The Kat House » critters

They’re Back!

Tish — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:43:21 +0000

You know how I said I rarely see a spider in the house now? I must have jinxed myself. I got up yesterday morning and saw a huge spider running across the kitchen floor. Orkin has definitely helped with the problem, but they haven’t addressed the real source. I’ve been telling them for a year now that the spiders live in my flower beds and manage to come in through the sliding glass doors. The Orkin man comes out and sprays inside my house – around all the doors and windows, and in the cracks and crevices. And yes, it helps. But there are still spiders living in the flower beds, and a few of them are still going to make it inside the house.

I have one treatment left to finish out my contract – in about two weeks. Yesterday I called around to try to find a better option, and I think I may have found it. I talked to Cook’s Pest Control. They charge $35 per month, but they treat EVERY MONTH! Orkin charges $71 per treatment and treats every other month. Of course, both services will come out between regular visits if you notice a problem, and there’s no additional cost. The biggest difference is that Cook’s told me that they guarantee a 10 foot perimeter around your house! No pests within 10 feet! That would take care of the spider problem. On their first visit, they spray both the inside to flush any pests out, and then they take care of the outside. Subsequent visits focus only on the outside to make sure that it remains pest free. Of course, they will also treat inside if you notice any problems.

I talked at great length to the Cook’s technician, explaining the problem I have. And I was quite impressed. I told him that I’d call him after I get that last treatment from Orkin. The price is still about the same, but I’ll have twice as many treatments – and they will focus on eliminating the spiders instead of just keeping them out of my house!

Attack of the Killer Mosquitoes

Tish — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:45:50 +0000

When I moved into this house last year, there was a serious spider infestation. I signed a one year contract with Orkin, and now I rarely see a spider. But as luck would have it, my contract is coming to a close – and my property has been invaded by swarms of gigantic mosquitoes! These aren’t your ordinary mosquitoes at all. They’re the size of dragonflies, and when I step out into the yard, it sounds as if an army of helicopters is coming in to land. I guess this means I’ll have to continue to pay that $71 pest control fee every other month. I’m starting to think that the Orkin man is the real blood sucker here.

Thursday Thoughts #5

chattiekat — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:12:16 +0000

It’s time once again to reveal a few of the recent Google search terms that have brought readers to my blog, as well as my thoughts on each.

“Nicest perfume ever”

Loving perfume as I do, I have a fairly large collection of fragrances. I don’t like strong, overpowering scents. I tend to go for more youthful and fun fragrances. My favorite is Happy by Clinique. I wear it nearly every day. I also like Happy Heart, also by Clinique, and Pink by Victoria’s Secret. Avon has a great line of perfumes as well; my favorites are Wink, Be…Kissable, and Smile.

“Joe Anchundia”

Last year, I participated in the 2,996 Project, in which thousands of bloggers came together to honor the victims of 9/11. We were each randomly assigned a victim to post a tribute for. We were on our own to discover all we could about the person. It was a very emotional experience. I wrote a tribute to Judson Cavalier, a young man who perished in Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. Judd’s best friend, Joe Anchundia, also died that day. Lilize posted a beautiful tribute to Joe Anchundia.

“Boy next door really hung”

By any chance, is his name Matthew Lillard?

“Things to give you nightmares”

Here are a few other search terms that give me nightmares.

“spider’s poo”

“spider in sauce”

Oh God! Spiders!”

“I got bit by a banana spider”

“Ralphie May nude”

The Wild and Crazy Things Pets Do

chattiekat — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:33:29 +0000

Liza of Vanilla Soup just kicked off a very cool weekly contest. Each week, she will select a topic. You will have one week to nominate related posts from your own blog or others’ blogs. Each weekly winner will receive the Soup Spoon Award and will be entered into a monthly drawing for a blog review.

The first week’s topic is “The Things Our Pets Come Up With”. Please nominate posts “about the amusing, interesting, amazing, funny, crazy, and strange things you find pets doing.” You have until Sunday to get your nominations in.

Thursday Thoughts #3

chattiekat — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:20:15 +0000

During the past week, hundreds of people visited my blog by performing various Google searches pertaining to spiders. Perhaps it was due to Halloween. If not, I suspect there’s some sort of arachnid invasion going on. Here are some of the more unusual searches.

“rusty wandering spider”

Roaming from home to home in search of the love that has so long eluded him…

“spider’s bits”

Spiders have bits? That explains the rusty wanderer. His spider bits have prompted him to search for spider tits!

“How tall can a wolf spider stand?”

Hopefully tall enough for me to kick him in the bits.

Of Beauty, Spiders, and Men

chattiekat — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:28:10 +0000

While browsing through my Google search terms today, I realized that my blog is often accessed for advice on beauty, spiders, and men. I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable on beauty topics, but when it comes to spiders and men, I’m not so sure anyone should turn to me for advice.

I have decided, however, to share my views on a few of the recent searches that led readers to The Kat House.

“Has anyone did eyelash perm and how long?”

I’ve had my eyelashes permed several times, and I’ve been very pleased. When I mentioned an upcoming appointment on my blog a while back, there were lots of questions, so I decided to post a photo of my beautifully curled lashes. The entire procedure lasts about 45 minutes and the curl lasts about six weeks. If you’re in the Knoxville area, I recommend Belleza Salon and Spa.

Oh, and I can give great advice on grammar as well. Next time, ask for that.

“How to get rid of wolf spiders”

Get naked.

“What to say when dumping a man”

There’s really no need to say anything. He’ll dump you soon enough.

“Is he blowing me off?”

If you have to ask this question, then yes. He’s blowing you off. Move on.

“Does he love me? He gave me a toothbrush.”

I have only been given a toothbrush one time. The guy simultaneously asked me to move to another state for him, and in a temporary state of insanity, I agreed. I spent an unbelievable amount of time and effort preparing for the move, and before it was complete, he got cold feet and dumped me. So no, a toothbrush does not signify love. Consider it foreshadowing for the big dump that is likely to occur a short while later. Either that, or you have bad breath.

“Show me sexy men.”

Certainly. Here are a few sexy men who have been featured on my blog.

There you have it – my tips on beauty, spiders, and men. My advice is free – and worth every penny!

Sunday Samplings #12

chattiekat — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 04:00:25 +0000

Les Jones has posed an interesting question for all you bloggers out there. Just what is your ratio of blog posts to comments? Take a moment to stop by and post your information. The responses are really interesting!
Yvonne Foong is a Malaysian college student suffering from Neurofibromatosis. The disease affects the nervous system and causes benign tumors to grow throughout the body. Yvonne has had three brain surgeries and one spinal surgery to remove these tumors, and she still needs additional treatments. Her blog contains an online store where you can purchase clothing, jewelry, artwork, and her book entitled I’m Not Sick, Just a Bit Unwell: Life with Neurofibromatosis.
Byron Chesney just participated in the Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He walked in memory of his sister, Pam, raising more than $1,300. Byron’s post, Look Mommy, It’s Raining Flowers!, is the story of Pam’s life and death. Have a tissue handy when you read it.
If you live in the Knoxville area and are interested in auditioning for a film project, you can find the details on the Callboard Blog.
As you know, I’ve had a serious spider problem in my house, so I can’t resist passing along a link to Bobby’s Freaky Morbid Spider post. You’ll find out more than you ever wanted to know about Brown Recluse spiders.
And while we’re on the topic of spiders, be sure to check out Andrew’s post entitled You Found What in the Grapes?

Latest Spider Spotting

chattiekat — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:15:52 +0000

I found this spider hanging out between two shrubs in front of my house. It’s about the size of a nickel. Anyone know what it is?

The Real Reason I’m Single

chattiekat — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:26:51 +0000

I’m beginning to think that sweet little old lady I bought my house from wasn’t so sweet after all. Supposedly she fell in love at nearly 80 years of age and sailed off into the sunset with her knight in shining walker. Frankly, I think she left to escape the spiders. Not ordinary house spiders, mind you, but wolf spiders that are sometimes mistaken for small dogs.

You may recall that I started finding these unwelcome visitors in my house shortly after I moved in. They were larger than most spiders I had seen in my lifetime, but not particularly frightening – until the incident in the garage. One night I walked into my garage to find a huge wolf spider feasting on a neighborhood cat. I took off my shoe and threw it at him, but he quickly ran under the car, but not before giving me the finger. It took damn near all night, but I finally got the better of him. There’s still a stain on the garage floor.

The next day I called Orkin and signed a one year contract. It has definitely helped, as I’ve seen only a few indoor spiders since that time. However, there are a multitude of them living outside the house. There are webs in the flower beds and the shrubs. And at night you can’t go outside without seeing several of them running across the patio.

My washer and dryer are located in the garage. I took a load of laundry out last night and encountered yet another huge spider. I trapped him under a box and figured I’d just leave him there to die. Then I’d be able to get a photo for my blog. I went back to my computer and chatted with my buddy Andrew. When I told him about the spider, he relayed his own spider story. He had thrown a wolf spider out of his house in the dead of winter. An hour later, he felt guilty and went to check on it. There it was lifeless and shriveled up in the snow. After hearing that story, I felt some guilt of my own, and turned my spider loose and chased him out of the garage.

He came back with a vengeance. During the night, he found his way into the house and was waiting for me when I got out of the shower this morning. It was like looking into the eyes of Satan himself! And completely by accident, I discovered just how to get rid of him. In an attempt to escape my bathroom, I dropped my towel. The spider ran behind the sink. I haven’t seen him since. My guess is that he was so scarred by what he saw that he high-tailed it out of my house.

Maybe that explains why I’m single.

Leapin’ Lizards!

chattiekat — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:22:20 +0000

I love my new house, but it came with one problem I wasn’t expecting – spiders! Since I moved in, I’ve found several large spiders inside the house. I was dealing with them just fine until I found a very large wolf spider in the garage a few weeks ago. I immediately called the Orkin Man.

Orkin came out for the first treatment a few days later. They sprayed every room of the house – all the cracks and crevices, closets, around all the doors and windows. They paid special attention to the garage, both spraying and putting down glue boards at the gaps of the garage door. They left a large stack of glue boards with me so that I could replace them as necessary. You’d be surprised to see just how many spiders and other bugs have tried to get into my garage since I started putting out the glue boards!

Tonight I checked the glue boards and found a small lizard stuck to one. It broke my heart. I figured I’d never be able to get the poor thing off the board without killing it. I vaguely remember my friend Chris mentioning that oil would remove anything from glue boards, so I gave it a try. I poured some vegetable oil all around the lizard, and I pulled out my handy dandy butter knife. I slid it underneath the lizard and carefully worked the lizard loose. It was actually quite easy, and I didn’t hurt the lizard at all!

I picked up the lizard, carried it outside into the grass, and let it go. I am happy to say that it scurried away without a moment’s hesitation!