Why do we forget about ladybugs until it’s too late?  It happens every year.  We finally had our first frost in Indiana, and the fall colors began to brighten our landscape.  The days were cool, the air crisp and clear.   And then, hot weather returned, bringing The Annual Ladybug Invasion.

According to pest control experts, if you wait until ladybugs attach themselves to your house and windows, it’s too late.  You’re supposed to spray the southern  side of your house BEFORE they decide they want a warm place to spend the winter.  My husband’s computer is next to  a  glass door  leading to the deck.  Here, the ladybugs find some thin  opening and manage to crawl inside.  He sits with a fly swatter, batting away all afternoon.

If we open the door, it’s worse.  Swarms of lady bugs fly inside.  And don’t let anyone tell you they don’t bite.  Most of them don’t,  but some do, and we have the little red bite marks to prove it.  And their carcasses stink.  That’s why a lot of people call them stink bugs.  They need a lot of moisture to survive, and  after they get into your dry house during the winter, they die.  We use a hand vacuum to scoop up the dead ladybugs, but then they stink again.

There  must be something good about ladybugs.  Here’s what I found on the internet:  Ladybugs feed on aphids and other soft bodied insects that feed on plants. One ladybug can eat as many as 50 aphids a day.

Aphids are especially hard on roses.  In fact, some shops sell ladybugs to gardeners, who release them at a certain time of day to gobble up the aphids.  I don’t think we’re going to buy any.  I’ll take a can of rose spray to a box of ladybugs, any day. .

When I was a kid growing up in Indiana, we longed for rainy days in the summer.  We didn’t live near an ocean or lake, and didn’t belong  a country club, so the next best thing was rain.  At the first sound of thunder, we  put on our bathing suits, ran outside,  and danced in the rain.  It’s a wonder none of us were ever struck by lightning. Of course, parents today would be accused of child neglect if their kids danced in the rain.  But there are still eight things to love about a rainy day.

You can:

1.  Walk into a beauty shop and get a manicure or haircut, without an appointment , because most people are staying home. .

2.  Skip the car wash .  The rain cleans your dusty car.

3. Sleep late,  go to bed early , and wake up feeling refreshed.

4.  Binge on Netflix.  Only dummies  watch movies all day, right?  But you can justify it on rainy days, no matter how well educated you are.

5. Stay in your pajamas all day because no one is apt to drop by.

You don’t have to:

6.  Rake leaves or clean up the yard.  Just stay inside and read a good book

7.   Force yourself to go on a morning run/walk/bicycle ride when you really don’t feel like it.

8.  Attend that boring club meeting, because most people won’t show up.

Above all, do not clean closets, scrub floors, or catch  up on your filing.  Rainy days can be depressing enough without dull, boring chores.

Make Rainy days Fun Days!