Fortunately, I don't get palmetto bugs in the house very often. However, last week I had a strange encounter with one of the nasty "sewer roaches."
The dogs and I got up one morning to find a palmetto bug that wasn't moving in the hall outside my bedroom door. Penelope headed toward it to check it out. I said "no" because I was afraid she'd eat it.
After I let the dogs out, I went back to get rid of the deceased palmetto. I took a big wad of toilet paper and picked him up to flush him down the toilet.
Suddenly he wiggled, flew out of the toilet paper (I wasn't holding it very tightly), and flew into the hall bathroom toilet to try out his back crawl. I hurried to flush him away.
He surprised me! He'll probably make his way through the sewer system to terrorize someone else.
I'm sure many of you join me to grieve the loss of Aretha Franklin. We saw her once. We went to the inaugural celebration for Bill Clinton (first time he was elected). Ms. Franklin was one of the performers. The crowd was so large and we were so far back that it was difficult to see Michael Jackson and LL Cool J, among others.
But I could see Aretha Franklin off in the distance. She wore a gigantic fur coat and stood out in so many ways.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
I love Aretha. Her time here was a gift.
ReplyDeleteA world without her is a sadder place.
DeleteAfter your few mentions, I decided it was time to google "Palmetto Bugs," and now I am with you as you react in utter contempt to them. I've read the males spray a foul smelling something when alarmed. Phooey.
ReplyDeleteRIP Lady Aretha, another American treasure gone.
I'm sorry I didn't respond to your comment last night. I remember reading it and thought I said something about the odor. I've never smelled it. A blogger who's not around anymore said that when she was a child, a palmetto sprayed her in the eye. I'm sure it was quite painful.
DeleteHi Janie - bugs in homes ... glad he's gone. Aretha was one amazing lady ... take care - Hilary
ReplyDeleteAretha had many talents.
DeleteSo glad you were able to flush him away!! Hadn't heard about any palmetto visits for so long I thought maybe you were rid of them--awk! Flushing is a good way. They are hard to stomp, as I recall. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling well?
I don't think we'll ever be rid of them. My health still isn't the best. I'm trying to get rid of three infections. When I saw the doctor on Wed.he ordered a shot for me that he promised would get rid of the UTI; if it didn't, he said, then it had to be something else. The shot was the kind that burned. My bottom is still sore. I can't sleep on my right side.
DeleteYeah, losing Aretha is sad...
ReplyDeleteGlad you were able to get rid of the bug!
Janie Junebug: Killing the dreams of as many palmetto bugs as possible.
DeleteThat bug flying off would have given me fits. Shuddering just thinking about it! Aretha Franklin was one of the greatest talents in music and she will be sorely missed. We've lost so many now; it really is sad.
ReplyDeleteI was startled when the bug took off. Maybe I even screamed.
DeleteLOVED Aretha; HATE bugs!!
ReplyDeleteWe're in agreement on that issue.
DeleteI have to say that my first thought was "Janie's PREGNANT??? lol
ReplyDeletePalmetto bugs sound like earwigs to me, only bigger and worser. But I dutifully throw them out the door, hoping they can't find their way back in. I think it's because I have a fear of water myself that I don't flush them.
I see by an above comment that you still aren't feeling well - I hope that changes soon. It's so tiring and draining to be unwell, especially if you're trying to soldier through it to go to work. Take care of yourself.
Thank you, Jenny. I'm resting today. Palmetto bugs are SO much worse than earwigs. I can also guarantee that I'm not pregnant. My son told me to go to a site called doggo.com. They have so many cute photos of dogs.
DeleteThe bug flying out of the toilet paper like that would have freaked me out! Thankfully you got it or else it might be seeking out some revenge...at night...while you sleep :)
ReplyDeleteI screamed. I had to have my photo taken recently for a membership card, as did my son. I saw mine and said, I look like a serial killer! I turned to my son and warned him that he might not want to go to sleep that night.
DeleteUGH! Palmetto bugs (like roaches as big as Toyotas) are gross, but when they FLY, they take the grossness to a whole 'nother level.
ReplyDeleteSOOOO cool you went to an inaugural celebration. So sad about Aretha. She was in a class of her own.
It was exciting to go to the celebration. The crowds were huge. We lived near Springfield, Illinois, when then Senator Obama announced he was running for president. It was a freezing day and I was sick, so we didn't go. Then when he announced that Joe Biden was his running mate, it was so hot and humid that we didn't go. When I saw it on TV, I knew it was good that we hadn't gone because the crowd of people went up the street for blocks. I'm so jealous that my daughter got to hear him speak when he campaigned in Iowa.
DeleteThere aren't a lot of politicians I'd care about celebrating, but Obama's one of them. Kennedy was another. I was in D.C. when his coffin was transported in a horse-drawn wagon. It was very cold, and the crowd was huge, was it was very quiet and respectful. I didn't have a camera with me, and surprisingly, I didn't see anyone near me with one, either. We weren't drawn there by the desire to take a picture. A LOT different from today's world.
DeleteWhat a nice name for such a gross bug.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard Aretha died my heart hurt.
Feel better soon.
cheers, parsnip and badger
It seems strange to live in a world without Aretha Franklin.
DeleteAretha Franklin just had that quality about her, where she just stood out among everyone.
ReplyDeletePalmetto bugs make great cat toys. When I'd finally step in and put the bug out of its misery, they'd look at me as if to say "hey! We was playin' wit' it!"
Flying bugs are the worst. My skin is crawling just thinking of it.
ReplyDeleteAretha Franklin was a legend.
I don't care for palmetto bugs. In fact, I don't care for bugs inside at all. Aretha will be missed.
ReplyDeleteTo google palmetto bug or not to google... ;)
ReplyDelete