I wish I would have kept track on my calendar how many nights I’ve slept in the camper this year. Not getting to have a real camping trip this year was one of the many changes Covid brought into our world. Not of the most importance, mind you…but something Mr. FixIt and I both love to do. So the next best thing was spending as many nights in the camper as I/we can. Sometimes Mr. FixIt joins me. But, sometimes we’ve worked too hard and the change from one mattress to another is hard on his back. So, occasionally, I stay out there alone. 

Friday night was one such night. We worked so hard at the farm earlier that day, and we knew it was not going to be a restful night with all the tossing and turning and groaning with every movement. We both slept like logs and awoke feeling refreshed yesterday morning. Over coffee, I told Mr. FixIt what my plans were for the day.

Absolutely nothing.

I know, right? I took the day off! I read and relaxed and talked to some of my people on the phone. I did run the dishwasher. And, I baked an Apple Upside Down Cake. You make it exactly like the traditional one, only substitute apples for the pineapple. To be honest, I think I liked it better. I baked it in my trusty Griswold iron skillet. I love that thing…you can cook anything in it.

I did some research online yesterday. We had a friend come by on Friday to show us her new car. As we stood talking, something fell from the sky and landed on the hood of her car. She jumped a little and said, “Did you see that? What is that thing?” I looked closely and it looked for all the world like a little ball of dirt. There were no trees overhead, so…where did it come from?

Then, yesterday morning, there were several of them on the roof and hood of my truck. This was really becoming a mystery!

I did what I always do…I asked my Facebook friends if there were any science geeks out there who might have a clue. I heard everything from alien eggs to caterpillar poop. Then a friend sent me a link to a story about these mysterious bits of clay falling from the sky. There was a story out of Wales. And another out of Georgia. After digging around on the internet and reading story after story, I finally found the answer.

Yellowjackets!

Unlike wasps and hornets, yellowjackets nest underground and all that dirt has to go somewhere. As the bees excavate underground, they make a wad of dirt and saliva, carry it up out of the nest, and drop it in flight. That’s where the little balls of dirt come from. Now the job is to find out where the nasty little buggers are making that nest. The article said wherever you find these little balls of dirt, there is more than likely a busy yellowjacket nest within fifty feet. There is a spot off the side of the driveway that seems to interest the cat and she sometimes jumps and dives around it. I’ll have to carefully observe then see if we can eradicate it. Yellowjackets are nasty, aggressive critters.

Taking a day off is good for the spirit. I think I’ll take another one off today!

❤️

“But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest.””

Mark 6:31 CEV