A beautiful lake. Crystal blue skies. A hot tub on the back deck. No internet. Climbing mountains and splendid vistas...You know that nagging feeling that you aren't feeling quite right? That nagging feeling that you toss aside even as you're pulling out of your driveway? Well, by the first afternoon that nagging feeling had manifested into a fever. Throwing ice into the hot tub wasn't exactly an option. Over the next 24 hours I resorted to such tricks as sticking a water bottle in the freezer and putting that on my head.
As I lay in bed with a water bottle precariously balanced on my forehead, I stared up at the ceiling...which seemed to be moving. I came to realize that it was a network of carpenter ants traveling back and forth. Soon I began to recognize the distinct PLUNK sound they made when they fell to the ground. It's not good when ants are big enough to make a sound when they fall.
By the second night I was armed with a sandal and used it to smoosh about a hundred ants in the cabin. Then it came time for bed. There were eight ants on the bedspread and one under the pillow. I realize that I'm in the woods, and if I were camping ants would have been part of the atmosphere. But this was a nice cabin. Heck, it had a hot tub! And I had a high fever! We made it through that night with the lights on, listening to PLUNK, PLUNK, PLUNK, armed with our shoe weapons. First sign of daylight, we packed up the car and headed home where I proceeded to cave into the plague.
Since then, I've noticed that every other commercial on TV seems to be about ants. :)
Maureen (who seems to have misplaced a lung)
www.MaureenAMiller.com
9 comments:
Oh No!
{Hug} and hope you get well quickly and WOW on the ant infestation!
Suddenly the Canadian geese annual invasion doesn't seem so annoying. (Man, geese poop a lot)
We had the ant thing in Bamfield--as we hit two mass swarm/dispersion events. It was horrible. I feel your pain but I'm so sorry your vacation was cut short :(
My husband made me suck it up although as we were 2.5K km from home I guess we didn't have much choice. Maybe we'll switch to horror rather than romance writing? I hope you are feeling better :(
They do, Cathy! And they seem to find every sidewalk that I'm about to walk on. :)
Yikes!! There's something to be said for a "stay cation" where you know what you're going to get. ;)
Omigod, Maureen, As I've often told my husband, I feel like I'm camping here at home. It's bad. Stay well. Next time go to a spa. (I've heard they pamper you there.)
AWWWW! So sorry feel better soon.
That's true, Toni. I could definitely write a horror story from this!
I like that, Anne Marie. The 'stay-cation'. I feel like Dorothy. There's no place like home. :)
LOL, Jean...camping at home! So true. Somehow I feel the ants will follow me to the spa. I think they're out there watching me right now...plotting. :)
Thank you, Miss Rita. Tea and honey isn't cutting it. Time to switch to brandy and honey. :)
I think the winning combination would be tea, brandy and honey, heavy on the brandy. Have I said, "Poor baby!" yet? Feel better!
Oh no, I feel your pain! Hope the brandy and honey has done the trick by now and that you're fully recovered.
There's a lot to be said for staying at home...
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