I've been demoted!

In the past, I've had my share of being mistaken for a store employee, but I had an encounter today that takes the cake. At other times,I've no cart and no purse or only a small purse and I've been browsing the aisles. This time, I was walking out the door of Wal-Mart with my big straw purse over one shoulder, my keys out, and a shopping bag with a big roll of wrapping paper sticking out. Out of nowhere, a store employee holds out a couple of DVDs and says to me, "Can you hold these for a second?" Obliging person that I am, I start to reach out my hand to comply. Reality begins to dawn on her, and she asks, "You do work here, don't you?" When I give a negatory response, she turns to an actual employee and I am able to go on with my day.

Cottonwood Borer

I had a little run in with one of these fascinating creatures over the weekend. Innocently standing in front of IHOP visiting with Remnant friends before we headed to Weleetka, I suddenly felt a thud and something clinging to my shoulder. I reached back and tried to flick it off, even tugging gently on its antenna. The thing didn't budge, so I calmly turned around to ask what was on my back and immediately someone leapt to get it off. The creature was 1 & 1/2 inches long, just a little smaller than the image shown here.