And the Beat Goes On

Good Monday morning, friends!

Here’s to the bright start of a new week… *clink* (You may remember—that’s the sound of my coffee mug toasting yours.)

I hope you had a delightful weekend.

Over our way, we celebrated Father’s Day in a rather quiet fashion. I made a delicious Smithfield ham, mashed potatoes with creamy, country gravy, green bean casserole, and angel biscuits—and topped it all off with Oreo pie and Snickerdoodle cookies. (Our celebrations always involve family, food, and fun. Good times and great memories!)

I kicked the weekend off with a bang when I announced, “There’s something in the light fixture over my head!”

I didn’t know what it was, but as I sat in my office last Friday attempting to work, the scratching noise grew worse. It was incessant… and loud!

Living out in the country, I imagined all sorts of things it could be: a mouse, a squirrel, or maybe a bird.

Since my home office is downstairs, I knew whatever it was it had to be between the floors of our home, and my mind raced with possibilities. Furthermore, how on earth would we  get the creature out?

If the noise had come from the attic, the answer would be less complicated. My husband could have climbed up and surveyed the situation—but in an area that was in the ceiling which was also an upstairs floor, there was no easy solution.

“The first thing we need to do is get the light cover off and go from there. Then I’ll take the fixture apart and see what I find in the open space.” Hubby gave me a thumbs up as he headed upstairs to the garage to cut the power.

I was relieved to see him return with a plastic drop cloth along with the ladder. (I’d told him whatever it was I didn’t want “it” falling out on my desk and workspace which were directly below the light fixture.)

My husband set the ladder in place and began to climb.

I inched toward the door, but still within shouting distance for moral support. (And wifely direction.) “What if there’s really something in there?”

Hubby paused for a moment and grinned. “Well, dear… we know there’s something in there. We can still hear it scratching.”

(Was it any wonder that squirrel scene from Christmas Vacation played upon my subconscious? For heaven’s sake—I didn’t know if I should be more worried about something falling down on my husband’s head or if I should map our escape should it be some awful, worrisome varmint.)

As hubby tinkered with the light cover, my heart skipped a beat.

“Ohhh… you’re going to love this.”

“What? Do you see something?” I stayed parked at the doorway and hoped for the best.

“Sure do.” He wiggled the cover away from the fixture and climbed back down the ladder. “Here. Take a look.”

Should I?

Inside the textured milky white cover was the culprit.

A one inch, hard-shelled black beetle!

“Don’t know how it got in there, but it couldn’t get enough traction to hike back up. Persistent little bugger though.”

Go figure!

“Bu…But it was so loud. Are you sure that’s all it was?”

Hubby laughed, and meanwhile, I wondered… do these kind of silly things only happen to us?

And the beat goes on.

***

Now…

Some additional links you should check out—

• This printable recipe for Crock Pot Sesame Chicken via the talented Kristin Schell sounds scrumptious! I can’t wait to try this one! (You should explore Kristen’s fun website for more tasty treats, as well as other slice-of-life goodies.)

• Writers, you will empathize. Michelle Ule talked about “killing our darlings” during the revision process.

• A touching story about a furry-friend rescue by a Good Samaritan. (You’ll love it!)

• Jamie Chavez’s thought-provoking take on small presses.

• There’s enough real stuff to worry about. 12 Reasons NOT to Sweat the Small Stuff.

 

PLEASE SHARE

A little dose of levity to kick-start your day! (Click to Tweet)

Do these kind of silly things only happen to me? (Click to Tweet)

How’s the beat in your world?

Have you had a recent egg-on-your-face moment?

Blessings Always,