librarygeek

So we have wasps. In fairly short order, I noticed there seemed to be an unusual number of them, then I spotted them assembling on the cold frame, then I realized I could see the edge of a nest. No more than five minutes after informing my mum that we would be keeping a respectful distance while we figured out how to handle the situation, one of them headed straight for me to sting. Ow, motherfucker, goddamn. Fine. Murder time, I guess???

We do not generally use pesticides. We try to use non-chemical options wherever possible. I’m certainly not in the habit of dousing chemicals all over the place to eradicate insects. I like insects. Unfortunately, they chose just about the highest-traffic area possible to set up shop. The cold frames are right by the faucet shutoffs going to both the orchard and the horses, not to mention the main entrance into the backyard.

The possibility of them swarming mum while she tried to go about her chores had me crawling out of my skin with anxiety. So they were going to have to die. It sucks, and I feel bad about it, but here we are.

In the wee hours before work, I waddled out there in a disposable jumpsuit from work, hoodie, goggles, mask, and gloves to spray down the nest. That slowed down the activity, but we were still seeing some wasps in the area. Which is when mum spotted the second nest in the cold frame. *sigh* So I sprayed that this morning.

I’m hoping to knock the nests down from the wood and dispose of them tomorrow morning. I really, really hate this. But aggressively territorial creatures in vital parts of my home are, you know, a problem.

And now for something completely different: I went out to the cute coastal town with my work buddy A for shopping. She is a much more enthusiastic shopper than I am, but there were a couple places I wanted to go, and hanging out with her, whatever the activity, is always a pleasure. We’ve been trying to get this scheduled for months. I think she turned down a half dozen other invitations for the weekend--including while we were driving there--in favor of being with me, which was quite touching. I have acquired incense and yarn and roving for felting.

Lewisia: 0 new pieces written

Day job: 39.25 hours, short days Monday and Friday

Cooking: cooked down peaches into sauce for use in cake later

Gardening: moved some of the plants in the house outside, wasp battle round one...

Reading: The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy (I wanted a break from sportsboys and was still craving some horror-type stuff, very unsettling!)

Listening: Big Stepper by Louie Zong (needed one of those good palate cleansers from Louie)

Aftermarket Parts: set up a consultation appointment with a tattoo artist, had a random encounter with a trans guy (I’m making some assumptions there, but they are very safe assumptions based on the details) which had an almost magical effect on me--oh, right, I’m not the only guy in this county, I am not utterly alone

Clock Mouse: 1556 words--huh, things are getting interesting, I think I may be pantsing my way through this until the heat death of the universe, but at least I’m having fun

Other: shopping trip with A