The Ants Go Marching. . .

One of my big battles in Costa Rica was the ants. I went prepared that there would be some--it is inevitable, and from our past experiences in Costa Rica and the Caribbean, I tried to gear up mentally. I was not prepared for what we found when we arrived, though. The entire condo had been taken over! There were ants on the washing machine and dryer; the water dispenser on the fridge, crawling onto my moisturizer, ant highways in the grout on the tile on the floor! The kitchen counter ALWAYS had a line of ants, no matter how many times I wiped things down. I started looking in the stores for something to help--the only thing to be found was Raid spray, like I'm going to spray that on my kitchen counters! I asked a clerk in my broken Spanish for some help--blank stares. Finally, someone suggested I talk to a veterinarian. What?

I had a mission. I had been told years ago that Borax mixed with equal parts sugar would take care of the ants. Our friend and neighbor said she was going back to the States for a week--did I need anything? Yes! Borax! I got a strange look and an okay. In the meantime, I did research.

Round One:
Someone suggested mixing cornmeal with sugar--the ants can't digest the cornmeal and die. I mixed cornmeal and sugar. The ants really enjoyed it. Round one: the ants.

Round Two:
Mix yeast and molasses--the ants eat the yeast, drink water and explode. I didn't have molasses, so I mixed it with sugar, and for an experiment, with syrup. I had little trails of yeast and sugar all over the place. They had a great time. Round two: the ants.

Round Three:
The Borax did not arrive--maybe too big? Too bulky? I don't know. I grieved for a day, then pulled out my Press-n-Seal plastic wrap and started going at it. Round three: Jennifer--but it was a losing battle.

I am starting to lose my sanity. I am obsessed with getting rid of the ants. I follow them, trying to find the point of origin--they make one eternal round in my kitchen! I ask for help--suggestions--people say, "Keep the food off the counter." I want to scream, "DUH!"

A light in the dark comes in the form of an unexpected trip back to the States for George. I beg for Borax! All the websites I have found say it is what works. (Okay, they actually say boric acid, but that's what I thought Borax was--and it is, mostly.) George delivers!!!!

Round Four:
I mix equal parts sugar and Borax and put it in bowls in strategic places. The ants are too smart. They don't go near it. Round Four: the ants.

Round Five:
More research--I find the right mixture on another website: 1 cup sugar, 1 Tbs. Boric acid, 1/2 cup water. The ants swarm!!!!! Round five: ME!!!

Round Six:
There is a significant reduction in number of ants, but still more than I care for. I read a little sidebar note on the ant killing blog that a man from Texas said his ants didn't like sugar--they liked fat. He suggested mixing a little boric acid in with mayonnaise, so I did. Within seconds:



Within minutes:



This is when Brinnan and I got a little evil and realized we could make ant art:



I laugh an evil laugh, and my family looks at me in fear!

I put a glob in my windowsill:



By the next morning, there are virtually no ants in my kitchen, and the traffic on the tile highway is down 80%

I AM CONQUERER!! Almost. I noticed on the blogs that there is ant bait you can buy called Terro. This might have been an easier option from the beginning--smaller, lighter. But, being blinded by my madness and obsession for getting the Borax, I failed to notice this one earlier. Fortunatley, my sister Liz brought some to me when she came to visit. The ants that were left came marching.

I am CONQUERER!!!!

Now what do I do with this:

Montezuma's Revenge

A week after our big adventure where I broke my nose, we had promised to take Gabi and her family to Montezuma--a beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula. It was a two-hour drive, a ferry ride, and another hour of driving to make the trip. Brinnan wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home, with George and Janna a couple of floors down to check in on her. I will try to make this a quick sum up--it was very fortunate and unfortunate, so to shorten this up, F=Fortunately and U=Unfortunately.

U-none of us were ready for another trip.
F-Gabi's family was so excited, it boosted our enthusiasm.
U-we missed the first ferry and had a four-hour wait until the next one.
F-we were pretty far up in the line, so we would make the next one.
U-we were right behind a truck full of pigs.
F-we made the ferry and had a nice ride.
U-it was so late when we got to Montezuma that all the hotels were closed or closing.
F-Steve had called ahead to make a reservation with one of the hotels.
U-They said don't bother, they had plenty of room. Then a busload of people showed up before we got there.
F-they still had a couple of bungalows available.
U-they weren't air-conditioned, ours was bug infested, Gabi's had crabs in the shower, they only had a double and a single bed in them.
F-actually, there wasn't much fortunate about that night except we survived it and I decided by morning that I would remain married to Steve.
F-we found a better hotel the next day with plenty of beds and air conditioning.
U-Steve had also called this hotel the night before to see if they had space, and they had waited up until 2 a.m. waiting for our arrival and hoping we were okay. We had been afraid to go looking for hotels in the dark because the one we were at was about to close and the others we had seen were closed. Less than a block away a good nights' sleep had been waiting for us and we missed it!
F-we enjoyed a good breakfast and a renewal of spirit.
U-a squirrel pooped on our table from the tree above us (I never would have guessed squirrel poop would be so big)!
F-we had finished eating and it was so random we started laughing really hard.

We spent a great day at the beach and playing in a beautiful swimming pool while watching a troupe of monkeys come in around lunchtime. We headed back to the hotel to take a break from the heat, spent time wandering around town, enjoyed a little hike to a waterfall (Steve, Aub, and Pablo--Gabi and I stayed further back with the little girls and let them throw leaves in the water because the hike was a little treacherous), watched the sunset and the moon-rise, jumped in the water again, had a great pizza dinner, went to bed. Oh, there was one unfortunately--while I was hoping Campbelle would take a nap, Steve went scouting out the area (he hates to sit still) and ended up getting in a little car accident. While out on a dirt road, a car in front of him had stopped. He pulled up a ways behind them and waited for them to go again, but they put the car in reverse and backed up into him! It was a little French couple who had retired to the area. Fortunately, it was a rental. :)

We drove home the next day. Everyone had a great time, but it was nice to be back. We were gearing up for Steve's parents' visit the following week, so a little down time was in order!

Happy Birthday, Campbelle! (June 5)

Campbelle turned three a couple of months ago! It's hard to believe three years have already gone by, but at the same time, hard to believe she's only been with us for three years--we can't imagine life without her. She is sometimes both Beauty AND the Beast, but she is a joy. We just wouldn't be the same without this little addition (with big personality) in our family!

Happy Birthday, Steve!

Happy Birthday, Steve! Steve spent his birthday in Rwanda. The couple he is staying with has a chef and when the chef found out it was Steve's birthday, he had a banana cake (from scratch of course) and chocolate mousse waiting when they all got home from work. His birthday present/Christmas present was a trip to see the mountain gorillas in the Congo. He said it was the trip of a lifetime, but I think that is relative. He has had a lot of those kind of trips.

Updating

Isn't it funny that the longer you wait to update, the harder it gets, because the more there is to update. At first, there was too much going on or I didn't have a computer. Then, I just started putting it off, because it was getting overwhelming to think about. I think I better just dig in, or I will never get back to it. I will apologize, because these will not be in order, but at least I'm trying!