With spring officially here, and temperatures rising this past weekend to the upper 50s and low 60s in some places, the itch for spring cleaning surely came to many southern Aroostook County folks.
It has been a long, cold winter for many people, with the skyrocketing cost of heating oil making it difficult to heat their homes. I’m sure many are hoping the same as myself that the furnace has clicked on for the final time.
Saturday was a day spent outside, clearing out our shed, getting down the children’s bicycles, scooters, and other springtime toys, and also moving the snowblowers to the back part of the building. I figure last week’s big snowstorm was the final time it will be needed. Hopefully I haven’t jinxed myself.
When we bought our home, one of the first things we did was get a shed for all of our outdoor stuff. Since we had no garage, a shed was a natural solution to our storage problem. And I figured, if I’m going to get one, why not go big? We just so happened to find one for sale a few blocks away for a very reasonable price and hired someone to move it for us.
When it first arrived, it seemed humongous. Surely there was no way I would ever have enough stuff to fill such a cavernous structure. Well, in just three short years, the shed is already getting crowded and has me thinking a garage would be a perfect addition to our home.
Because it was so nice out, my thoughts quickly turned to pulling out the barbecue for our first grill of the season. After a bit of maneuvering, I was able to get the grill out and in no time had it cleaned up from its winter’s nap.
The first barbecue of the year is one of my favorite meals. It’s right up there with Thanksgiving dinner in my book and Saturday’s feast of freshly grilled hamburgers and chicken did not disappoint.
It was also a good time to throw open the windows and let some much-needed fresh air into our home. Such was the case in our household, but not without an interesting footnote. One room in particular, our upstairs bathroom, apparently has become a breeding ground for ladybugs.
I first became aware of the situation a couple of weeks ago when our youngest daughter informed me, in dramatic fashion, that there was a bug in “her” bathroom. At that time, I simply popped open the window and set the ladybug free.
My mother has always said ladybugs were “good luck” and that I should not kill them, as they are “helpful” insects. I figured she spent more time gardening, so she probably knew more on the subject than I did.
A quick check on the Internet revealed once again that “mother knows best.” Ladybugs, also known as “ladybirds” are actually a family of beetles called Coccinellidae and are found worldwide. They are considered useful insects as they feed on aphids and other scaled insects, commonly found in gardens.
Late Friday afternoon, I happened to look into the bathroom and spotted a dozen ladybugs around the window. Again, I figured I would set them free and popped open the window to release them. On Saturday, there were at least a dozen more, and I cleared them out once again. A few hours later, there were more. And still more showed up on Sunday, making me ponder, “just where are all these insects coming from?”
The optimist in me makes me think that we are about to be the luckiest family on the planet, in which case I should really consider buying a lottery ticket. The scientist in me, however, thinks it is simply a case of warming temperatures causing the insects to come out of hibernation and the warmth of the bathroom window — facing to the south — is the perfect breeding grounds.
Either way, the ladybug relocation program appeared to be successful as there were no remnants of them Monday morning, much to the delight of our 6-year-old.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.
