Thursday, November 4, 2010

Bugged and Broke

Today has been an expensive day. My car's in the shop getting several parts fixed that have just worn out during the last ten years and over 100,000 miles of use--stuff like brakes, shocks, tires, motor mounts, etc. And while it's nice that the car's been paid off for awhile, I think the bill I'm going to be hit with is about the equivalent of several months of car payments. Argh! Hubby's been in the automotive parts business most of his work life and the mechanic is one of our best friends, so I know we're not getting overcharged, but it's still quite expensive.

Then we had the exterminator out today too. Well, you all know about the rat problem, right? For the last few months, we've had a rat that has had the run of the house. Stitch brought it in to play when it was an itsy bitsy baby (so little that I thought it was a toy and not a real rat at all) and it hasn't wanted to leave since. We've had a couple sightings and seen a few "leavings" but it hasn't been dumb enough to allow itself to be trapped thus far. And now we've begun to see signs of a flea problem as well. The exterminator thinks the rat is spreading the fleas around and the cats probably brought the fleas in to begin with, but however it happened, NOW we need to get rid of a rat AND fleas, and that's not cheap either. Oh, and apparently the abundance of cotton fabric and wool fabric I have lovingly "collected" over time aren't the best things to have when you might have fleas. By the way, did I mention the cockroach I saw in the bathroom the other day?! Double ARGH! The exterminator suggested we try putting out a few "roach motels" since there aren't any real signs of infestation so far; in the meantime, he's going to try to trap the rat and then treat our home for fleas.

Last weekend the Wild Child and I decided to clean out all of the kitchen food cupboards--I wanted to check for active pests, pest skeletons, and rat leavings--I'm happy to say we didn't find anything, so that was a relief. I was visualizing some pretty horrible things, I can tell you! On the positive side, we still have a fair amount of food in the cupboards and pantry, so I guess we'll be able to eat for awhile despite my depleted bank account.

It's hard to believe, but even though the election is over, I'm still being plagued by pests and the bad economy. Triple ARGH!

7 comments:

strawberrycream39 said...

When it rains, it pours, right? I'm sure you'll be "pest-free" before you know it! Arrgh is right about the car...I hate those extra expenses!!

Marj said...

I know that it feels bad for you right now, but be thankful that you at least have a job and therefore will be able to replenish your funds.
Go and do some quilting to get your mind off your troubles and in no time you will feel better.

Tiffaney said...

Maybe that car this is going around. 1 of our cars just decided it needed to start flashing the check engine light and running funny.

That bug guy will get the pests all fixed up for you.

ohiofarmgirl said...

Oh my...you are having a bad month. As far as the roach goes...when our rentals get roaches we use a gel that you find at Walmart ( looks like a large needle)...that is the same stuff that Terminex uses....put out plenty because roaches multiply every few days and come out mainly at night so you won't see them until it is a massive problem. Good luck. Dianntha

dianne said...

rats, fleas, roaches, deficit spending ... are you SURE you're not talking about the guv'mint?

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

I'm sorry to hear of all your issues. November isn't off to a great start for you, is it? Fingers crossed that it gets better.

Shirley--Knot-y Embroidery Lady said...

Hey, you - I am sending my love from San Diego - standing over the trash can in McDonalds - only place I can find a free wifi connection. We are waiting for my mother and sister to arrive from Canada.

I hope I can get wifi on the ship and catch up with you.

Just know I am thinking of you and will have a virgin mango drink in your honour

Hugs