Next good thing

Summer garden

Ants are GONE and the flowers are beautiful. Life is settling down again, but not for long. We've joined a website called Couch Surfing and have offered a place to stay for a couple from Holland MI. Not the distant travelers we'd hoped to attract, but a start.
If you've not heard of couch surfing it is a social network for travelers who are looking for a personal experience by crashing at various homes along the way. We may choose to find individuals to host us when we travel next, but for now we are open to having people stay here. I'll blog about it after the fact and let you know how it goes.

We (mostly I - Joe is a little more reserved which is a good balance to my overly trusting personality) like the idea based on the experiences we've had hosting youth from the Blue Lakes Fine Arts camp, voices without borders, and our travels to Germany last summer. Through established programs we've had kids and adults stay here from Germany, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. Each time the guests have helped us understand their culture from a personal perspective. They've always left us with a small gift from their home town and been well mannered and appreciative of the assistance and time provided to them. We've loved the performances, evening bonfires and singalongs with these talented travelers.

When we went to a wedding in Germany last summer our hosts had friends who were out of town and willingly offered their apartment for us during our stay. It was SO incredibly nice to stay in a family home and experience Berlin in a more intimate manner. Do we openly let strangers stay in our homes in the U.S., based solely on the word of a friend? Mostly likely the answer is no, or not often at least. American's seem so distrustful. And what do we lose by holding this perception? Well, in my mind relationships are key to a good life. They are the most important thing we have and what truly enriches life. The more people we know who are different than ourselves the greater our understanding of the beauty and diversity of the world. Our minds expand as we learn about different cultures, different points of view, and traditions. While we didn't get to meet the family whose house we stayed in, we were amazed at their openness and trust. We too left them a small gift from America and hope they hold a good view of the people in this country. Traveling in this way makes staying in a hotel and looking at a tourist book for the 'sites' and best places to eat no longer holds much appeal.  Its experiencing a place at this personal level that lets you really feel like a part of it.

Patio pot!

Happy travels!

Summer fun - NOT

My posts to date might make Northern Michigan sound like utopia, and hey, most of the time it seems like it. This week is different. After a wonderful BLISSFUL time at Blissfest (see link) listening to three straight days of music and fun in the sun we returned to find black ants in the house. They were on the floor, on the counters, in the kitchen, livingroom, bedroom/bath, basically a few here and there - everywhere.

I had sprayed the outside of the house; after all, we live in the woods so you do need to take precautions. And apparently I drove them into the house instead of away from it. So I spend the night I returned from a great weekend cleaning out cabinets and squashing ants. OK, Joe squashed them. I just can't stomach it because they tend to crunch. I'm not talking the little tiny sweet ants that go marching two by two, these are BIG BLACK CRUNCHY ants. Ants that bite. When I tried to pick up a mostly squashed ant to throw it away it bit the paper I was picking it up with and I couldn't get it to let go. Even dead the thing hung on so tight its head came off when I tried to scrap it off the paper.

After conferring with a few friends and neighbors I decided to try terro liquid.

No one warned me about how this worked so let me fill you in. After purchasing the terro in the early afternoon I sent out six traps, they are liquid filled plastic containers that you cut a small rectangle into for access. I cleared out one cabinet where there were a majority of the ants and set three of these traps in it. I sent the remaining three at strategic places around the house where I'd seen ants. A few hours later I opened the cabinet door and nearly screamed (or did I?), it was crawling with more ants that I could imagine. If I hadn't slammed the cabinet shut as fast as I could I might have snapped a picture for you, but it was just too disgusting and I definitely wasn't opening that door again. Apparently the liquid DRAWS the ants so you get more and more of them.

Considering this fact, I quickly decided that having these little baits spread out around the house was NOT the good idea I had originally thought it was. I collected the three traps dotting the house and put them all into the cabinet, scattering ants as I did so - yuck! I slammed the door shut again. By now it was evening and I was done with ants for the day. We weren't seeing them anywhere else, so felt a bit better and just left the cabinet alone and went to bed.

In the morning I didn't dare open the cabinet door. Joe did, and it was still filled with fast, hungry ants. I started to second guess this whole idea. During the day I sprayed Ortho-Max around the house floorboards and the exterior, hoping to simply kill the little suckers. The ants were not present around the house and although we checked and they were partying away in the cupboard they seemed to be contained. By the next day (day 3) the party was slowing down and we saw some dead ants in there with the live ones. We continued to leave the bait, but by day 4 we started seeing ants in the house again. Dead for the most part. I cleaned up a few dozen everyday, dead carcasses here and there on the floor in the rooms I'd first noticed them (yes - everywhere). But there were also live ants. The live ants seemed awfully perky and FAST for being poisoned and on their last legs. They were out in search of water. We started seeing them in the tub and sink - ewwwwwwwww.

In hopes of avoiding another infestation I decided on all out war. We had some granular terro in the garage. It comes in a bag that is made to double as a sprinkler. I sprinkled the perimeter of the house and yard covering about 25 ft from the house. I purchased another container of Ortho-Max and sprayed the exterior foundation and  inside floorboards. I figured this would keep them out or kill whatever was inside. It kind of worked, but not entirely. I wonder if ants can become chemical resistant and if so, what I'll do next year.

It is now day eight - yes 8. I just finished cleaning out the cabinet, throwing the bait traps away after not having seen any live ants for a solid 48 hours. Not seeing one in the cupboard that is...we are still seeing them in the house. I'm tempted to get more terro, but can't bring myself to attract them again. I'll play a waiting game and if they don't disappear in another week I'll give it a second try. Wish me luck.

Day 10 update:  The bodies are slowly declining in numbers and I haven't seen a live ant in 24 hours. I think we're over the worst of it and on to bigger and better things - thankfully!