Grasshoppers vs. Rats - Oh My!

Wow. I didn't realize it has been two weeks since my last blog post. I must get back on track. Life keeps getting in the way. But I do love posting. Even if nobody reads these, it helps me to think more clearly, to appreciate things, and in hard times, to get through things.

In general things aren't too bad. Our area of the country, here in and around Vegas, has been taken over by a gazillion grasshoppers the past few weeks. A state entomologist said it should end in a few more days. He said it is migratory and our wet and mild winter encouraged it. He also said these go in cycles, every 6 or 7 years.

On one hand, it has been great for Silkie. Each morning, she gets in some "cardio" exercise. She loves leaping up, one claw extended, to catch the critters. For a few days, she averaged munching on 2 or 3 a morning.

On the other hand, the weather didn't produce grasshopper hoards in all places. My bro and his wife on 5 acres of sand in the high desert in CA have been invaded by rats! Yikes! They had to finally abandon all their normal methods for getting rid of those and got some electronic zappers. They said they had to set them to zap twice in a row because one zap just stunned the critters.

They've had to actually shovel them up and put them on what he's calling "undertaker's row." Which, knowing they do have some buzzards in that area, is probably aptly named.

At one point, he said his wife found 8 carcasses down near their little corral. They've got a BLM rescue stallion (a few years old now) and his BLM rescue "companion goats." Apparently, they had to take the goats because the horse befriended them.

So, when I see the grasshoppers now, I think of him and her, and I realize, yes, there is always somebody worse off.

Rolling along...