Gustav leaves and the Love bugs arrive

We left Alabama headed back to Texas on Tuesday morning. We drove Interstate 20 and the back roads to avoid the heavy traffic of Interstate 10. However, we drove through the thunderstorms, flash flood warnings, and tornado warnings.

Eli hadn't been himself the week before we left for Alabama, but I just thought it was from the heat. However, the stress of packing up suddenly and the long ride took it's toll on him. We arrived in Alabama at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and by 11:30 a.m. we were in the animal clinic with Eli. He wasn't able to control his breathing and he was having diarrhea. After several tests, Dr. Kimbrell told us that Eli's liver enzymes were elevated, he was dehydrated, and under extreme stress. So, Eli spent the day at the clinic receiving IV fluids, but we were able to pick him up that night so that we wouldn't be away from him for too long. I'm not even gonna write about the stress this situation caused me, and Jim too. Thankfully, Jim was able to talk to me and calm me down and made me realize that "leaving" Eli was the best thing for Eli at the time. Did I mention that my mother came to the clinic too? She was also trying to convince me that I was still a "good Mother" by leaving him there for a few hours. But, I said I wasn't gonna write about that.......

Our visit with everyone was great, short, but great. There never seems to be enough time to spend with everyone.

Now, on to the Love bugs:

"Love Bugs are small flies that are in the process of mating when they swarm over the roads. So usually there are two individuals: the large one is the female and the small one is the male. The female usually gets her way and she drags the male around with her."

........AND, I hate them.

At this time of the year, the air in SE Texas is filled with them. They are a nuisance! Not because they bite or sting, but because they splatter on windshields, windows, doors, walls, etc. If you are outside, you can not open your mouth to even have a conversation without a dozen or more trying to check you for cavities. They swarm on Eli when he goes out to do his business. It is like a scene from the movie, "The Birds".

The local newspapers have done articles describing how they can clot on the front of a car radiator or the compressor of a refrigerator truck, and cause overheating. And in addition to doing a number on car paint, they're murder on a freshly painted house.

It might not be so bad if there were only a dozen or so, but it looks as if there are thousands together at one time. They try to get inside our house (and they succeed). Around every door and window they find a way in and then die..........hundreds of them. I can't even see out the windows and French doors going out to the patio because these bugs are all over them. I can vacuum two or three times a day and still not get them all up!

I've been told that they will remain in the area for another three to four weeks. I won't miss them when they are gone.