Invasion of the ants!

Just this week my home was INVADED by ants. It started on Wednesday night. We came home from work and saw trails of ants in the kitchen. We went outside and found the trail. The ants had crawled up the side of the house and onto the roof, where they proceeded into the house via some molecular-sized entry point.

My husband Jason stated the ants had found a doorway and created a golden highway. There were so many ants it was like science fiction.

And the ants go marching down...

Our house was build by an architect and is full of interesting details. For example, we have cork ceilings throughout the house. The ants were running along the the space between the cork ceiling and the wall. This was the ant main entry point... so I sealed it up with caulk.

Ant bait

Outside, we did some more caulk sealing. Basically, I was trying to close the door on the little pests. I also removed the mulch from around the foundation to make the habitat less hospitable. We purchased ant baits (interior and exterior), at the recommendation of Brad Kard, Ph.D. (structural/urban entomology).

Ant hunter

Woke up this morning and the ants are gone; few stragglers remain.

Until next time!
GP

One easy trick to save $

Maintain the heating, ventilation, and ir conditioning (HVAC) system on your home with this one little trick: Keep it clean (this is one of our 7 principles of healthy housing).

Since about half of our energy dollars go to heating/cooling, it makes sense to do everything we can to help our equipment be more efficient. Debris can restrict airflow to the unit.

Before: Air handling equipment covered in leaves

After: Much tidier

This is something that I can do myself. It took me all of 3 minutes, and can easily be added to my Saturday chore list.

Last second stuff

All:

In the event of an emergency, we suggest that you have list of a few things to grab at the very last second. For me, it's my phone and my purse. I am adding a NEW item to the list: My daughter's hearing aids!

This is an example of one of those items that cannot go into my disaster kit, which is stored in my shelter. If we are expecting weather, I'll have my purse, phone, and her hearing aids with me so I can be ready, if necessary.

Daughter Hampton getting her new hearing aids fitted.

What are your last-minute items?!

GP

Do you know what to do during an earthquake?

• "DROP to your hands and knees.

• COVER your head and neck with your arms. This position protects you from falling and provides some protection for vital organs. Because moving can put you in danger from the debris in your path, only move if you need to get away from the danger of falling objects. If you can move safely, crawl for additional cover under a sturdy desk or table. If there is low furniture, or an interior wall or corner nearby and the path is clear, these may also provide some additional cover. Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.

• HOLD ON to any sturdy shelter until the shaking stops."

• Source: www.ready.gov/earthquakes

Here are pictures of some of my co-workers responding to an earthquake.

Here is one thing that you can do RIGHT NOW to improve safety: Make certain that there is space under your desk.

Responding to an earthquake

Responding to an earthquake

Not enough space under desk to respond to an earthquake;
 (Not enough space to crouch properly on hands and knees)

No room to shelter during an earthquake!

The members of the Safety Issue Team learned this and other information at the December in-service. For more information, please visit this information: www.ready.gov/earthquakes.

Stay safe!

GP

Cats and Christmas trees: Tips to keep both Meow-Mix and your tree safe

All:

Put a tree in the house with shiny things dangling from the branches and what do you get? One happy cat!

Here are some tips to help both pets and your tree safe. I talked to my friend Steve Beck (4-H Companion Animal Projects), who suggested the following:

• Avoid thin, string-like decorations, such as tinsel and Easter grass. It can get trapped in the pet's body, where it can work like a saw and damage the organs.
• Place ornaments, especially the fragile ones, high on the tree. Use ribbon to tie ornaments to the tree.
• Attach the tree to the wall: Put an eye hook in the ceiling or in the wall and then use fishing line to secure the tree.
• Use a tree skirt to keep your pets out of the water; this will keep them safe from bacteria in standing water and any fertilizer used

Here is a picture of my little darling, Trixie Belden, before making the ascent into the tree.

Ready to proceed climbing!

Sources: 

• S. Beck, S (personal communication, December 5, 2014)
• OSU College of Veterinary Medicine. (Winter 2003). Companion animal newsletter. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from http://www.cvm.okstate.edu/files/Publications/CompanionAnimalNews/comp%20an%20news_fall%2003.pdf.
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). (n.d.). Holiday safety tips. Retrived December 5, 2014 from https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/holiday-safety-tips

Cleaning for Thanksgiving!

All:

I am posting early since it's a short week. Here is how I clean for big events without feeling pressured or overwhelmed: I set a timer.

I create a list of rooms in the house and check each off as I clean. I spend 5 minutes in each room. When the alarm goes off, it is time to move on. This means that I can only hit the big stuff and not waste any time on teensy details. 

According to my schedule, I can get my house in super presentable order in 45 minutes. While the turkey is roasting, I will put on some great music and get little exercise by cleaning! The rooms in order:

• Jason's secret hideout (aka the Cozy Bear's Den)
• Laundry zone/entry
• Kitchen
• Dining area
• Living room
• Master bedroom
• The girls' bedroom
• The guest bedroom
• Bathrooms (5 mins split between 2)

Two little mess makers: Basset hound Trudy Trueheart and cat Trixie Belden

Early Fraternity decorating

All:

I coined a phase to refer to a certain style of decorating/doing things around the home. I call it Early Fraternity.

Here is just one example. One of the light bulbs burned out in the hall. My husband Jason replaced the burned out with another that we had on hand.

The result? You can see for yourself two different color temperatures. One is cool (background), the other is warm (foreground). I find it visually distracting to have two color temperatures in the same space.

Jason thought that the cooler light provided more light. The amount of light provided depends on light output, which is measured in lumens. When purchasing bulbs, read the package to see how may lumens are proved and the color temperature.

I prefer warm color temperature, so I'll purchase some new bulbs this weekend.

Warm and cool color temperature ... in the same space1