stink bugs, to arms!

Spring and Fall afternoons and evenings are, or I should say were, our favorite time of year to enjoy our patio with optimum weather for living with Multiple Sclerosis.

Forget 'Invaders from Mars' or 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' there is an invasion of real aliens - stink bugs! If you have never seen one, they are about 2/3 inch (17 mm) of ugly.  

They cling to our patio door and window screens by the dozens and dozens and dozens, just waiting for any opportunity to enter the house and hang out for the winter. Able to either walk or fly they are formidable when determined.

Cooking on the grill, eating on the patio, or just rolling Patti out to enjoy the weather is WAR. These scoundrels think nothing of hitch hiking on a person in a wheelchair. Ever tried swatting bugs off a legally blind cognitively impaired person with short term memory loss? Let me tell you it takes a lot of explaining over and over again.

Originally I just captured them one by one with a tissue and flushed down the toilette until their numbers became overwhelming. Now happiness is a warm vacuum.  I suck those critters to hell in a vacuum bag! Have even taken the offensive vacuuming the outside of the house, yeah baby!

OK! I admit that trash talking bugs and doing my best Vincent Price psycho laugh while sucking them up in a vacuum may be a little over the top, but hey it’s their fault – they started it. Patti was laughing so hard she could not even smoke her 'ciggie'.

Excuse me I just felt something crawling on my back. … I’m back. After removing my shirt why should I not be surprised – it was a stink bug. Sentenced to execution by flushing. 

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer 
musings: patrick ponders