The Ants go Marching

The thing about a great looking piece of granite with a lot of black specs is that it is the perfect camouflage for ants. Something about the relentless 110 degree heat has caused an invasion by ants on a military scale of my kitchen. I am greeted in the morning by a carpet of moving black spots on the tile floor (is it my vision or are those spots moving?...yikes the dirt is alive), and a grumpy husband who views the ant assault as a personal affront to his morning routine of drink coffee, read paper. I found myself in the car yesterday, picking off ants like lint as each annoying tickle revealed the target. I have always admired ant tenacity, and their homing capability for each crumb left behind (please kids put the plates in the dishwasher) is impressive. But now it was a game of sheer numbers, and a bit like the US military in Iraq, we were getting worn down. The weather has cooled, but the ants were still enjoying the surfaces of the kitchen, adding a unique accent to white window molding. So we did what a proud citizen of their domain must do..we called in reinforcements. The pesticide guy was here with a bright smile and a clean shirt this morning, spraying poison around the perimeter of the house, while we stay inside waiting for the dust to settle. Sort of surprised this nice man works without a mask as I could smell the spray through the windows upstairs, sort of like an uber-raid. And although I must accept responsibility for the death of millions of ants (who can count?) it seems a worthwhile trade-off for a return to the usual domestic peace of mind. Grumpy husband will have to find something else to complain about.