Random 5 for April 10 – Smells, ants, neighbors, credit cards, crankiness

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Source: doctorrated.blogspot.com

Source: doctorrated.blogspot.com

What is that smell? – I’m taking a class. After four years of retirement I forgot how bad it smells when 100 people crowd into an auditorium. Phew!

Update on the ants – I’m a sucker for natural so I bought a “natural remedy spray” made of lemongrass oil to deter ants in the house. The stuff stank for hours. I’m never using it again. We are officially living with ants. I moved Hazel’s food dish so she doesn’t have to share her dinner.

Neighbors can be jerks – An orchard farmer started small fires among his fruit tree to protect them against an untimely severe frost this past week. A neighbor complained and the police made him shut them down. He lost his apricot crop and half of his plums. The police chief apologized the next day. Agriculture is an exception to the “no burning” law. (There was no fear of uncontrolled fires.) Hope the neighbor feels like a boob. That profession is hard enough dealing with a fickle Mother Nature.

Better? Seriously? – I received an updated (but still not chipped) credit card. The letter talked of exciting new rewards. As far as I could see they have taken away my free on-line shipping. Couldn’t find what’s better.

Cranky pants? – In proofing my post I noticed a theme. Whine, whine, whine. I’ll try to do better next week folks. Damn weather getting me down.

So how was your week?

 

 

 

56 thoughts on “Random 5 for April 10 – Smells, ants, neighbors, credit cards, crankiness”

  2. I see lots of blaming the neighbor, but I think it was the cop that messed up! I mean, if your law enforcement folks don’t know what the law says, there’s a problem.

    As for the ants, I was told by a vegan that they lay down a hormone trail, so if you can find their track outside, and somehow manage to break the trail, they won’t come back. You can use your lemongrass spray that way. Or the vegan dude used grape jelly. Apparently ants love grape jelly. Who knew?

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    • It was definitely the policeman that made him shut down the fires. The police chief was the one who said there was an ag exception. The farmer admitted that he could have said something to the neighbors. He was overwhelmed. I haven’t been able to locate where the ants are coming in or their hive (hopefully outside). I intend to do some poking around out there this week.

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  3. Around here it’s the neighborhoods encroaching on the farm land. I have a friend who had a dairy farm for years. New neighborhoods sprung up and started complaining about the smell. (They loved the rural feel that’s why they moved there they said.) (Hey, they are COWS, what did you expect?) Finally after a couple years of subtle harassment they sold the cows and moved. Someday we are going to have a hard time finding fresh food for lack of knowledge of what it takes to produce it and selfishness. Farming and neighborhoods are a hard mix.

    I’m going to climb down off my soapbox now…

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    • I know. I lived about 2 miles from a turkey farm. I didn’t get any odor but a new development sprung across the street from the turkey houses. What a ta-do. The turkeys had been there first. Neighbors started opening the doors so the turkeys got out of the coops at night. The farmer moved them but it’s only a matter of time until neighborhoods pop up around the new coops. I used to get my milk at a dairy farm. Best dairy products ever and worst smell! Those cows know how to poop!

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  4. Like Jill, we use a granular product around the foundation of our house to get rid of ants. It works! What a shame about the farmer. It’s too bad he couldn’t/didn’t cite the law at the time. His crop might have been saved. By all means, Kate, grab some wine and whine away!

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  5. It’s okay to nave a cranky once and awhile. At least that’s what I tell myself… 🙂
    Feel really bad for the farmer. We had a couple of nights of hard freeze and it made me sad for all our stuff outside and we don’t depend on it for a living. Sad.

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  9. I like it when other bloggers make an occasional rant – frees me up to do the same. It is also so wonderfully humanizing.
    Ants: give them somewhere better to go – a bowl of sugar water strategically placed sometimes works.
    Neighbors who call the police instead of talking to the neighbor directly: useless – rant away! Credit cards: have had the same one for 25 years. No problems.
    Class: What are you learning? And how is it that you are younger than me and already retired?
    Cranky pants: I agree – ranting good, whining bad. But you aren’t whining here.

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  10. Speaking of cranky, we are expecting 89 degrees in south Texas tomorrow. Which always has a way of getting me grouchy, whiny, and petulant. In a perfect dream world, I would live somewhere that has sixty degree weather, blue skies, and bright sunshine, all year round. Alas, I live in south Texas, where the “melting asphalt that sticks to bare feet” season is just around the corner. So apparently no matter where we live, we find something to gripe about. 🙂

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  12. Thankfully no snow here, but we had a freeze last night. Some of our plans were damaged earlier in the week too. We’ve been using a granular ant bait that you sprinkle around the outside of your foundation. So far, it’s been working pretty well.

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  13. As soon as I read “In order to better serve you…” I start looking for the ways the company has discovered to screw their customers. So sad about the farmer’s crops. I hope the rest of the neighbors know who complained so they can give them the appropriate stink eye treatment.

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    • I have been so angry at the weather this week…incredibly cold, snow yesterday…I’m having a hard time pulling myself up. Maybe by Tuesday and some warmth my spirits will turn. Hope your back feels better too. Maybe some wine will help that.

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  16. Years ago people put cucumber peels out to stop ants. I tried it once and it worked, kind of. A thought. In answer to your question: my week was busy, slightly angsty because I’m doing the A To Z Challenge which takes so. much. time. Luckily I decided not to whine about it– and wined instead! 😉

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  18. Body odor, the worst, like being in a men’s gym class. I left a guy once because he smelled so musty.
    Lemongrass…if I was an ant I’d stay if you were spraying that around. Such a nice smell.
    As far as chipped credit cards go, my annoyance knows no bounds having many cards. I bank online so the first thing you need to do is change everything, and Chase hates this…threatens you wit delays. All the stuff that makes one anxious. Nothing is simple anymore. That said.

    Instead of whine, whine, whine…let’s just switch to wine, wine, wine, and get it over with. You and me. I’ll join you and even pick up the check. 🙂

    Love the Random 5

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  20. There is an ant trap that someone told me about when they took over my computer desk last year. It was very effective and I’ve not had an ant since. Be glad about the card chip. I have one and you never know whether to scan or read as some businesses can’t take the chip. The farmer probably could see an attorney and sue as he suffered financial loss – unless he did not grow the fruit to sell. The apology is an admission of guilt IMHO.

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  21. Wow, that is an ignorant and entitled neighbor. Couldn’t he just go over and ASK what was going on before flipping out and calling the police?

    Oh. Wait. I know. Because so many people now are crazy and also so many have guns. 😦

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    • As I understand it the neighbor originally called it in as a possible fire. Not sure how it all went sideways. Sounded like overzealous police action or possibly the neighbor complaining of smoke (that’s what keeps the blossoms safe). Then again maybe there is a “neighbor war.” It’s silly because it’s farmland and there are acres separating people. Guess we should be happy no one got shot.

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  22. That poor farmer!! As if the job is not hard enough, now he has to worry about a “neighbor” who excuse me, has not been there as long as that farm, being annoyed by some smoke. It took everything I had not to drop some f-bombs about that news! Very sad indeed.

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