A little vacation, at last.

[rose_cat]

B and I are (finally!) having the house tented for termites. We'd hoped to do something more environmentally friendly than the gas, but the termites are too widespread for local treatments. So gas it is. At least it doesn't leave a residue like the stuff they used many years ago did.

We will have to vacuum up dead spiders and ants and whatever else has moved in. At least it'll kill all the ant nests in the walls, but Argentine ants are tough critters and will probably move back in soon. If we want to keep them out (ha!) we'll have to do a lot more caulking and sealing. Oh, and it turns out we'll see more ants as they come in to clean up all the dead creatures. (I wouldn't mind that -- free cleanup crew -- if only they'd all go back out afterwards and leave us the heck alone!)

We've arranged to stay in a hotel for three days. The house will be safe to move back into in two, but we'd like to stay an extra day. The hotel is close enough to the zoo that we can spend a couple of days there. We haven't been down there in many years -- it's about forty miles, and an hour of travel time (on a good day!), from where we live now, which is a hell of a trek for us, so we usually just go to the Safari Park, which is half the distance and half the time, and is a wonderful place as well. (Both are part of the Zoological Society, for which we have a yearly membership.)

We just have to double-bag and seal up (or toss) everything edible in the house that isn't in metal or glass and unopened. I've cut back the plants against the wall of the house. There wasn't much, but the lizards have been living in the vegetation. I've tried to make sure they can't get under the tarp.

There's no way we could have done this while Missy was still here. Boarding her was out of the question, even before she got so sick, and we couldn't stay away for more than part of a day either. We both still miss our kitty girl, but at least B and I can get away for a few days and relax and have a little fun. Life goes on.

Comments

[khall.livejournal.com]

There is sealer spray. Like spray on teflon. That might make it easier than caulk to seal gaps in the house.

K.

[rose-cat.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'll look into that. (Although I don't want to use anything that might cause health problems for us (due to outgassing, probably), not to mention the next cat.)

[khall.livejournal.com]

I am not a fan of outgassing. If the gas wants to stay in the closet, whose business is it, anyway?:)

K.

[rose-cat.livejournal.com]

Ha!

We got home today, and the house smelled faintly of methane. Apparently that's a byproduct of the tear gas they use before the termite gas to make absolutely sure nobody's inside? Anyway, it wasn't causing any tear gas kinds of problems, but it was a little nauseating and rather disturbing. We opened up all the doors and windows and aired the house out, and it seems to be fine.

Sha-na-na-na Life Goes On.

[i-want-2.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that you seem to be getting along better. Losing your baby is devastating, even when you knew it was coming. I am sorry about that.

How's your shoulder and arm doing?

Re: Sha-na-na-na Life Goes On.

[rose-cat.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) Still missing her, of course, but looking forward to some time away with B. (Once we get done with the termite prep, that is. It's a bitch, but we're almost done.)

My shoulder could be better. Which it might be, if I were working on it more consistently. It is stronger and a bit less stiff, mostly from doing yard work (which I enjoy).

I'd also be doing better if I hadn't had to stop physical therapy several months ago on account of Blue Shield/Covered California's continued incompetence. (I really didn't want to pay $100+ for each appointment.) I think it's fixed now, so I can get it started up again.

How are you doing?

Re: Sha-na-na-na Life Goes On.

[i-want-2.livejournal.com]

I'm short of breath and overheating easily. So, I'm fine. Being sick sucks ass.

Re: Sha-na-na-na Life Goes On.

[rose-cat.livejournal.com]

Well, damn. What's going on?

Re: Sha-na-na-na Life Goes On.

[i-want-2.livejournal.com]

Combination of allergies, high-fiber nut cereal, and apple pie ala mode. Turns out, it's not just dairy I can't digest properly. Dehydration plays hell on a body living in drought conditions. After 5 days, I was weak and having trouble breathing properly due to lack of moisture and mucus to protect me against pollen, mold, and dust. No more apples and no more dairy for me (at least, for a while. I seem to come back to it every so often.) Almost all better now. The dust is still around, though.