Delaware Top Blogs

Monday, September 28, 2009

New developments in vexation

I know everyone is waiting with bated breath for news of the latest thing in my house to break down. Actually, it's the garbage disposal. The plumber has been duly informed.

In other new developments (aside from dropping the printer on my toe and breaking it--the printer, not the toe-- while crawling around the back of the computer attempting to connect to the internet, which does not count as it wasn't broken before I dropped it), we have ants and other critters. There are creepy little black things on the floor of the new bathroom. I clean them, and they come back. The exterminator said they were not caused by insects and offered to rid me of ants for $175. I refused, because he did not offer a solution to the creepy little black things, and because I thought I could handle the ants myself for less than $175.

So I bought ant traps at the Acme and put them here and there. The ants appear to consider them a special treat and are swarming around them without apparent harm. This made me angry. So I took a container of house and garden spray and sprayed the little buggers with it. I don't think it bothered the ants, but Mr Charm and I had to open a window and go sit in another room because it smelled so noxious.

Does my house have some degenerative disease which causes the appliances to break down? Or is there a curse on the place?

3 comments:

Naomi said...

The thing about traps is that the whole point is ants love, love, love them. They will swarm and feast for a few days and then die en mass. Which is pretty satisfying. We had an infestation of tiny Pharoe ants and a friend, who happens to be an exterminator, said _never_ spray those as they start a new colony any time they feel threatened. So far traps have worked pretty well, with all ants gone in under a week instead of the month it was taking.

PMK

airforcewife said...

Oh, I hate house critters. Ugh.

Anonymous said...

Be thankful you don't live in a hi-rise and that your neighbor upstairs arranged a generous leak for your living rm ceiling, water dripping all night long. With consequential breaking of small flood on your nicely done parquet floor and Himalayan rug, a pile of peeled off plaster and mesh and a stain on the ceiling in the shape and size of Africa. Then you take down your dirtied curtain, and discover that the dripping liquid couldn't be just a plain H2O, because the fabric is full of holes, as if it was sprayed with acid. So you throw in the garbage both curtains (you can't just leave one, can you?) and buy another pair.
And then you spend a month conferring with building management on the subject of repairs and finally survive through 2-day occupation by "No Ingles!" painting contractors.

And when you try to talk to your upstairs' neighbor about the damages he caused he doesn't return your calls and moves out in a week...