Critters in the house

Other than Gidget, that is.

So I've caught and crushed a few multi-legged visitors (let's hope only visiting!) in the house (I started typing "apartment" there, but had to backspace... nope, this is a house!)

The first was, I hope, a water bug. Big, nasty ol' thing. I don't think it was a roach -- although they do look awfully alike -- because it didn't have the antenna or scurry, and it was in the bathroom. I had to crunch it. Don't you hate it when you hear them crunch? Eeeeew, yuck. What a gross sound.

The second was a stink bug. The first time I ever encountered stink bugs was in Japan. And they truly do smell when squished -- so much so that they strike terror in the heart of the average Japanese schoolgirl. Other than the smell, I think they're probably pretty harmless. I had never seen one in the States. And frankly, I don't know that I've seen one since... maybe once. So it's a good thing that I knew what it was when before I captured it. I grabbed it in a wad of paper towel, and rather than crush it -- because, ewwww! -- I folded it in the wad and taped it up. Yes, I grabbed a roll of packing tape, and firmly ensconced, entombed and otherwise gift-wrapped that bug under layers of plastic tape. No squashing or stinking involved. Then I threw it away.

I've also trapped and squished a number of carpenter ants. Not so excited about the fact that there seem to be a number of them on and around the wood deck. Hmmm, we'll have to check that out.

We also have lots of flies invading the house since the doors are inevitably left open while Carlos works on the doggy door, but flies I can deal with. No roaches -- or stink bugs, for that matter -- please.

Well, no more anyway.