Coping with Nature - July 17, 2012

We strive for peaceful coexistence with nature here. Let me give you a couple of examples.

First example, is bats. We love bats. We live near the bat capitol of Austin after all. But we get sick of cleaning up bat poop by our back door. (see photo)

Mike is not hanging Christmas decorations. This is plastic tape adorned with tin foil to discourage the bats from flying through this space at night and flinging poo.

Example number 2, we are currently under attack by army ants. It isn't too bad since the ants have stayed out of the house so far. It started Sunday, nothing yesterday, and then again this morning.

They don't look too bad here do they on Sunday? Below as they are today behind the house this morning, this time acting more in a swarm than a column. There could be lots more. Mike's theory we are just on the fringe of this swarm.

Curiously enough we had dinner with friends who live in the next village and they showed us a video they made of their army ants that had been swarming their house that same day. The distance between the two towns is significant. We don't know if this is one colony or several. Wikipedia says that a swarm can cover 20 meters. The ants either remain in a column or swarm, or both. What do you do when they attack? You leave. They clean up all bugs in their path so you save on house cleaning.

Friends Hannah and Joch at dinner. Strange fact: Phyllis lived in the same town in Newburyport, Massachusetts at the same time but we did not know each other though we frequented many of the same places.