June 13, 2014

Hatched

I couldn't have picked a worse month to do my challenge of walking 12,000+ steps per day! Not only am I taking a whole week off of running, making it harder for me to get in steps, but yesterday, the fish flies hatched.

Fish flies are these really nasty looking bugs that come around for a couple of weeks in the summer (usually mid-June). They don't sting or bite, but they're a huge nuisance. This is what they look like up close:


Ugly, right? They're attracted to light, movement, and shade. If you leave a porch light on overnight, the porch will be inches deep (literally) of the bugs. Normally, they just land on something (like the shutter in the photo above) and stay there until you walk by. They like movement, so they fly off and swarm you, trying to land on you. They also like to sit on the road, particularly in the shade.

Walking to the bus stop today was awful! Half of my street is completely shaded in the afternoon, I plugged my nose and covered my mouth, waved my arms, and just walked as quickly as possible down the street. They swarmed me, of course, and I had to pick about 10 of them off of me once I got into the sun.


Here is a pile of them next to the road:


I went for a couple of walks today, but it was awful. I'll probably have to walk and run on the treadmill for a couple of weeks until they're gone.

Anyway, that's what's going on here :)


I saw a snack/meal idea in Weight Watchers magazine this month for zucchini with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese that really gave me a craving for zucchini. So weird. But I bought some yesterday, and today I made it with a couple of modifications. I cut the zucchini into spaghetti shape, and then sautéed it, along with some mushrooms, in coconut oil. Then I added marinara sauce, topped it with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and the put it under the broiler until the cheese started to brown.

Holy smokes, was it ever good! The whole thing was only 5 PointsPlus.



Zucchini will never be a substitute for pasta, in my eyes, but as a dish in itself, I really like it. I have a feeling I'll be eating a lot of it this summer.


Last night, I was over at my parents' house for a few minutes, and my mom gave me a box of stuff that she'd saved over the years. Inside, there were a bunch of copies of my high school newspaper that I wrote for. I randomly pulled one out, and flipped to my story, and read it out loud to Jerry. I was cracking up! I wrote it 1999, and it was about how trends have changed. Well, reading it today is hysterical, because the trends have certainly changed once again. (You can click to enlarge)


I cringed while reading it, but it was too funny not to share. I'm excited to go through the rest of the papers and see what else I wrote ;)

26 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 13, 2014

    Hilarious! I laughed out loud at your high school newspaper article.

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    1. I was laughing and cringing the whole time I read it out loud to Jerry!

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  2. Ugh! Those bugs look horrendous. I will have to try your zucchini suggestion. I think the zucchinis are about to explode in my garden and I needed some ideas.

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    1. I think I will try and grow zucchini next year. There are so many uses for it!

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  3. Oh gross now I feel like they're on me... LOL I hate bugs

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    1. I hate bugs, too. I'm just glad they're not spiders. I would move across the country if I had to deal with spiders in this quantity!

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  4. We get those awful bugs at the lake in GA. We always called them may flies. Daddy used to always say "Don't bother fishing if the may flies are around. The fish are already full." The zucchini sounds yummy! Spaghetti is one of my favs but I don't eat it because of the humongous calories. This way sounds much healthier! Def gonna give it a try. Also NEON never goes out of style down here in FL at the beach. Especially vacationers with "air brush" whatever (shirt, hat, bag) with their name on it! LOL! Have a great weekend!

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    1. I'd heard of using zucchini in place of pasta before, but I never tried it because I just assumed it wouldn't be half as good as actual pasta. I was SO surprised at how good it was!

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  5. Ewwww bugs! I grew up in WNY and we had sand flies. They are beige and harmless, don't bite. These bugs are a nuisance just like your bugs. I remember reaching outside the back door and beating the siding with a broom to keep these things from attacking me in the morning and getting caught in my hair.

    Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.......

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    1. Ew, yes! I usually open and slam the door once, so the bugs can fly off, and then I'll open the door to walk outside, haha.

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  6. Those bugs sound awful! But the zucchini sounds delicious. I'm going to try that.

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    Replies
    1. I was surprised at just how good the zucchini was!

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  7. Love your blog. You are such an inspiration! Sorry about those gross bugs. We don't have those FL. It's just hot and humid with mosquitos. That WW meal looks fantastic. I have lost 30 pounds on WW but have lost my motivation for the last two weeks. Then I see what you have done and I know it's possible. I have about ten more to go. Good luck with your steps!

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    1. Congrats to you on your weight loss! The last 10 are the toughest, as I'm sure you've heard. Best wishes!

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  8. Those bugs are DISGUSTING. I don't think I'd leave my house!? We have June Bugs in my neck of the woods and they're equally disgusting. Blech.

    That recipe looks delicious! I've yet to try the zucchini pasta, but I think I need to give it a whirl!

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    Replies
    1. Give it a try! I put off trying "zucchini pasta" for so long, and now I wish I'd tried it sooner. Much better than I imagined!

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  9. That recipe looks delicious.

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    Replies
    1. It's so good! I've had it for lunch for the past couple of days now.

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  10. I'd say you predicted the future with your article! I was at a concert last night and all the girls were wearing high waisted shorts and crop tops, totally 80's!

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    Replies
    1. Haha, I know--the trends have come full circle!

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  11. Leigh-AnneJune 16, 2014

    Too funny! I love the USED jeans comment, especially with your love of yard sales (I'm a yard sale fan too!)

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    Replies
    1. Do they still make USED jeans? I haven't seen those in years!

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  12. AnonymousJune 16, 2014

    Haha! Psyche! I loved the article. You can definitely see how your writing style has changed. Thanks for sharing the recipe, definitely adding it to my "to make" list!

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    Replies
    1. I certainly hope that my writing style as changed! ;) That journalism class was probably my very favorite class though all of high school.

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  13. I had to comment on that newspaper article! That's too funny, especially about the 80's coming back, you see a lot of those old styles walking around now! Oh and those bugs are disgusting. I seriously got the shivers just looking at those pictures. You're brave, I would not leave the house for days! :)

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    Replies
    1. I never would have thought the 80's would be back--they were bad enough the first time around! ;) It's funny how the trends come back like that.

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