Day One

I've decided to blog everyday for a month, even if what I say is useless. Actually, I have no plans for say anything meaningful at all (though if I stumble upon something like that, so be it). I just think it would be good to say something.

------

I'm having an issue with bugs. In the past I've never cared so much about the bugs, but this spring it's different. Two weeks ago, at a really inopportune time, I discovered ants had infested the kitchen counter with my coffee pot on it, and the sink. I found where they were crawling in, the glass on the sink I'd drank orange juice from that was attracting them. I thought the situation was taken care of when I sprayed the entire perimeter of that level of the house and the vacuumed up all the dead ants. Wrong. On Friday, of course at another inopportune time, I get home late, exhausted, and find three bugs right in the entry way. I don't even know what they were. They were spider like, but less legs, and brown on the top with white bellies. They hopped, so I couldn't pick them up with a paper and dump 'em outside. I managed to shove two out the door by whacking them in that direction with some junk mail, and the third escaped into the basement area and I ignored it and went to sleep. I sprayed that level of the house the next day. Now, there's a big-ish black beetle sitting in the foyer right by my shoes. It better not crawl in any of them. Also, I sprayed there, so how did it even get there? Ugh. I'm frustrated. People have told me not to worry, because the bugs don't mean I am messy. I don't really feel at ease though, because there are still bugs. Also, I'm trying to run a business here, and insect infestation just doesn't work well with that.

I try to turn all annoying things, especially annoying house things, into learning experiences. For example, it was frustrating that I was not strong enough to get one of the storm windows down this winter, but I now know that duct tape and pillow cases make fairly good insulation. Another example: I was livid when my friend spilled paint all over my carpet, but I learned that if you use oxyclean enough time, it takes out almost anything. I'm just not sure what I've learned from this situation, though:

"If you spray for bugs, it won't work"

"If you are meticulously clean (is that redundant?), you still can't keep ants away"

Note: It has been about 12 hours since I started this post, and I've concluded that the black beetle is dead. I still haven't moved it.

Another note/conclusion: I suppose now, I can just add "bug infestation" to the list of things I can handle with grace. You kind of want that list to be long, but you also kind of wish it wasn't.