Well. . .the title of this post did really give me a shock when I first saw it, as I know our dear friend NCTRY Ben is back in the hospital again!  I was so afraid it was serious!  Gasp!

But after reading, I guess I can just raise a glass of good small-batch bourbon in a toast to the dearly departed small ones up north, and hope that before too long they will also be gone around here!  As well as the box elder bugs and stink bugs which are the current scourge of our existence!   :(

I think we are a ways from a hard freeze around here.