termites

When last we joined our Amusing editor, the tenant upstairs was skeeved out by some flying ants in her livingroom, bedroom, kitchen and bath.

The humble narrator came back to her house, and looked about. Discovering her daughter's bedroom, which is right under the tenant's livingroom, to also be filled with said flying ants.

Thusly, the humble narrator called a bunch of exterminators, got answering services or machines for the local dudes, and then called Terminix.

Terminix had an evaluator out to the house in about 2 hours, his name was Aubre, and he was cool. He spent over two hours crawling through the house, looking for the source, identified the pests as termites and not just flying ants, ascertained that the termite colony was below the foundation of the house deep under it and coming up through the hollow cinder block walls of the basement up into Jessica's bedroom.

What we were seeing in the house were the kinds with wings who are forced out of the colony to be swarmers, to create a new "king and queen" to start a new colony. Within an hour, the swarming stopped because the wings fell off, and the ant like portions of the termites were getting their groove on, paired off and attached to become the new reigning monsters of another termite colony. Aubre said to vacuum them, they die in the suction, and to do the same if we see any others in the next 2 days, when the treatment will take place.

Treatment of the problem? Will cost about 3000 bucks. Again, my young girl dreams of Vassar for Jessie are gone. Financed it is about 180 bucks a month, but it it is still a huge fucking pain in my unemployed not-wealthy ass.

Heaving a heavy sigh, and a pissed and disgruntled look on my face, I signed the paper work. Knowing that Terminix gives a full 2 year guarantee on the service, whereas most give one, and a really inexpensive continuing service (like 400 a year after that) which stays with the house when we sell it, I signed the paperwork and set up the time for Termite Killer Man to come install the death spike system in the yard. Hurrah.

Meh.

Oh, and by the way... this is too bizarre. If you visit, enjoy yourself.

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Anyway, we just got back from Jessica's school where they had an ancient Greece, ancient Egypt marketplace night for the kids. Jessica made a lyre, or I made most of it and she came up with ideas and we did the stringing of the instrument together. I spraypainted it, she detailed it, and it was a fun project. Some of her classmates did unbelievable work. But her lyre was coolass. Lyre Lyre pants afyre.

They wore cool togas and tunics, made by the teacher, and wicked cool sandals that they made themselves out of cardboard and yarn. Geoff was on great behavior, and I had a ton of fun watcing her teach people about her lyre. She's a sharp cookie. And one of the parents and I talked extensively about her in the advanced reading discussion group. There are four kids in her class who leave class once a week for discussion group with a parent volunteer. This parent thinks Jessica is brilliant and comes up with wonderful interpretations and understandings of literature. I'm pretty proud of her... she really is a bright little star.

Okay. Gotta run. It is 8:30 and the phone just rang. I think the call was for me to come sub. I'm not going to because Geoff's teacher is throwing a "bye Geoffrey" luncheon tomorrow, and I'm going to go to it. They are having spaghetti and meatballs, which is his favorite, and chocolate pudding. I'll go for lunch and then bring him home with me. Then Friday will be his last official day. I'll be sure to take pictures.

Until then. Good night, and I'm trying not to have the heebie jeebies from all these termites. MEH!!!!