So, I am trying to get some actual work work done today and out of the corner of my eye, I see something small crawling towards me, with 1 wing. Upon closer inspection it is a winged (in this case, half-winged ant). I absolutely loose it.
First, a little exposition-Last spring, our first spring in this house, we were invaded by 1,000s of winged ants, that lived in our flower bed. Right before a big evening rain, they decide to lay siege to our kitchen, infiltrating our house through our side door. Oddly, once they get in, their wings fall off, and they crawl around for a while and die.
Back to today-upon seeing this ant-spy I knew immediately what was going on. I stopped everything, and ran to the kitchen, shocked and disappointed to see what I was afraid I would see. Ants...hundreds, of winged, half-winged, de-winged ants.
No one would consider me a neat freak. Carrie and I do try to keep a neat house (the kitchen is a particular sore spot for me, so I am fastidious in keeping it decent). I was bit shocked by my initial reaction to this uninvited incursion. While certainly I wanted to get rid of this little army of ants for basic cleanliness, I was most concerned about keeping them away from my daughter ( overwhelmingly so). Within five minutes, I had swept them out of the kitchen and began searching the surrounding rooms for escapees (which I found!). Ten minutes later I had swept most of the first floor, and felt comfortable I got them all, but something was still bothering me. I didn't want a single one of these insect infidels to come near Lily! I immediately started flipping our dinning room chairs upside down on the table (like a restaurant at closing time), kitchen stools where on the counter, and the sink was filling with hot water and Orange-Glo. I mopped nearly the entire first floor of our house (we have all hardwood floors, so this is a feat. Something I haven't done in....a while). All the while repeating to myself "must keep Lily safe! must protect her from..ants?!?!"
Once that was done, I decided to go on the attack, and because of our experience last year we had a reasonable stockpile. I put yard stakes around the landscaping on the side of our house, bait traps in the corners of the doorway, and laid down a thick coat of spray on the steps, stoops, and door sills. I took a strong "scorched earth" policy with these bugs.
While keeping the house clean and insect free were strong motivators, keeping these sixe legged, one winged, threats from Lily was an overpowering feeling. At that moment it clicked that of what it really felt like to be a parent, and do anything to keep your kid safe (even from tiny, near flightless ants). God forbid any real danger ever come her way, who knows what I would try to clean!
Thinking back on today a little, I feel a bit guilty for over 1,000 counts of ant-icide, considering what revelation they triggered. But they did create an un-holy mess, if only for a short while however short lived.
In other news, here is a new set of pics from Lily's first week!
1 comment:
Grody!!! At least they weren't termites though, that's what I thought you were going to say at first.
I don't have a Picasa account to comment there, but I love the picture of Lily looking around Chris's arm, like she is fully aware that someone is about to pull a fast one with the camera.
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