Beetle Mania!!!!!

The plague of dust has now officially been replaced with an infestation of beetles, which we lovingly refer to as “Beetle-mania”. I am constantly puzzled by the fact that beetles have evolved to become the most species rich animals on the planet. How can they be well adapted when they are so darned clumsy and inept? I have done a little study of the location and orientation of beetles that have been found in the house. Here are the results…*

89.2% are “big roundies”. They are found in every room of the house.
23% of the “big roundies” can be found flying into walls, lights, candles and windows (imagine the sound of a single engine Cessna followed by a “sshzzZZWUP…thupp”)
73% are found laying upside down on the floor with their legs scratching at the air in fruitless attempts to right themselves.
2% are found stuck in my hair.
2.1% are found in plumbing (i.e. toilet or sink drain)
.5% are found stuck after having crawled under the couch covers.
.4% are found rolled up in the yoga mat.

4.7% are “clickies”
The “clickies” are exclusively found on the kitchen counters

2.1% are “long-horned pinchies”
These love to hang out in the living room where there are bare feet around.

2% are “glowing butts”
These fellows seem to stumble in through the sliding glass door in the dining
room, completely by accident.

2% are “snouties” that like to surprise you in the bathroom or in the bedroom

* All scientific calculations are fictitious, but are based on ACTUAL EVENTS. The true names of the beetles involved have been changed to protect the innocent.

Now, I haven’t taken pictures of Beetle Mania, but so far I haven’t found an aesthetically pleasing shot of dead and dying beetles covering the floors and walls. But here is a close up of one of the buggers, and a small sample of those I was willing to hold.

On to other news! We had a wonderful dinner with Simon and Julie, the folks whose house and pets we took care of in the Caribbean in January. It was the first time we had really had time to sit and visit with them and it was great to get to know them better. Julie fanned a spark of interest I have always had to go to Peru with her stories of her trip there, a dvd of the country, and a book about its history. In addition, they gave us a beautiful handmade Peruvian tapestry, which we have now hung in our living room.

Last weekend we went on a trip with a bunch of friends from UPEACE to the Guanacaste Region of Costa Rica, which is a 5 hour drive to the northwest. We stayed at Playa Carillo in a hotel owned by one of the UPEACE staff members and her husband. They had a great pool, and were within walking distance of the beach. It was lots of relaxing beach time, and time for Dave to get to know some of his colleagues better.

The night we arrived I came down with a nasty ear infection and got to pay a visit to Doctor Freddy in Sámara, the most mellow and casual doctor I have ever seen. He was dressed in khakis and a tropical print button down shirt, unbuttoned of course, and made no attempt to hide his disappointment when we told him we had just been to the beach where the waves were perfect for surfing. Dr. Freddy was very attentive, pausing every five minutes or so to yell to the patient in the next room “You doing ok in there? Don’t worry if you see blood in the bag!” He assured me that he had seen many ear infections in his life time, three that day alone, in fact. He even let Dave peer inside my ears to see how they looked. After Dave saw that I got tons more sympathy! Dr. Freddy offered me a choice between a shot in the bumpa (rear end for all you non-Minnesotans) or some pills. I opted for the pills, which made me more comfortable for the ride home the next day.

The biggest down side of all of this ear infection nonsense is that I am not able to go swimming for a while. Once I was finished with the pills the ear infection returned. Now I am seeing a local doctor who has given me 6 injections in the bumpa in the last 4 days. Oh, for sore bumpa!

Finally, I would like to say

GO SABRES!

We just received matching Sabres baseball caps in the mail from Marty and we are both psyched to use them during round two of NHL playoffs.

Take care, everyone, until next time!

Amy (and David)

A sample of Beetles from the house...


Small Nasty Beetle


Peruvian Tapestry from Simon and Julie


Trouble brewing...David and his colleagues


Ladies from the office taking advantage of the Guanacaste sun :-)


A hermit crab fight ring developed by Oscar's daughters (and Alessandro)


Our friend Mahmoud from Sudan enjoying Costa Rica's refreshing oceans. FYI, he always has a big smile to offer!