Insect Update

Now for a little update on our recent larvae problem. The day we were to leave Ghana for Christmas, Dave was assured someone would contact me about setting up an appointment with a pest company and that an actual person would stop by my house to check out the problem. At 4:30 that afternoon, I called Dave and informed him that I had not heard from anyone. He, in turn, contacted site services and was told that the pest guy couldn’t make it because of traffic. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, because I personally witnessed the incredibly terrible traffic that precedes Christmas.  When we left for the airport that evening, I couldn’t help but wonder what our house would look like when we returned in January.

While on vacation, Dave received an update on the situation. The trees had been trimmed, the roof repaired, the rodents removed, and the house fumigated.

When we arrived in Ghana, we discovered that:

1)      Only the trees on the side of the house had been trimmed. All of the enormous trees located in our backyard remained untrimmed, lying on our roof.

2)      We can only hope the roof has been repaired. Workers painted over the water damage that had leaked down several walls. The truth will be told during the next rain storm.

3)      The rodents have not all been removed. While the noise above our head has not been nearly as frequent, I distinctly heard Steve McQueen on Wednesday night. In my opinion, he was directly above Dave’s side of the bed. It sounded like metal on metal. I can only think it was him (or her) grinding metal around the light fixture with his teeth. It was SO loud, and I was certain he was going to make his way into the room. I didn’t know what to do, and Dave was happily asleep. I finally grabbed my flashlight and pointed it at the light fixture. When I did, the gnawing stopped. When I turned off the light, it began again. I did this one more time, and then he stopped. Last night I heard him again, but much quieter. Maybe the bait is wearing him down.

4)      The house was fumigated, I guess. We have not seen any evidence of the bugs, and the masking tape remains in place.

When Dave arrived at work, he met with Site Services who reviewed the work that had been completed. Dave asked that the tree trimmers come back and complete the job. They came yesterday and spent several hours cutting the branches down. Today a truck pulled up and three workers set to clearing all of the fallen branches.

Yesterday more ATS workers came to re-caulk and paint the area in the bathroom whereby the larvae had found their freedom. When I went in to examine their work, I noticed that a large portion around the shower had not been caulked or painted. It was as if the guy painted as far as he could reach, instead of getting off the ladder….and MOVING it so that he could fully paint. The supervisor called the worker back, and he finished up the work.

I’m happy to report that I’m in a way better frame of mind, and can now look back on the experience and laugh. That’s NOT to say that I am not constantly looking up to the ceiling and down to the bathtub every time I enter my bathroom!

UPDATE on the UPDATE: I just laugh when I read this blog before I posted it. If you would have seen me last night, you would have laughed as well, because my frame of mind was NOT good. Rather, I was frustrated!

First, Steve McQueen is not only alive and well upstairs, he’s either put on weight or has brought even more friends. Dave is convinced they are do somersaults up there. They tend to gather around the light fixtures, which is really creepy. This all after we were assured that there are no animals in the attic. We are being told the noise we are hearing is on the roof. I dare them to come to my house and just listen!

Second, our primary (and best) Internet service was out from Saturday until late this afternoon. It’s one thing to have a slow connection when one is simply surfing the net on Facebook, Hotmail, or USA Today. But, when I’m trying to work, I need a faster connection in order to more effectively complete projects. The service kept bumping on and off all day yesterday. I was ready to SCREAM!

After fighting with it for several hours, I headed downstairs to make some dinner. I was excited for a new recipe - Applebee’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes, something I picked up from a Pinterest post. You have to know me…..not much about cooking excites me, so this was a rare event. J

In the middle of my dinner preparation, I took a step towards the sink and my foot landed in…water. There was water pouring out of the cabinet below the sink. I opened the door, leaned down, and the water sprayed into my face! I initially froze and thought, “This has GOT to be a joke.” I then took a step back and again leaned down to peer into the cabinet. The water was spraying from one of the pipes. I tried to turn the water off, but I couldn’t get the knob to turn. I did the next best thing….I called Dave. He was at his boss’s house trying to get an internet connection for a Skype interview they had scheduled for the next morning. I explained what was happening and he told me to shut the water off, and I told him I tried, but couldn’t get the knob to budge.  He said to try again. This time I took a dry kitchen towel and was able to get a better grip on it, and with much effort was able to shut off the water.   

I just stood there shaking my head, and then got to work mopping up the floor. Keep in mind that my meal was NOT going to come together at the same time due to the water diversion. DAMN! So much for being excited.

After lunch, I started picking up some things on the coffee table in our living room downstairs, a place we rarely occupy. As I was walking to the kitchen to throw away some trash, I realized I was tracking water through the dining room. I spoke out loud to myself, “What in the hell?”

I went back to the living room and discovered a rather large pile of water on the floor under the water on which two transformers and power strip were sitting. Fortunately, neither was plugged in. I moved the chairs to the side, but could not determine the source of the water.  Again, I shook my head (this is becoming a daily occurrence) and set about mopping up the water (also becoming a daily occurrence).

This afternoon I was unable to connect to the Internet and was just about to give up completely on work for the day, when it miraculously came up! So, as for right now, my frame of mine is "great". Well, it's "good." OK, OK, it's "OK," but WAY better than yesterday!

I’ll keep you updated.  Ha ha!