Never Thought I'd Say YAY for Ants

When the option is termites, however, ants are a favorable resource. An Orkin exterminator came out to give a free inspection, and whatdyaknow? What I couldawoulda swore to be termites (long straight antennae, ugly little bods) crawling around the kitchen sink and upstairs bathtub are regular ants!

Phew!




What a relief. Yesterday, I was skeeved out. Today not so much. Especially when I eighty-sixed those bad boys with RAID. :)

Undoubtedly, the skeeve-feelings came from my previous encounter with a Terminex Termite inspector, who was about as friendly and trustworthy as a used car salesman. He was pretty sure we had termites, despite not finding mud tunnels or any other signs (other than a fleck of mud in a crack in the wall, which turned out to be, well, dirt in a crack in the wall.

The Orkin guy gave me pointers:
termites have two easily-by-eye distinguishable segments, ants have three
termites won't be found crawling around in the open, unless something weird has happened; they prefer to build mud tubes. Ants roam as they like.
Mud tubes crumble at the touch, while ant mounds are gritty and can break by blowing on them
termites in fall/winter are usually a tan color, soldiers have reddish heads; ants are blackish.

Thank you Orkin Man!

A LIttle Red, Red Kroovy for the Butchered Bird Day

With Thanksgiving around the corner, the time for family gatherings, stuffed bellies and fun are officially upon we silly Americans. Around this particular campfire, we'll be hosting a little shindig for our adopted non-fam--the Texas friends we've made.

On the agenda? A little dead bird. A little gravy. A little stuffing. And a big reliance upon the goodness and taste of our fellows to bring other tasty treats, including that red, red kroovy without which Thanks-for-giving-me-triptophan would be incomplete. Of course, I'm talking cranberry sauce. Can't stand the stuff, myself. Other people like it, but the other people also like Michael Bay movies and Blu Ray--not to suggest these three items are even remotely similar. One is cool enough, one is blech and one is completely off my radar.

The real ish on hand is this: What will the friends bring? I'm betting against homemade stuff. Probably a can or two of store bought stuff--the kind that keeps the can lines once it has shlorped out and sits jiggling on the plate like some perpetual motion cranberry concoction. That sounds like the safer bet, so that's where I'll put my cash. Lower returns perhaps, but a safer bet regardless.

Then again, I've been known to lose my shirt on even safe bets. The only winning move, like the WHOPPER warned in that cold war classic flick Wargames, is not to play.

Adios, Regis Philbin

After 28 years on the air, talk show personality Regis Philbin turned in his final performance as a part of the "Live! With Regis and Kelly" last Friday. Adios, Reeg!

My personal favorite Regis moment was not on the Live! show itself, but a guest appearance in the Adam Sandler flick Little Nicky. He was a hoot and a handful, comparing himself to Al Capone/Robert DeNiro in The Untouchables.

I only ever watched him on "Live!" when I went to the auto dealership to have my oil changed. Ah well. Farewell fun times!