Things Are Like June Bugs!

  Granted the entryway in not huge.  It is not even big.  In fact, it is rather small.  Which is fine because the house is small.  It would be ridiculous to have a large entryway on a small house.  Still, I think we may need to enlarge the entryway a bit if the current situation lingers long.  Right now, the entryway is not a point of entry.  In fact, I am not sure anyone could squeeze through the room to enter the Little Bayou House.  It is filled...completely...from top to bottom. I had just eliminated all useless stuff from the room and decorated it for Christmas.  It was adorable.  A red rug was on the floor, two small chairs were under the window and a canning jar of red berries sat on the window ledge.  Now, the chairs are gone, the rug moved and you cannot see the berries except from the outside looking in.  

  Early this morning, my son-in-law called from out of state.  "Mom!!!"...when he uses this tone, I know something is upsetting him.  "I am out of town and my chairs are being delivered.  Is there any way that you or someone can go meet the guy?"  The chairs were to be delivered to his dance studio. Sure...no problem.  I asked Son and he made haste in getting to the studio.  Without a key, though, there was not a way to put the chairs inside the building.  An hour after he left here, Son called me.  "Can someone come down with a truck to help move these chairs?"  That someone...was me.  Ok...so I have not driven in quite some time and was not even sure if the old truck would start.  It did...I did...and chairs were brought here.  Just about the time we got all thirty chairs (4 per box) into the entry, my brother came down with two more large boxes that had been delivered to his house.  These, too, were for the dance studio.  So, those were added to the pile.  Now...the room is filled to capacity and there is no way for anyone to enter or exit the Little Bayou House unless they head to the back door. 

   While Darling Daughter is worried about the boxes cluttering the entry, I am finding it rather humorous.  In a weird sort of way, it is poetic justice.  At the advice of a very dear friend, I have been trying to declutter.  It is a slow process and I admit that I have a tendency to rue tossing anything.  Still, I was trying.  I figure that even one item out is an act of decluttering so my process seems to be an one item now and again "purge".  I am just not cut out for this massive deal but I was making progress.  Now....boxes!  Lots of boxes!  Lots of huge boxes!  Everywhere!  

  I am beginning to believe what my grandmother used to say is true.  She always said that "things" were like June bugs.  June bugs are those small beetles that fly around at night and pound themselves into every light in the county.  Down here in the Deep South, June bugs are also called Nine bugs.  This name is given merely because "If you catch one and open the door to toss it back out, nine more will come inside."  So, my "things" are like June bugs...I open the door to discard stuff only to have nine more things come inside.  There is no winning!  At least, this stuff is not mine and it will find a permanent home at the studio and not stay in my entryway.  It is all good.  So. quit your fretting, Darling Daughter.  It is not bothering me in the least!

Two Nine Bugs

Long ago, when I was but a tot, my grandmother used to admonish me for lingering in the doorway too long.  It was hard to scurry in the doorway and not slam that screen door so I would dally around long enough for her to scold me.  This was always done in a nice way as I never remember her ever being harsh.  Still, I would be told to "Hurry in before the Nine Bugs follow you!" A lot of folks nowadays would not have a clue as to what she did not want in her house!  Not many have ever heard of a Nine Bug.  This was Grandmother's name for the June Beetle which is one of the many Scarabs that inhabit the Coast.  Also known as a May Beetle, the bug has a habit of flying into the house as it seeks out the light.  These are the small beetles that you see bouncing off the walls of the porch if the light is left burning for any length of time.  They have poor directional skills, obviously, as they never can seem to find a safe destination.  Perhaps the light disorients them but they seem to careen off any unmovable object that they can find!

Grandmother never liked them to be in her house.  Her pet name of "Nine Bug" came about because she always claimed that "When you open the door to let one out, nine more come inside!"  At that rate, the house soon would be crawling with the critters!  I understand her point as it does seem that each time you try to be humane and "catch and release" a Nine Bug, it does not want to leave!  It will cling to your hand causing you to have to spend several minutes "ungripping" the critter.  During those minutes, a whole slew of other bugs make the mad dash to enter the house!  Then they fly around trying to escape the very confines that they so desperately wanted to enter!  Yep, Nine Bugs are not something you want to spend the evening catching!

I found two June Bugs..umm..trying to become nine.  They were dangling on the wisteria vine outside the front door when I let Ms. Ez out for her evening trot down the hill.  I suppose that I should have squished the two of them when I had the opportunity because now the lawn will be besieged by those white grub worms that munch on the roots.  They are one and the same.  The lawn and garden will suffer dearly because of these grubs but at least the adults do not bite!  Yep, I should have squished them while I had the chance but it just seemed rude to interrupt them at the moment.