Albuquerque Critters

This is a different world from the places we've inhabited in the past. The climate is wonderful, but I've covered that. The big difference I want to tell about now is the critters. Our first night here, I went outside to experience the cool dryness of a desert night. I wasn't disappointed. But the bestest bestest thing- No mosquitoes! No biting bugs of any description.

Day two brought us our first critter problem: ants. The cat food dishes were full of them. Big black ones. Although they provided some limited entertainment for the kids, a certain female human member of the household was not amused. Luckily, in one of the utility room cabinets, there was a selection of three styles of ant bait left by the previous tenants. So this was not a new problem. They helped. A lot. Also, we soon discovered, there was a small cadre of spiders living here, feasting on the ant population. We decided to share our space with them. Then one day suddenly the kitchen counters were infested with tiny brown ants. The baits that worked so well for the black ones did nothing. So I tried the liquid bait. BAM! Gone in a day. Another morning I discovered a twelve-foot trail of little browns in the living room, feasting on a dropped pecan piece on the carpet. Liquid bait. BAM!

Crickets don't last long inside. Remus Lupin has made it his job to be our cricket monitor, leaving me only the job of removing the carcasses after he's done playing with them. I do so cheerfully.

Out on the back patio there is a largeish population of snails. Carmen was telling a parishioner about this, and was advised to get turtles. They love to eat snails. So today we are scheduled to hook up with a congregant who has a turtle overload. Hopefully, today, our twenty third anniversary, we are going to become turtle jugglers!