We didn�t go to Dotty�s last night. I instead had to watch people enjoying their hamburgers on the 6 o�clock news. Bah. When I called Andy originally, it sounded very promising, but when the time came to call him back, he wasn�t feeling any better and bailed on us. He�s supposed to call today about retrieving a house key, but I�m thinking that we don�t actually need him to feed the cat. We�ll be gone no more than 36 hours and I can just feed the cat enough to last him that many feedings before we go in the hopes that he�ll self-ration. Plus, Andy has a tendency to raid our kitchen when he�s left to feed the cat, not to mention that he forgets how many times (twice) a day the cat is supposed to eat.

We have been plagued all week by both box elder bugs and those Asian ladybeetles. I don�t even want to think about how many of the beetles I�ve had to scoop into a plastic container and let them back outside. Who knew that they�d be able to find their way inside through such a tiny space? They are considerably less exciting than normal ladybugs for two reasons: first, they aren�t that brilliant red that I love so; they are instead a horrid burnt orange; second, I have heard that they bite and that is not something I would like to test. Imagine my surprise yesterday while shooing them back outside when two landed on me. I panicked and brushed them off without even thinking about it. One that managed to make it further into the house than the screen met its untimely end by way of needle nose pliers. I didn�t want to kill it, but Ghostcat was going bonkers and I had had enough of it. The bug had to go.