Week 1: March 14th, 2009
I badgered, bribed, and otherwise cajoled MysteryMan into agreeing to let me do one portrait of him a week for the next year so that I could practice my photo editing skills. (I was practicing on self-portraits for a while, but it’s not nearly as fun and I don’t like looking at my own mug that much. It gets a little creepy after a while.)
I was sitting on the tailgate of his truck up at the Memorial House after playing around in the mud when inspiration struck. As I was snapping pictures in between all of the moments he wasn’t rolling his eyes he says to me, “I said you could take one picture a week, not a dozen. My face is my face and you’ve already got it.” To which I replied, “MysteryMan, it’s not about your face… it’s about the composition of the photograph.”
The title of this portrait is what MysteryMan thought about that explanation. Luckily I’m fast and I remained a safe distance away from that broom.
I took a more annonymous picture of myself. But given the state of those jeans, and the child-sized work boots… you can rest assured it is me.
Oh, and I found out another fun fact about the country. That it’s perfectly normal that a colony of these little buggers…
…has taken up residence on the house. That’s not creepy at all, right?
I don’t kill things, even bugs, but I’m hoping there’s a way to strongly encouragethese red-eyed-winged-things to find a different place to congregate and take care of their little bug business, whatever that happens to be.
Yeesh.
What can I say? I love this drill. Along with every other tool in my 
Those are box elder bugs…at least, that’s what they call them here. Harmless, but creepy when you have to go through them to get in the house. I don’t know how to get rid of them, so I’m basically useless in this matter. Sorry.
One or two bugs? Yeah, whatever.
That many bugs? Yeah, you’ve got to do something about that.
Do you take pics of MM while he’s sleeping? The wife does that. Now that’s creepy.
all lovely, except the dadgum creepiness of the bugs. ~so itchy~
I get them stupid box elder bugs whenever the sun is shining on the south side of my house. I have had them as long as the house (I have many box elder trees). sorry but I kill mine with a safe bug spray. They make their way inside if I don’t. Then it’s an invasion of creepiness.
That is one heck of a broom he is carrying! I, too, would have steered clear. MysteryMan is no longer a mystery, though you may have exposed him before. I am new to your wonderful blog. I’d say he is a keeper.
Oh, BELIEVE ME Susan, he’s still a big mystery.
Greetings. This comment has nothing to do with this post, but everything to do with “It Had To Happen Sometime”. I read it yesterday and I wanted to tell you that your response was an amazing example of a class act. Well done.
Ooo… I hate boxelder bugs! They are out and about and all over around here. YUCK!
Spray them with soapy water- it won’t kill them (I don’t think) but they will stay away. Then spray the area where they seem to congregate too. I had yearly infestation for awhile. But they are harmless.
The Box Elder bugs usually only live where there are Box Elder trees. I would recommend replacing Box Elder trees near your house with maples, oaks, and / or birch trees – although I don’t recall seeing many trees around the Memorial house except the ones you just planted. Soapy water sprayed around the window frames and door frames should keep them out of the house.