Carolin' In the Cave
Friday night I maintained my Christmas tradition of going to Mt. Horeb to hear A Capella groups sing in the large cavern in the Cave of the Mounds. I almost didn't go. I'd been dealing with a headache all day and I hadn't been able to get tickets for the Saturday show that I usually go to when the Green Tones sing. I decided at the last minute to suck it up and go because I'd already bought the ticket and because I didn't want to ruin my 8-year streak. I'm so glad I did.
The drive out kind of sucked because it was 7:30 and dark. The heavy traffic and glare reignited the headache I'd worked so hard to stomp down, but once I got into the cave, which was lit only by candles, it was better. Two groups performed; the main group was Deliberate Vibrations (8 men) and then there was another group, Mad Fusion (several men and 1 woman) which had some members in common with Deliberate Vibrations group.
The first group did quite a few songs including a very funny rendition or 'Blue Christmas' and another of 'The Star Wars Song'. Mad Fusion did a couple of more traditional songs as well and then they all sang the last song together from either end of the cave. Ava Maria filled the cavern so that it sounded like you were inside the song. I teared up. If you get a chance to see either of these groups, GO! They are amazing!
On the way home, in addition to the glare, I had to deal with the fact that my car was suddenly full of mosquitoes. The parking lot for the cave is in a little glen near a stream but c'mon...it's December. We've had the weirdest warm weather. The days are high 40s to low 60s but the nights are cold enough to freeze the little buggers. Maybe they were in the cave which is the same temp all year round and hitched a ride back on my jacket. It was just strange, having an infestation to deal with during the ride home from a Christmas concert.
All week long, I have been picking up box-elder bugs and carrying them out to the potted plant in the lobby at work. (There seem to be a lot but maybe it's just the same one.) This is a problem we normally have in Sept. and Oct. but it's the gift that keeps on giving this year. I noticed that someone had scooped one up and put it in the with department's pet beetles. That's right, The Big Bang Gang (careful how you say that) has commandeered four Blue Death Feigning Beetles from the desert southwest. They are all tricked out in a swanky little bungalow and they are fed small bits of fruit and vegetables.
These particular bugs' claim to fame is that if it is alarmed, it rolls over and plays dead; much like a possum, hog-nosed snake, or fainting goat. Now in my book, about the only thing a pet beetle can do for you is move around. These guys go belly up when you hold them. When they eventually do die, I don't know how we'll tell. Even when they aren't scared, they're big fans of hiding beneath a little piece of bark in their home....completely out of site. At least the box-elder bug roams around in there.
That said, I'm glad we have them because I think this is just a gateway pet really. If nothing goes awry (I know that's a BIG if) I think the proper progression is then gerbil, then guinea pig, then bunny, then cat, then dog and then we finally get that monkey I've had my eye on. We can call it a therapy monkey to get it past HR if we need to. We can train him to make copies. His name will be Roger. But as you can see, I haven't given it that much thought.
Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season! Drop me a line if you get a chance!
The drive out kind of sucked because it was 7:30 and dark. The heavy traffic and glare reignited the headache I'd worked so hard to stomp down, but once I got into the cave, which was lit only by candles, it was better. Two groups performed; the main group was Deliberate Vibrations (8 men) and then there was another group, Mad Fusion (several men and 1 woman) which had some members in common with Deliberate Vibrations group.
The first group did quite a few songs including a very funny rendition or 'Blue Christmas' and another of 'The Star Wars Song'. Mad Fusion did a couple of more traditional songs as well and then they all sang the last song together from either end of the cave. Ava Maria filled the cavern so that it sounded like you were inside the song. I teared up. If you get a chance to see either of these groups, GO! They are amazing!
On the way home, in addition to the glare, I had to deal with the fact that my car was suddenly full of mosquitoes. The parking lot for the cave is in a little glen near a stream but c'mon...it's December. We've had the weirdest warm weather. The days are high 40s to low 60s but the nights are cold enough to freeze the little buggers. Maybe they were in the cave which is the same temp all year round and hitched a ride back on my jacket. It was just strange, having an infestation to deal with during the ride home from a Christmas concert.
All week long, I have been picking up box-elder bugs and carrying them out to the potted plant in the lobby at work. (There seem to be a lot but maybe it's just the same one.) This is a problem we normally have in Sept. and Oct. but it's the gift that keeps on giving this year. I noticed that someone had scooped one up and put it in the with department's pet beetles. That's right, The Big Bang Gang (careful how you say that) has commandeered four Blue Death Feigning Beetles from the desert southwest. They are all tricked out in a swanky little bungalow and they are fed small bits of fruit and vegetables.
These particular bugs' claim to fame is that if it is alarmed, it rolls over and plays dead; much like a possum, hog-nosed snake, or fainting goat. Now in my book, about the only thing a pet beetle can do for you is move around. These guys go belly up when you hold them. When they eventually do die, I don't know how we'll tell. Even when they aren't scared, they're big fans of hiding beneath a little piece of bark in their home....completely out of site. At least the box-elder bug roams around in there.
That said, I'm glad we have them because I think this is just a gateway pet really. If nothing goes awry (I know that's a BIG if) I think the proper progression is then gerbil, then guinea pig, then bunny, then cat, then dog and then we finally get that monkey I've had my eye on. We can call it a therapy monkey to get it past HR if we need to. We can train him to make copies. His name will be Roger. But as you can see, I haven't given it that much thought.
Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season! Drop me a line if you get a chance!
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