Ants marching

One of the nice things about living in a ridiculously dry climate is that ants and roaches are pretty much the only common insects that can cause a household problem. Once alerted to their presence, I administer a dose of pesticide around the perimeter of the house and inside the bathrooms, which are usually the problem areas. But I was too late this time.

A group of ants is called an army, which is appropriate because they excel in committing large scale stealth assaults against their targets. In this case, I'm talking about the snack and cereal pantry. There were many casualties. We're still sorting through the wreckage. Those who know me as a cereal fiend (we have about 30 varieties -- take that, Seinfeld!) will understand that I'm taking the loss pretty hard.

Making it worse is the use of various pest sprays in the kitchen, which has taken its toll on our immune systems and given us everything from the simple sniffle to the worst common symptom in the world, the postnasal drip.

Bugger.