Sunday

anti-ants~


image from the internet

Cookies anyone? Sure... if you scrape the thousands of ants off of them first!  Oh my... 


Every year I make a lot of cookies and bars for the holidays.  Well... this year I made a bunch up and didn't put them out right away.  Instead, I decorated up a box that was about 6 inches high and 2 feet long by 1 foot wide.  I filled it with the cookies and wrapped it up and set it under the tree.  I figured this would be a good way to keep the goodies hidden and from getting eaten up before Christmas.  I did keep out a plate full of sugar cookies and some fudge.



Yesterday, we finally celebrated our Christmas; because it was the day we could all be together.  Dear Hubby had asked, "where are all the cookies?", my children had asked, "where are all the cookies Mom?", my Grandloves had asked, "Grandma, didn't you make cookies?"   To all they got the same reply, "sorry, not this year, I didn't think we needed them."   Poor babies... they all replied with a sigh, saying how much they loved all the cookies I baked and that they really wished I would have done it this year too.  They all look forward to the big cookie collection at G'ma's house on Christmas.



Also, the other question going around was "Who's present is that under the tree in that big gold box?  There's no tags on it."


Happy happy Joy joy when they all found out the big gold box was full of cookies!! 


Then the reality ...
ANTS!!! 


Now, I'm not talking a few little ants that you could snap off and say, 'ah.. it's just an ant and still feel good about eating that cookie ... the box was INFESTED with thousands of ants!!!   Where the heck did they show up from!!!    The whole colony was there having a very merry time at my expense!!



Well the box of cookies spent the night out on the deck in the snow; and this morning it got the heave ho to the dumpster.


The only good thing about that was I was able to kill the whole bunch off at once ... freezing their little butts off in the snow.  

I'm just in such a funk as to where these ants came from.  We haven't been seeing ants in the house anywhere.  We've never seen this kind of ant anywhere around here.  This is Wisconsin and we're in the middle of winter ... there are no ants in the snow and cold. 



I'm just taking it as a sign ... we don't need all those sweets.  I'm trying to cut back on that kind of stuff anyways; and I guess this was the year.


Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel
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8 comments:

  1. Cher' ShotsDecember 27, 2009 at 5:44 PM

    Oh how sad, all your hard work and also the expense that comes along with just the baking ingredients. Then there's your time, so sorry Mel. I sure hope you get to the bottom of your "ants" coming for a visit.

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  2. DarDecember 27, 2009 at 9:56 PM

    So Sorry bout such a dilemma. I still think your colony was a nest of babes that traveled in that box as a family from TN. They just wanted a white Christmas Mel. What a bummer though.
    Gotta say though, that was the best piece of fudge I have had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into in ages. Definitely keep that recipe.
    My little traveling partner today asked me to make some.
    Blessings Dear One...have a wonderful New Year.....without ants.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ~melDecember 28, 2009 at 5:37 AM

    RE: Dar & Cher
    The only thing that I really can think of where the ants came from would have to be the box itself. Just a few days ago I had received a package from Tennessee. Of course, I didn't see any ants when wrapping it; or I would never have used it. The only thing I can think of is that they must have been in the corrugated air pockets of the cardboard itself. I don't know how fast ants can reproduce because there really is no way that many ants would have been able to be in there going undetected. I wish I had taken a picture of it ... there literally were thousands of them! Gross!! I haven't seen anymore either since getting rid of the box of goodies. Thank goodness... it wasn't spiders or snakes ~ like you hear about traveling unsuspectingly in things. Okay... I just had a goose bump shiver again. Geeze... this was a rotten experience.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DeeDecember 28, 2009 at 9:24 AM

    Bless your heart. All your work and sweet efforts being gobbled up and ruined by them gnarly ants.
    I think it's bizarre how they multiplied so fast and thank goodness that you had the box wrapped. I can imagine how horrible it would have been if them little buggers had gotten loose in you house. ~shivers~
    I bet you're right about where they came from.

    I second this-->"Thank goodness... it wasn't spiders or snakes ~ like you hear about traveling unsuspectingly in things. Okay... I just had a goose bump shiver again."

    Wishing you a pest free week!
    ;)

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  5. moniDecember 28, 2009 at 6:05 PM

    Your Ant experience brought back an experience that floyd and I had back in southern California. We lived in a senior mobile home park and did not really know our neighbors all that well. Anyway, at Christmas we went door to door and invited anyone who wanted to come visit to have dinner with us. Soon people were showing up and we needed a little more table space so we went out to our patio and brought in our patio table. A little while later, we noticed little ants all over the table. Floyd and I destroyed those ants so fast that you wouldn't believe. I don't think anyone knew our problem. What is it about ants and Christmas???? You actually had imported ants, lol.

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  6. BogartDecember 29, 2009 at 5:03 AM

    Goodness gracious! I would have been having one tornado of a fit seeing those ants! SERIOUSLY! Me & ants do not mess one bit at all . . . this stems from when Hub was a trucker & he took me to Texas & I got a personal up close to darn personal experience with FIRE ANTS!!!! ugh ugh ugh . . . ants . . . don't like em that much at all . . .

    hhhmmm, did you all have a real tree? was the tree placed near an outlet? Believe it or not many ants make their darlin' lil next right smack in the walls near outlets . . . they don't come out too often or in such a quanity but your cookies could have been the draw for them!!!

    I am so sorry about the ants & the cookies but you got to admit . . . this is a crazy cool story to tell down the years eh :)

    ~ May you ALWAYS be Blessed & may you ALWAYS Bless others ~

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  7. Cindy EhlersDecember 29, 2009 at 9:39 PM

    Bet you never do that again! All that work, I would have cried if I wouldn't have been so darn mad if I were you!

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  8. lil sisDecember 31, 2009 at 7:01 AM

    Good gosh almighty, thank goodness they weren't
    fire ants or your hubby would be having
    flashbacks. I bet they did come in on the box
    Mel, and I agree, I'm glad it wasn't snakes or spiders
    and I'm glad they loved the cookies so much they
    stayed in one place. Sorry about the outcome.
    I know how much time and effort you put into
    your cookie creations and how wonderful they
    taste....really can't blame the ants for wanting some!
    Love ya much, me

    ReplyDelete

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