There is an established Crepe Myrtle just outside the front door of the building that I work in.

About a year ago I noticed something very odd occasionally when I’d walk by it: I’d feel a slight tingle on my skin. A wetness.

Like timid sprinkles before it begins to rain.

When I first noticed it, I didn’t think much of it. I’d look up at the sky, see that there wasn’t a peep of white in the sky, and think it was odd but go on with my day all the same. Initially I didn’t even relate it with the Myrtle in my mind. Eventually, I tied the experience down to the general location of the tree.

After a while though the odd occurences of feeling that wet sprinkle on my skin made me wonder what the hell was going on. Last Friday it happened again as I walked past the tree and remarked to a friend “Oi, I think that tree just spat on me!” “Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.”

Now this was strange, but relieving at the same time. I wasn’t going mad after all unless this was a shared hallucination. I questioned him about it and he confirmed my own experiences. He came up with the unsatisfactory explanation that perhaps it was some sort of sap, or condensation blowing off the leaves.

But I was not prepared to accept that. Now that someone confirmed that the tree was indeed spitting, I needed to find out how and why. So yesterday I took a closer look.

I was stunned by what I discovered.

That Crepe Myrtle is crawling with caterpillars and they are the ones that are actually doing the spitting… whenever you get close to the tree.

Spitting Caterpillars!!

Unbelieveable. Who ever heard of spitting caterpillars who defiantly defend their territory like that?

The first sign that you have a really good thunderstorm happening in your neck of the woods, is that car alarms around the neighbourhood start going off simultaneously.

The second sign that you have a really good thunderstorm happening in your neck of the woods, is that the power goes off and as such your blog about the signs of a really good thunderstorm gets interrup

As seen written on a stall where I’m employed:

Your work here is not done until the paperwork is complete.

A couple of years ago, Amy and I went with another couple to a wine tasting festival (which was a lot of fun), and between our tasting and stumbling, we bought a little primitive ornament which we now have in our bathroom. It has always amused me.

I must make this brief, for reasons that will become evident:

Yes, I will admit to being surprised.

I had merely wanted to let some light into the room and was raising the blinds when the whole blind assembly came crashing down on me.

Taken aback, I carefully inspected the scene and then it was that I noticed that the two brackets that hold the blinds against the window frame were gone. Though I combed the immediate area for them, they were nowhere to be found.

I believe it to be a diabolical form of sabotage, and I suspect one or more of the cats.

Thankfully, I sustained no injuries. This time.

I must keep moving. One of them is coming, and I don’t know what, or who, is safe anymore.

Because there is no better way to greet the light of a new day, after a nice solid slumber, than to have a cat shove its cold, wet nose into your armpit.

Sitting still while vaguely reading random peoples blogs is not an efficient way to get motivated to working on that lengthy To Do list that you have at work.

Nor is becoming just animated enough to write a post in your blog about how vaguely reading random peoples blogs is not an efficient way to get motivated to working on that lengthy To Do list that you have at work.