12:34 a.m. - 2003-07-07
End of weekend
I spend part of every weekend doing word and logic puzzles - the brain is like any other muscle (well not technically, but the analogy still holds) in the body - use it or lose it. A lot are offered in the newspaper to which I subscibe. Sometimes, the editorialization of the "news" frustrates me so much that I have to have the incentive of a reward in the form of those puzzles. I know I could just choose to not read the text, but then there would be no background from which seek out the real information, nor is there any other good source of the local news.
I also love reading Dave Barry's column. This weekend's was particularly apropos. We have ants moving into our yard and home. I've gone through my archived e-newsletters finding all the solutions offered that are as environmentally friendly as possible. Part of that is because fear of the west nile virus has had the city parks people spraying some concoction that is so noxious that breathing has become a problem on some of the days they worked in our communities. Don't want to make it any worse, environmentally, than it already is. Part of it is because I prefer to use the least force necessary when I have to keep mother nature outside. We'll try bay leaves and chili powder first I think.
Anyway, I was feeling a little concerned about dealing with pests and pesticides when I first started researching various options, so I stopped to read Mr Barry's column. His topic was pest control too. Living in Florida the story was about something we don't have to deal with here - large, possibly poisonous snakes. I laughed through the entire story and felt much better about my own little problem afterward. I guess it's all relative.
It reminded me of a conversation I had with one of the women I shared an office with about six years ago. She had come to Canada from Colombia via Florida. She was telling me how she would check her swimming pool in Florida very carefully to be certain there were no snakes or alligators in it each time before jumping in. Days later we were talking about hiking in the mountains and she said she was too afraid of encoutering bears to go out on a hike. I told her that I would be more afraid of alligators and snakes than bears - they only eat you if they're starving or if you get between the momma and her babies. I decided I wouldn't tell her about the cougars though - they scare even experienced, well armed hunters. Still much safer than going out for a walk in a country controlled by the Medellin cabal and FARC though.
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