Wednesday, November 05, 2025

Household Warfare

 

There is always something attacking a house:

Ants, mice, birds all try to get in,

they know there is food in there;

Tinier things invade, too.


Bacteria and mold in hidden areas;

the slightest drop of moisture

leaves one open to attacks -

A homeowner is always at war.


At war with the multitudes of creatures

trying to gain entry and purchase into

your seemingly impenetrable homestead.

Just put down some sticky traps...


The crickets, centipedes, ants will show up

captured in there, in a matter of days.

What does a Centipede or Box-elder bug

need with a boring indoor environment?

They seem perfectly adapted to the outdoors,

flying or crawling around munching on plants.


Why do they all try to get in and bother me?

But that black mold is the most insidious of all,

hiding so well and spreading so fast. Maybe if

I douse the entire house in bleach, gallons and gallons of it.

Then the stuff would probably become immune!


No general in a war was as active as the typical

homeowner in the midwestern US,

fighting off every manner of invaders,

dousing spaces with caustic chemicals,

hoping to gain a few more days of rest.

There are days when summoning a bulldozer to

knock it all down, and admit defeat, seems appealing.


Not quite to that point yet. Not quite...




Household Warfare

  There is always something attacking a house: Ants, mice, birds all try to get in, they know there is food in there; Tinier things invad...