Thursday Thanks - Being Plague-Free

For probably a year off and on we were plagued with a, well, plague. A plague of tiny, little black bugs to be exact. (My husband referred to them as a certain type of *ahem* ant.) We first noticed them on our kitchen counter. Nice place for bugs.

But see, they were smart. Our countertop is a granite wannabe that has some brown and black splotches on it that acted as a camouflage for them, allowing them to sneak in undetected until at least a dozen or so had made their move into our kitchen, successfully finding their way to some plate of half-eaten food that had been left sitting on the counter. I’m convinced that they would strategically find their way to a black spot and sit there quietly as a human walked by so as to go unnoticed.

I got to the paranoia stage where I’d think I saw one of those buggers on the counter and I’d stand perfectly still, slowing my breath so as not to be heard and then stare, waiting for it to move, only to realize I was staring at one of the black splotches ingrained in my countertop.

We did our detective work trying to find out just exactly where they were coming in, but we could never figure it out. They were just....there. We'd find them in our microwave, way up on top of the cabinets and in the pantry. We threw away numerous boxes of otherwise perfectly good cereal, which they price now like it contains flecks of gold.

Then they decided to move to our bedroom and bathroom. I found them once climbing up an inside wall. Where they came from I still don't know. Every evening they would march in their organized little rows up on the top of the shower enclosure and down into the shower. I could almost hear them whistling the theme from Bridge on the River Kwai.

In desperately trying to keep a clean space on my counters to prepare food, I became slightly obsessive about using Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner to wipe them down before, during and after food prep.

And lo and behold, I discovered that the cleaner was akin to an acid bath to these tiny little nuisances. The moment they were sprayed, they instantly died in a puddle of chemicals. So Lysol Kitchen Cleaner was dutifully kept under the kitchen sink, and even sometimes left poised, ready to use on the counter, so as to keep them from disappearing into thin air the moment I left my post to retrieve my weapon of choice.

We kept scouring the property trying to find their little hideout. We even called a professional (and I now use that term loosely) exterminator, who came to the house not one, not two, but three times trying to halt our little plague, but to no avail.

Oh, our little army would lay low for a week or two, and we’d rejoice that our personal version of the end times was over. Heck, we’d even throw caution to the wind and slide a box of cereal into the pantry without storing it in the plastic storage containers I purchased for them.

But they always came back.

I googled how to kill ants or something similar and found that they could actually be killed by sprinkling dry Malt-O-Meal cereal on the ground.

What the heck.

So I sprinkled that along the side of the house by the kitchen and near our bathroom. At first it didn’t seem to be working but after a few applications and some desperate prayers for mercy, they seem to be…dare I say it….gone!

It’s been a number of months now and I do believe they’re history. Thank you, Lord!

So right now I am thrilled, relieved and oh so thankful to be able to cook without the thought of sharing my cooking space with anybody. Except the husband. And the kids. And the dogs. They can stay.



Okay, try not to push each other as you stand in line to leave your comments about what you are thankful for this week. :o)