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Saturday, April 23, 2011

THERE'S SOMETHING SLIMY GROWING OUT OF MY PANTRY

Okay .... this might not scare the boogers out of most people .... but it sure got my attention!
"It" had been closed up in the pantry since after Christmas. "It" had been part of my Christmas decor. While "It" was still alive  people commented on "It's" beauty and grace and ruby-red vibrancy.
The time comes that even something of beauty and grace has outlived "It's" visual pleasantness.
I just can't toss "It" ..... throw it out with the garbage. "It" might have some life left.
I had people say they only bloom once. Then you buy a new one around Christmastime again.
 "It" was weedy-looking after the beauty faded and stems drooped and dried up.... all wilty.
"It" sat on the windowsill in the living room for weeks. I gave it a dash of water every now and then ....
silly thing to do because it looked dead.

I'll just stick "It" in the bottom of the pantry until "It" does something .... or nothing  .... or whatever these things do when shut away in a dark pantry.
It's kind of like throwing food away that's stored in the frig ..... never toss it until it can walk out of the frig on it's own. Keep that image in mind .....
 I saw this sign on my daughter's refrigerator.
"If it can get out on its own .... let it go!"
But I digress ...

Christmas ornaments and holly, dried up tree and greeting cards put away or tossed .... and "It" stashed away in the bottom shelf in the pantry after I cut away the wilty stems.
And I forgot all about "It" ... now but a short brown protrusion in a pot.
End of story.
Until one day last week .........

WHAT HAS BEEN LIVING AND GROWING IN MY PANTRY?


April 2011

The last snow drifts along the north side of the house were melting into dirty lumpy snowballs. The end of Winter .... but it could snow hard and deep once or twice more. It looked like Spring cleaning time. If the snowdrifts are melting  it must be time for Spring cleaning.
Cleaning supplies from the upper shelves in the pantry .... . dust rags, new vacuum bag, black trash bag (how does one little old widow-lady collect so much trash during the winter?) Next, storage boxes on the bottom shelf on the left. I don't get into this area of the pantry very often ..... floor level and things stored there are not items I need very often  and hard to reach. No surprises stored down there. Nothing I couldn't do without  ... until Spring cleaning time.
Everyone has a "junk drawer" - self-explanatory. The bottom shelf in the pantry was my "junk shelf for big junk".
Open bottom pantry door, get down on knees and reach into ......
"Oh my GOSH ..... what IS that?" I screached and drew my hand back as if I'd been stung. I slammed the door and stood up.
It felt slippery, slimy, long and ... two "headed."
Perro, my dog, and Snickers, my cat, raced to see what the commotion was all about.
They must have communicated to each other, "Not much happening here.... she's just standing there, staring at the pantry door."
They turned away and went about dog and cat business.
Now, I'm not too squeemish about bugs or spiders, mice or lizards ......
..........................................................................................................................
HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny bit squeemish seeing
THIS hairy-legged-knuckle-draggin dude in a public outhouse when we were in Hawaii on our 50th wedding anniversary - 2006 - with all of our kids and spouses.
And yes .... we had all used the accomodations.
 My turn and I was "tidying up" when I saw this fellow staring at me ....
he was right above my head
 and about the size of my fist.
Oh the sights he'd seen!
But I digress .....
............................................................................................... 

                   What I felt and saw in my pantry storage closet was nothing I'd ever touched or seen before....
                                                                  or wanted to touch or see!
                    I knew it wasn't breathing or reaching out to grab me. So .... how scarey could it be?
............................................................................................................

Oh my ..... where has the time gone? Have to get ready for work.
You don't mind waiting until  my next posting, do you?
The THING in my pantry will remain a
mystery until tomorrow.
You see .... I have to give this some thought .... how will I explain this ... thing in my pantry?
I think I'll have a hot, hot cup of minty tea .... that always helps to straighten out my jumbled thoughts.