Over the years I’ve blogged about things that annoy me or disgust me. When we lived on island, I shared about roaches and centipedes and spiders and probably other crawlies I encountered. Now that we are back in Wyoming, I can attest to the fact that a rain forest has lots of little creatures, but I can also claim with certainty that not one of them there is as annoying, or repulsive, or completely creepy compared to a miller.
Not everyone has met a miller. They don’t live in the Caribbean, nor California, or Texas. Just Wyoming and some of Colorado. Lucky us. For those of you fortunate enough not to know, they are a kind of moth, about the size of a quarter. They don’t bite, they don’t eat clothes. What they do, however is far worse.
For the past month, before we go to bed I walk around our trailer with a fly swatter in my hand, hunting the little menaces. I never find one, they are too sneaky for that. Then, I get into bed, tuck myself happily beside Karl and just get into the book I’m reading. Now since Karl usually is playing a game or reading on his Kindle, they don’t bother him. Me? I have a nightlight above my head that enables me to read, so of course, I’m the miller target. One at a time for the next twenty or thirty minutes, our bedtime routine is interrupted again and again as from out of nowhere comes the familiar thump and flutter of a miller. He’ll dive frenetically through our bedroom, running into the ceiling and walls and then suddenly dive bomb my head. Each delights in trying to get as close to my face as they can as they bounce around in their dastardly frenzy, running into walls and circling lights. And. Every where they touch, they leave this gross black dust that flies off their powdery, wicked little wings. With each attack, we both get up, grab flyswatters and whack walls and ceilings (and once in a while each other) in a silly dance until one of us manages to flatten the stupid miller. Then Karl retrieves the body – not me! – and we get back into bed. Settle in. Snuggle up. Repeat. The next morning, I have to wash the dark, dusty smears from walls and ceilings. Yuck.
I try to be faithful and to Rejoice in the Lord always. I am thankful for butterflies, I can even understand the ecosystem’s need for flies and maggots, I can appreciate spiders since they eat other bugs. But really, Lord? Millers?
