Night of the Cockroaches

It's been raining a lot lately, and thank Jebus it has, because our AC hasn't been working since we returned from California last week. We are hoping to have it repaired sometime in the next few days, but in the meantime the cool wet weather has been a real blessing.

Tonight I've slaughtered three huge cockroaches inside the house (in fact I had to stop typing to go kill one just now). Around here they are known as "wood roaches." Local lore has it that they are mainly arboreal, but sometimes venture into buildings, especially when it rains. For every one that I smash there are probably many more in hiding - not a cheery thought to go to bed on. They give me the creeps AND the heebie-jeebies.

California was nice. We had a hurried trip, and unfortunately there wasn't time to do everything we wanted to do. Got to celebrate my father's 80th birthday, visit with a few friends, and do a little birding during our brief visit. I've seen Little Blue Herons fly over our backyard in Texas, but they are rare in Northern California, so it was exciting to see one at Almaden Lake Park in San Jose. Michelle and I also spent a couple of days in Yosemite National Park, where it was unusually chilly with lingering snow at higher elevations. Tioga Road was still closed, so I guess we'll have to see Tuolumne Meadows and Mono Lake next time.