Fox Valley Massage Therapy

The tapping against your windows on warm October afternoons? That's me and several hundred of my closest friends, and we need to talk about our winter plans.

I'm the brown marmorated stink bug. I hitchhiked here from Asia in the 1990s (Pennsylvania got me first), and I've since spread across most of the country. In summer, I'm a genuine agricultural pest — I damage fruit and crops. But right now, in fall, my agenda is different:

I'M LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SLEEP.

→ Shortening days trigger my search for overwintering shelter. In nature: rock crevices and dead trees. In your neighborhood: the sunny south and west walls of your HOUSE.
→ We follow each other's aggregation scent, which is why you get dozens, then hundreds
→ Here's the reassurance: once inside, we DON'T breed, DON'T eat, DON'T lay eggs, DON'T damage anything. We enter a dormant state (diapause) in your wall voids and attic until spring. We're terrible houseguests only in the sense that we didn't ask.
→ The warm-day problem: winter sun wakes some of us up confused, and we blunder into your living room, buzzing like tiny drunk helicopters toward lamps

Your battle plan (in order of effectiveness):

✅ SEAL THE FORTRESS — NOW, before the big push: caulk gaps around window frames, utility pipes, siding, chimneys; repair screens; sweep under doors; screen attic vents. This is 90% of the war.
✅ THE VACUUM is your weapon indoors — with a twist: use a shop vac or a stocking inside the hose (empty immediately outside), or we'll perfume your vacuum for weeks
✅ THE SOAPY WATER TRAP: knock us into a dish of soapy water — we drop straight down when startled. Weirdly satisfying. In dark rooms, a desk lamp over a soapy pan catches dozens overnight.
❌ DON'T SQUISH — you know why. The smell (cilantro's evil twin) can also attract more of us.
❌ DON'T SPRAY pesticides indoors — useless against wall-void sleepers, and dead bugs in walls attract carpet beetles, a genuinely worse problem

And take heart: a tiny parasitic wasp (the samurai wasp) that hunts our eggs has arrived in the U.S., and native predators are learning to eat us. The invasion's peak may be behind us.

Until then: caulk, vacuum, soapy water.

And whatever you do — no squishing.

Share this with everyone whose windows are tapping. 🛡️

I’m going with the equinox, cause it’s still really warm out…but just waiting for that first crisp “ fall-like” day!! Which one are you?

🍂 When does fall officially begin? It depends on which “fall” you mean!

There are actually two different ways of marking the start of autumn:

🌦️ Meteorological Fall began September 1. Meteorologists divide the year into four tidy three-month seasons based on the annual temperature cycle. Meteorological fall is always September, October, and November.

🌎 Astronomical Fall begins September 22, 2026. That’s the autumnal equinox, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator and we begin our journey toward the shorter, darker days of winter.

So even though September already feels like fall in many places, astronomical autumn is still 14 days away! 🍁

Which date do you consider the real beginning of fall: September 1 or the equinox?

Try getting one of these wonderful type of “rests” this weekend! 😀

Everyone needs these 6 types of rest

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Please set aside 11 minutes today to listen to this Ted Talk. Mivement is gold! ❤️

Keith Diaz: What sitting all day does to your brain and body

What sitting all day does to your brain and body Can a five-minute walk change how you feel all day? Exercise scientist Keith Diaz shows how your body is built for the kind of movement that modern life has quietly erased — and suggests something refreshingly doable: making time for small doses of movement sprinkled throughout the day, as a way t...

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Have you tried disconnecting even for a little while? If not, please give it a try! You’ll be amazed at how much better your day can be…❤️

I love this post by Tj Power | Neuroscientist 📱

Your brain wasn’t designed for constant stimulation.

Every notification, endless scroll, and moment of distraction competes for your attention—and over time, it can reshape how you think, focus, and even feel.

But your nervous system also responds to the opposite.

A quiet morning. A walk without headphones. Reading a book. Sitting with your thoughts instead of reaching for your phone. Time in nature. Meaningful conversation. Even a few moments of boredom.

These are the best ways to reduce chronic stress, support your brain, improve attention, strengthen emotional resilience, and create space for creativity and deeper thinking.

Health isn’t only about what you eat. It’s also about what you consume with your eyes, ears, and mind every day.

Sometimes the most powerful medicine is creating enough space for your brain to function the way it was designed to.

Which one of these do you want to practice more often?

We can all afford THESE happy chemicals, right? 😀

Happy 250th Birthday America!

And to all, Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸

By Dawn's Early Light. This morning in Chicago on Independence Day, America 250.

Let’s all practice this wisdom together! 😀