The troop leaders dad owns the local Agway so she sells them there, and the co-leader works at the elementary school. Usually this works out great. Apparently this year someone broke into the school and stole the cookie money. Ask me why said co-leader didn't take the money home with her every night. Go ahead, ask me. I have no freakin clue! That's why! So now we have around $200 missing stolen and for whatever reason she may not be held accountable. This money may have to come from troop funds cause the cookies have to be paid for somehow. Anyone besides me think this is ridiculous? I don't care how much money co-leader has, she should have to pay it back. It would basically be considered personal property, not school property, so I don't think the school insurance will cover this. Actually, selling these cookies on school property is probably illegal, although I don't know for sure. Add to all this that I did not take proper inventory of the cookies to start with. They were counted out by several different people, AND not all extra orders were accounted for. By extra I mean troop moms needing more cookies, going to said troop leaders to get them, and not being properly written down so they could be taken from one persons inventory and added to anothers. I have 5 people who still haven't turned in their money even though we said it was due last Wednesday, 1 person over by $24, 1 person under by $24, and no, the money wasn't accidentally swapped. Normally it wouldn't really matter as long as the troop total was the same as the total due, but since some of it was stolen, and the inventory from this person is a bit skewed, it all makes a big difference. OH, there's one more thing.......the main person incharge of all cookie orders from all local troops had a fire in her apartment. ALLLLLLLLL paperwork was lost depending on individual troops to hand in proper copies!
Normally my rant here would have made me feel better, but unless you can come over here, count the cash and checks, straighten out my personal paperwork, make the bank deposit, and kill the freakin mosquitos, oh, and find the stolen money, then this didn't help!
Sorry for not answering anyone back about the military ball issue. I'm probably not going to go, just because my husband honestly doesn't care if I do or not. Also, I've read very bad reviews on the "resort" the ball is to take place, and this is the same place we would be staying over night. Truly the only reason to go would be to see how slutty the skinny bitches look!
On a good note, Dale's cell phone finally works in Iraq. He got a text this morning saying something about international something or other. He emailed me about it, and I sent him a text. He got it. After about 10 messages back and forth (we don't have a text plan), he called me. It was nice to talk to him on something other then the MWR phone. He was more himself, and it was very nice. Of course the 20 or so minute conversation we had is probably going to cost us a fortune since we also don't have an international plan. The rate list I found is $1.99 per minute, but I don't know if you have to purchase a plan to get that or not. And it seems that in order to get a plan you have to sign a new contract. Ours is up this month anyway. Sooooo, I can call him!!!!! This would have been awesome a few months ago when I needed immediate answers for something, but it's great now too. He doesn't get a signal within the concrete barriers though. He can walk outside of them and still stay within the confines of safety though, so it's all good. :)
There is another season that happens here at the same time...mosquito season. My husband, Gene, chief pilot at Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD) and his squad of pilots are ready to battle the enemy (mosquitos). All the DC3's and helicopters are serviced, fueled and waiting. We've had some rain so the enemy is mobilizing out in the swamps, lakes, fish ponds, in fact any standing water they can find. They're hatching and soon they will begin to feed and grow. As pupae and larva they live in standing water and are unable to fly. This is where Gene and the other pilots will attack first, before they reach adulthood and fly off to menace the neighbors. Helicopters, boats and trucks are all used in this stage of the fight spraying a bio-degradable insecticide.
When the remaining mosquitos mature and fly off the females will begin searching for blood to incubate their eggs (females are the ones who bite). Any warm, red blooded body will do. Cattle, dogs, birds, humans and others are targeted by these bloodsuckers. Cattle and other animals in unprotected areas have been known to suffocate from the large numbers of mosquitos on their noses! Mosquitos are more than just pests. They can carry serious diseases like Malaraia, Encephalitis and West Nile Virus. The LCMCD laboratory scientists test the blood of chickens to determine the threat locally. They also work to develop safer and more effective ways to combat mosquitos. This is not happening just in Florida, there are Mosquito Control operations all over the United States. So the next time you see your local "Mosquito Assasins" in flight, give them a wave. They're fighting for your right to picnic and play ball outdoors!
This little mofo woke me up this morning at 6AM!!! Not once, but TWICE!! After the first time, I was already starting to fall back asleep, but with dread, and he/she came at me again! So I jumped up, turned on all the lights and started searching my room for it. But this little mofo is fast and smart. While most of his/her kind usually flies up to the ceiling in refuge, this one stays low. But HA!! I finally got him/her! I caught him/her with one hand, squashing him/her between two fingers. Dead. Serves that little bastard right. I mean, waking me up at 6, when I wanted to be woken up at 6:30AM.
I hate mosquitos
Edit:
There was another of them in the bathroom as I was getting ready to shower, and since the bathroom door was opened while I was trying to kill the first one, I don't know if that was the same one (I'm pretty sure not though), but either way, I killed it too. Now I can shower, so long as there are no more of those bastards around. ^___^
First time here on my own, no help from Linda. I just got home from her house, where I spent what we in Finland and Sweden call mid summer's day. She has many cat and Rammi is SOOO cute! :) We were outside in the garden too, but the mosquitos drive me nuts. :( Just got home (as I wrote) and my own cat Niki just continues to smell on my legs.
I'll search around for Harry Potter fans now. I suppose they are many. Just have to find them somehow.
Wow, it feels like I haven't been on here forever in a LONG time....but really it's not been that long AT ALL!!! By the way...this is going to be a long entry...sorry guys...
My sister's graduation party was on Saturday. It was really fun....except that it rained the whole time...good thing we have a big garage at our cabin. SO many people showed up...including some hott guys lol.
In the beginning when it was just my family, a guy from my dad's work (Tom), my sister's boyfriend (Nick), and my uncle (Phil)...my other uncle Keith and his two daughters Kylie and Megan showed up. Megan looked really rough...she did fine the whole day, but by the time they left she was really wore out! I hate seeing her like that...she had light gray circles around her eyes, and she had a brace on her leg for her drop-foot from the chemotherapy treatments. This week is her last hard chemo treatment...now let's hope the cancer doesn't come back-cuz for now the cancer is gone (Knock On Wood), so her outcome looks extremly good right now.If the cancer comes back I'm gonna be completly heartbroken and cry for DAYS on end....and I hate crying, but after we lost her mom 2 1/2 years ago from cancer, we can't afford to lose her too--she's another one of those special little girls who you can never forget their smile and soft giggle...
A lot of people there that hadn't seen/met my dad's sisters, said that I'm a spitting-image of my aunt/godmother Margie, and that we look like sisters!! It's so awesome, cuz she's soooo cool!!
Oh boy...now for the hott guys...hehe I was in heaven lol!!!! Alrighty--I had just walked out the door of my cabin into the garage and saw Eric B. (REALLY hott one--I've talked about him in a different entry before), Nick (hott too), and another one of Nick's friends (kinda ugly), running into the garage out of the rain. I quickly turned around and went back inside to tell my little sister and of course my 10 year old cuzin Kelsi overheard, and wanted to know who they were too...and go figure, she thinks they're hott too! I went back out there and they had left, so I went and sat by my 12 year old cuzin Kelli and talked to her. A little while later they came back (about 15 minutes). Nick sat down a little to the left of me and across the table...Eric B. and the fugly friend went and got food....I told Kelli to scoot over--hoping Eric B. would sit by me....but the fugly friend did, and Eric B. sat on the other side... :( . And then someone drove up and I wanted to see who's vehicle it was so I looked behind the guys, and Eric B. turned around and copied me and he's like "I saw that" and I'm like "huh? what?" and he's like "you were looking at me" and I'm like "no I was looking at who's vehicle that was" but what I was really thinking was that I was really looking that way to see him lol....and then he laughed haha. A little later Nick was gonna go get a cup of beer from the keg, and obviously it wasn't working because it was done, and he got about a centimeter of beer and about 2 inches of foam, and he's like "FUCK IT" and I'm like "yeah the keg was gone at about 4" and the fugly friend was like "so therefore they're all wasted and will be even more drunk tonight?" and I'm like "yea I don't like beer" and they looked at me and the fugly friend was like "well what do you like then?" and I said Smirnoff Ice and he asked if I tried the black-sumthin (lol I dk exactly), and I'm like "yeah sure" and he goes "you haven't tried it yet?!" and I said no, and he said that I should try it and I told them that if they get it I'd come over (but they're not 21 yet, so they couldn't)...yeah it was great. Then there was a mosquito and I tried killing it with one hand but that didn't work, and the fugly friend got it with 2 hands, and he couldn't get the mosquito off of his finger, and then he wiped it off over my pants....it was gross! The whole time the fugly friend and Eric B. were whispering and looking at me....it was kinda creepy lol. OMG this is creepy!!.......okay I was talking to Kelli and I heard the fugly friend go "A KISS?????" so I looked over and Nick smiled and said yes and then looked at me, and then they all started laughing...I don't know what they were talking about, but I wanna know now!!!!!! lol.
That night my aunt Lynnette, her husband John, and daughter Kelsi stayed overnight, and today my little sister went with them for 2 weeks. That means I get the house to myself during the day when my 'rents are at work....for 2 whole weeks!!! I'm so glad--no annoying sister to deal with..and my older sister moved out so I'll be ALL by myself!! WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!
Well sorry this was so long, just thought I'd leave a nice update for you all!! For the first time in a LONG WHILE I couldn't stop smiling when Nick and his friends were there on Saturday....it was amazing!!
<3 Amor Siempre
~*NICOLE*~