orange devils

I couldn’t keep up with the orange invasion. My goal today was to wash and wax the wood floor in the villetta. Simple right? I stepped into the camper and was horrified to see a hundred or more of those little beetle buggers littering the floor. Discouraged, I turned around and left. I needed another cup of coffee to fortify myself against the dismay.

Broom in hand I entered the camper again. An overflowing (gosh, what is the name of the thing you sweep stuff into so you can throw it out?) got thrown into the bushes outside. I was ready to start. But oh, the fridge was a mess so I tackled that first. I carefully removed the shelves and drawers - these things probably cost a fortune to replace - and brought them into the house. I’ll leave Carm to wash them as I’m a bit of a clutz. Soapy water and disinfecting wipes took care of the inside of both fridges.

Back to the floor… with a fresh bucket of water beside me I got down on my hands and knees and got to work. As I got closer to the door the sand from the last campground fouled my cloth. Rinse, wash a little section, repeat. Done.

Back in the house I dug out the ‘Rejuvenate’ floor restorer wax, a cloth and rubber gloves.

I opened the door of the villetta. There, in the middle of the floor by the door was one of those stupid bugs. I threw it out the door and stepped further inside. There was another one lying on its back on the floor near the sofa.

I slammed the door and stalked to the house. There was no way I could put on this varnish stuff that takes 45 minutes to dry with bugs falling into it. They’d stick and would be there forever.

That was today and now I’ll backtrack to Friday. It was a lovely day and we got some stuff done outside (don’t ask me what as my memory is not that good). We finished early and got cleaned up for a trip into the city. We were attending a mass for Carm’s cousin in Italy who passed away about a month ago. That’s 2 cousins in a month, both in their 50s.

I’m not Catholic and don’t really get the whole mass thing, especially when it is said in Italian, but it was a good time for meditation and having a quiet spiritual moment.

I thought I’d dress up as a grown-up girl so wore some shoes that I’m not sure I’ve ever worn outside of the house. PAIN. Hobble around shooting pain. I did meditate about the shoes a bit and decided that I have to be honest with myself and forego any attempt at style. A new pair of blundstones are in my future - red ones. The torture shoes will most definitely be finding a new home.

Saturday night we went with Pat, Trudie, and Leo to the local Beerfest. There were several reps from local craft beer places as well as food and some local wine. I found a few new favorites.

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
~Helen Keller