you got back to your blog and wrote something?’ Here I am. Used a lot of energy (oh, a pun!) lately dealing with stormy weather. Yes, I know; I’m not alone. Lots of trouble for lots of people, what with trees and power lines down, power out, property damaged ….. my ONLY problem from the storm was a piece of tree lying on the ground beside the tree. No collateral damage; very glad.
I didn’t even have to clean it up. A neighbor with already too much to do (and clearly way too much energy) cut it up (or at least tried to—said it’s hard wood) and drug it to the curb.
BUT I did overlook a broken limb from tree on other side of house, hanging over other neighbor’s driveway/car. Same nice neighbor trimmed that limb off, too. Then he went around cutting up, trimming and dragging broken limbs from other people’s trees to the curb.
A very nice neighbor. A fine young man. I’m gonna be doing a lot of baking; maybe I’ll make up something else good to eat I can share with his family besides breads and cakes. Man cannot live by bread alone --- you need some peanut butter, or some soup, or a slice of cheese maybe.
If I had to write checks for the things he’s done to help me, I’d have a lot less money in the bank. Bless him and I ain’t being facetious.
Was little scary hearing report last Friday morning that the storm that blew through Thursday night resulted in tornado touching down just down the road from us. I heard the wind and knew it was pretty serious, but I had retired for lack of anything to do but watch it rain. I had power go out Tuesday night, but not again Thursday. But after repeated storms, I was inclined to turn everything off and ride out the storm in the semi-darkness.
A drive down McKamey Road (the path of the tornado) was proof enough for me; trees across the road and laying on power lines that were pulled down, and trees piled up in yards. Ugly and evidence how serious that storm had been.
Worse problem I had this week was the ants in the house. Whether they wanted out of the wet, or were looking for food, or whatever, I didn’t care for their swarming around my kitchen. I cared even less for them swarming on my desk. Maybe I leave too many crumbs laying around.
Had the original horde cleaned up by putting down little saucers of boric acid mixed with sugar. Yeah, you don’t want to handle it much because boric acid can be toxic, and you don’t want it down where the dogs can get to it, but sitting on a window sill, or in corner of countertop was okay. Ants crawled into the sugar and were killed by the acid.
Understand, I didn’t want to kill them; but they didn’t voluntarily go back outside. So there you have it; I had to deal with it.
Same treatment worked on desktop and the window desk sits under. They either died or left and were no longer a problem for me. THEN I got up Monday morning to find the kitchen swarming again (and with many more ants than before). Seems I left fresh loaf of banana bread wrapped in foil on the top of stove. Smart, huh. BUT I didn’t think about the ants wanting it.
You can learn something every day. AND I re-learned to put the food away. That bread would’ve been fine in the frig and still edible. Bread went in the trash; I sprinkled boric acid directly on counter and started wiping up ants with a damp paper towel.
After that treatment I sprayed stove, counters, cabinets with an all-purpose cleaner Mandy made for me containing vinegar. Guess what! Ants don’t do well in vinegar.
Didn’t get rid of all of them at once, but they started running. That’s when I found their trail, across the entire length of the counter, down the end of the cabinet, across the floor through the dining room, from the door to the living room along the long wall to the front of the house. Whatever the tool that lets them detect food, it really works well. Sprayed that whole line of entry with the vinegar mixture and left it to do its job.
When I got in from work Monday afternoon, I went around sweeping up dead ants and then wiping down all the surfaces. I know; it’s an ugly scene. But they are gone (I guess until something else lures them back).
So now I have had a lesson regarding insects, pesticides, food management and house cleaning. Enough school for now.
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