July 3, 2008

• Thirteen Things About WHAT GROWS IN MY CARPETS I mentioned a week ago I was doing a study of something that appears to grow in my carpets.  Not wanting to appear an alarmist, I decided to gather evidence which I will present today.  I must mention, first, that I wear a ponytail elastic – a light brown one.  I wear the same one each day until it wears out.  It is kept on my sink in a pewter dish at night.  The 3 girls wear ponytail elastics, even sleep with them in their hair; so, they continue to wear the same ones day after day until they wear out and we replace them (always kept in their hair).   We wear plain brown or plain black fabric elastics.  NOT rubber and NOT fuzzy or adorned elastics.  The fancier ones have all been retired to a drawer in the girls’ bathroom and are saved for JanaLyn (granddaughter).   My theory is that they grow in the carpet.  I wasn’t sure at first, but I am now; as I have gathered many pictures proving they indeed are hatched in our carpet and prefer to live in the carpet rather than a drawer in the bathroom.  They breed and reproduce in many different shapes, colors, and sizes.   It is with great pleasure I introduce my presentation based on many days of observation accompanied with pictures, thus proving my theory. 1.  Small black RUBBER baby ponytail elastic.  Not sure which room this was found.  Obviously just hatched.

  

  2. 
  Pink mid-size elastic (no one EVER uses colored elastics in their hair!) found by my
  desk.
  

  3.  This was an odd, fuzzy blue one found in the girls’ bathroom
  near a pink wide tooth comb.  It had somehow managed to crawl off of
  the rug to the tile.  The wide tooth comb remained on the rug and appeared to want to have nothing to do with the fuzzy creature.
  

  4.  In the corner of the girls’ room I found these three:  fuzzy lime green, plain burgundy, and fuzzy aqua ponytail elastics nestled in a corner.  I
  figured it must be a family, but none of them resembled the other, so I’m not sure!  That’s a gum wrapper and dirty tissue wadded up by the family of pontail elastics. I’m not sure of the significance of the gum wrapper or the tissue.
  

  5. 
  A neighbor to the 3 ponytail elastics pictured above.  This is a large, thick black
  one.  This is also a different skate.  I’m not sure if this elastic is part of the family living in the corner with the other skate.  It may be single and looking for a meaningful relationship with another elastic.  I’m just not sure about this one.
  

  6. Here you
  see a baby, black, rubber elastic and a slightly larger white fuzzy one.  Apparently “color”
  isn’t an issue involved in a relationship when it comes to ponytail elastics.  These
  were on their way from the bathroom rug to the tiled floor.  While they are sometimes found on tile floors, they are always in close proximity to a rug or carpeting.  Leading me to state, once more, I believe they breed and come FROM carpets or rugs.
  

  7.  
  This is a large black specimen.  They seems to like living near shoes and skates!
  

  8.  I found this large, black elastic sleeping under the bed with a
  hanger.  Since this was a large one, there may have been a whole family living UNDER the bedskirt.  Maybe a whole community.  I didn’t check.
   

  9.  In our bedroom, at the end of the bed, is a love seat.  Here I found a baby, black, rubber elastic and a mid-size, black fabric elastic.  Obviously related, perhaps mother and daughter????  Aren’t they cute? 
  

  10. 
  There is a carpet in front of the love seat (at the end of our bed) and
  then our TV cabinet.  Here you see, what I’m guessing to be, the daddy
  in the family of the two elastics posted above.  I’m not sure how they became separated by the floral rug, but they were obviously headed toward each other.
  

  11.  This one appears to be coming out of the room where
  Chirper stayed when he first came to our home.  Chirper couldn’t crawl
  through the double door space, but apparently the doors presented no
  obstacle for this one large, black elastic.
  

  12.   I marveled at this red
  one with plastic, red hearts on each end.  Perhaps a set of conjoined
  twins????  This wasn’t on the bathroom rug and, maybe, that’s because it was
  hatched looking odd and then rejected by the other ponytail elastics in
  the house.  I’m guessing it was banished to live, forever more, under the toilet paper
  holder or behind the toilet itself, living a dull, cold, hard tile life.
  

  13.   My last specimen is a set of
  three fuzzy elastics (pink, dark purple, and red) found in the room Chirper used to use, by his kibble and water dishes. 
  Since this is normally the guest room, these seemed to be more bold
  than the others, seeking food & drink, coming out in groups rather than
  sending one leader during the day.

  
  

  So there, you have it.  My study on ponytail elastics and where they are actually born.  I know anyone reading this, who has little girls, may have seen the same evidence in their own home and scratched their heads in wonder.  How do they find their way?  How can so many be found in the carpets and rugs?  Why don’t they stay in drawers or containers?  So many questions!!!!  

  My theory is this:  Carpets or rugs are a breeding and hatching area.  I would like to hear from those of you who have hardwood floors instead of carpets.  Do you have ponytail elastics on your floor, too?  Are they a different breed from the specimens I’ve presented?

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