On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:37:39 GMT, Saerah Gray >
wrote:

>Omelet > fnord newsmpomelet-904CA3.10331314092008
:
>
>>
>> People at work are such slobs...
>> The microwaves are a disgrace as idiots refuse to cover food when they
>> are warming it. I ALWAYS do! I refuse to clean them anymore. Nobody
>> seems to give a flying damn.
>
>Ugh. I have the same problem at work. And the refrigerator! Why save
>leftovers from a take-out meal if you're gonna let it get gross in the
>fridge?

We finally instituted Friday cleanup by team and the last Friday of
every month was a total clean out day. Unless something was clearly
labeled with an owner's name and didn't resemble a science experiment,
it was tossed in the garbage - expensive container or not.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

Omelet wrote:

>
> Ever try glue traps for ants?

Nope.

>
> I tried them briefly for rats, but kept catching geckos. :-( Not good.

Tried glue traps for mice, (years ago, before I had cats) and they
didn't seem to work either.

> I got rid of them pronto and went back to snap traps. Those big rat
> traps are hard and dangerous to set tho'.

Quite so.

>
> Roach hotels (box glue traps) work well for roaches. I need to pick
> up some of those for the break room at work. :-P

No roaches here (thank gawd).

>
> People at work are such slobs...
> The microwaves are a disgrace as idiots refuse to cover food when they
> are warming it.


Why should they? The seem to think that there is a MW 'cleaning fairy'
that will come in and do it for them...


> I ALWAYS do! I refuse to clean them anymore. Nobody
> seems to give a flying damn.

Don't blame you.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Google is my Friend (GIMF)

In article >, sf wrote:

> On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:37:39 GMT, Saerah Gray >
> wrote:
>
> >Omelet > fnord newsmpomelet-904CA3.10331314092008
> :
> >
> >>
> >> People at work are such slobs...
> >> The microwaves are a disgrace as idiots refuse to cover food when they
> >> are warming it. I ALWAYS do! I refuse to clean them anymore. Nobody
> >> seems to give a flying damn.
> >
> >Ugh. I have the same problem at work. And the refrigerator! Why save
> >leftovers from a take-out meal if you're gonna let it get gross in the
> >fridge?
>
> We finally instituted Friday cleanup by team and the last Friday of
> every month was a total clean out day. Unless something was clearly
> labeled with an owner's name and didn't resemble a science experiment,
> it was tossed in the garbage - expensive container or not.

Sometimes you have to get ruthless. ;-)
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

In article >,
ChattyCathy > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
>
> >
> > Ever try glue traps for ants?
>
> Nope.
>
> >
> > I tried them briefly for rats, but kept catching geckos. :-( Not good.
>
> Tried glue traps for mice, (years ago, before I had cats) and they
> didn't seem to work either.
>
> > I got rid of them pronto and went back to snap traps. Those big rat
> > traps are hard and dangerous to set tho'.
>
> Quite so.

As in a danger of broken fingers. <g>

>
> >
> > Roach hotels (box glue traps) work well for roaches. I need to pick
> > up some of those for the break room at work. :-P
>
> No roaches here (thank gawd).

This is the south. Google for "palmetto bugs".

>
> >
> > People at work are such slobs...
> > The microwaves are a disgrace as idiots refuse to cover food when they
> > are warming it.
>
>
> Why should they? The seem to think that there is a MW 'cleaning fairy'
> that will come in and do it for them...

Buncha M-F'ers ! Sorry, but it truly tics me off. It's why I quit
cleaning up after the slobs! I think Catherine has too. Maria left. She
was the only other one that cleaned the m-waves.

I refuse...

>
>
> > I ALWAYS do! I refuse to clean them anymore. Nobody
> > seems to give a flying damn.
>
> Don't blame you.

At least the one at home is clean!
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

Omelet wrote:
>
> Dad says a dirty microwave wears out the transmitter faster.

It would have to be awfully dirty for that to happen.
You'd have to be dumping something like 5 or 10%
of the transmitter power into the dirt, which is
within the range of what might set it on fire.

However, that gives me an idea for a new invention.
A microwave oven that senses how dirty it is and
turns on a CLEAN ME indicator light. Sort of like
the check engine light on a car. It could be a
specialty microwave oven, designed for offices
and shared living arrangements.

It could sense the dirt by powering up the magnetron
for a brief pulse, to measure the microwave absorption
during an unloaded condition, or it might use optical
sensors embedded in the walls. The latter would
probably be much more sensitive, because it would
detect unsightly deposits that don't necessarily
absorb much energy.

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > Dad says a dirty microwave wears out the transmitter faster.
>
> It would have to be awfully dirty for that to happen.
> You'd have to be dumping something like 5 or 10%
> of the transmitter power into the dirt, which is
> within the range of what might set it on fire.

Dad is an RF/Aerospace engineer. I'll let you argue with him. <g>

>
> However, that gives me an idea for a new invention.
> A microwave oven that senses how dirty it is and
> turns on a CLEAN ME indicator light. Sort of like
> the check engine light on a car. It could be a
> specialty microwave oven, designed for offices
> and shared living arrangements.

And shuts down when the light comes on!

>
> It could sense the dirt by powering up the magnetron
> for a brief pulse, to measure the microwave absorption
> during an unloaded condition, or it might use optical
> sensors embedded in the walls. The latter would
> probably be much more sensitive, because it would
> detect unsightly deposits that don't necessarily
> absorb much energy.

Work on that babe. Might make you a millionaire. :-)

My back porch window AC unit has a light that comes on after a certain
number of hours of use that says the filter needs cleaning. And I DO
pay attention to it. I actually tend to clean it more often, and reset
it.
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

Omelet wrote:

> In article >,
> ChattyCathy > wrote:
>
>> Omelet wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > Ever try glue traps for ants?
>>
>> Nope.
>>
>> >
>> > I tried them briefly for rats, but kept catching geckos. :-( Not
>> > good.
>>
>> Tried glue traps for mice, (years ago, before I had cats) and they
>> didn't seem to work either.
>>
>> > I got rid of them pronto and went back to snap traps. Those big
>> > rat traps are hard and dangerous to set tho'.
>>
>> Quite so.
>
> As in a danger of broken fingers. <g>
>
>>
>> >
>> > Roach hotels (box glue traps) work well for roaches. I need to
>> > pick up some of those for the break room at work. :-P
>>
>> No roaches here (thank gawd).
>
> This is the south. Google for "palmetto bugs".
>
>>
>> >
>> > People at work are such slobs...
>> > The microwaves are a disgrace as idiots refuse to cover food when
>> > they are warming it.
>>
>>
>> Why should they? The seem to think that there is a MW 'cleaning
>> fairy' that will come in and do it for them...
>
> Buncha M-F'ers ! Sorry, but it truly tics me off. It's why I quit
> cleaning up after the slobs! I think Catherine has too. Maria left.
> She was the only other one that cleaned the m-waves.
>
> I refuse...
>
>>
>>
>> > I ALWAYS do! I refuse to clean them anymore. Nobody
>> > seems to give a flying damn.
>>
>> Don't blame you.
>
> At least the one at home is clean!

Yep. Easy enough to just wipe it down after use if something you've used
it for makes a bit of a mess.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Google is my Friend (GIMF)

Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> Right now, I'm trying to knock down the invasion by hosing
> down the ant trail on the outside of the house every couple
> of hours. That works during the day, but they build it up
> again at night. Ants don't appear to sleep.

This morning, I was expecting to see the ant trail
built back up, but it's almost gone. Hosing the
exterior wall appears to be working. However, I'm
keeping the good advice in mind in case the situation
changes. Until the ants are completely gone, there's
always a chance they'll mount another surge.

My main focus now shifts to the squirrels in the
attic. The ideal solution would be to wait until
they're out foraging and plug the entrance, but I
don't have a ladder tall enough to reach it. I
managed to kill two other squirrels earlier this
summer with rat traps baited with walnuts, but
at least one of the present residents seems to
have learned to be wary of the trap. I have managed
to kill two rats this last week in my attempts
to kill the squirrels. Squirrels seem to be much
harder to kill than rats, even though they're about
the same size.

If this goes on much longer, I'm going to try
poison bait. Although I don't have inside access
for entering the attic, an accident several years ago
made a small hole in the ceiling at about the right
place. I could remove the patch, place the bait,
and put the patch back on. Another tactic, which
was tried unsuccessfully with the earlier pair
of squirrels, is to stick the end of my electric
leaf blower through the hole and try to scare them
away with a big blast of air. But this time, I'm
thinking of simultaneously feeding finely ground
chili powder into the air stream. I'm thinking
I should time this for the middle of the night
on a night with a full moon, so they'd be scared
away and possibly temporarily blinded during a night
when squirrel-eating predators are out hunting.
(When I had cats, I noticed that they were most
successful during nights when the moon was out.)

Could be worse. My best friend's mother has
bats in her attic, and she was told that she was
only allowed to plug the holes while they were away,
not kill them. I'm not sure if it's really true
that bats are protected that way, but it's not my
problem and I'm not too fond of her mother anyhow,
after a fiasco involving a pair of bookcases.

Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> My main focus now shifts to the squirrels in the
> attic. The ideal solution would be to wait until
> they're out foraging and plug the entrance, but I
> don't have a ladder tall enough to reach it. I
> managed to kill two other squirrels earlier this
> summer with rat traps baited with walnuts, but
> at least one of the present residents seems to
> have learned to be wary of the trap. I have managed
> to kill two rats this last week in my attempts
> to kill the squirrels. Squirrels seem to be much
> harder to kill than rats, even though they're about
> the same size.
>
> If this goes on much longer, I'm going to try
> poison bait. Although I don't have inside access
> for entering the attic, an accident several years ago
> made a small hole in the ceiling at about the right
> place. I could remove the patch, place the bait,
> and put the patch back on. Another tactic, which
> was tried unsuccessfully with the earlier pair
> of squirrels, is to stick the end of my electric
> leaf blower through the hole and try to scare them
> away with a big blast of air. But this time, I'm
> thinking of simultaneously feeding finely ground
> chili powder into the air stream. I'm thinking
> I should time this for the middle of the night
> on a night with a full moon, so they'd be scared
> away and possibly temporarily blinded during a night
> when squirrel-eating predators are out hunting.
> (When I had cats, I noticed that they were most
> successful during nights when the moon was out.)

Squirrels in the attic are very, very bad news. They nest in the attic
and will have litter, after litter, of baby squirrels. If the hole is
plugged up, the squirrels will chew another hole in the eaves/soffits to
get back to their little babies. I wouldn't recommend poison, because
if they die in your attic, that won't be too nice either. Best way is
to plug up their entrance and be vigil about new entries. Or, hire a
good pest control company. Another idea might be to check with the
'extension department' in your area. Good luck.

Sky, who's had squirrels in the attic a few times too

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:37:30 -0700, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>However, that gives me an idea for a new invention.
>A microwave oven that senses how dirty it is and
>turns on a CLEAN ME indicator light. Sort of like
>the check engine light on a car. It could be a
>specialty microwave oven, designed for offices
>and shared living arrangements.

Even better idea: self cleaning microwave oven




--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

In article >,
Sky > wrote:

> Squirrels in the attic are very, very bad news. They nest in the attic
> and will have litter, after litter, of baby squirrels. If the hole is
> plugged up, the squirrels will chew another hole in the eaves/soffits to
> get back to their little babies. I wouldn't recommend poison, because
> if they die in your attic, that won't be too nice either. Best way is
> to plug up their entrance and be vigil about new entries. Or, hire a
> good pest control company. Another idea might be to check with the
> 'extension department' in your area. Good luck.
>
> Sky, who's had squirrels in the attic a few times too

Rat poison mixed with peanut butter worked for me for pest squirrels.

Seal the attic when you are done.
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

On Sun 14 Sep 2008 01:51:36p, Omelet told us...

> Rat poison mixed with peanut butter worked for me for pest squirrels.
>
> Seal the attic when you are done.
>

A lot of people have squirrels in the attic. Poison would mean suicide. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Sunday, 09(IX)/14(XIV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
8wks 1dys 9hrs 25mins
*******************************************
The rich are the scum of the earth in
every country. --G.K. Chesterton
*******************************************

On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:37:04 -0500, Sky wrote:
>
> Squirrels in the attic are very, very bad news. They nest in the attic
> and will have litter, after litter, of baby squirrels. If the hole is
> plugged up, the squirrels will chew another hole in the eaves/soffits to
> get back to their little babies. I wouldn't recommend poison, because
> if they die in your attic, that won't be too nice either. Best way is
> to plug up their entrance and be vigil about new entries. Or, hire a
> good pest control company. Another idea might be to check with the
> 'extension department' in your area. Good luck.
>
> Sky, who's had squirrels in the attic a few times too

my dad had raccoons in their attic. he was talking to some pest control
guy as follows:

pest control guy: you have to watch them and see where they go in and out.

dad: how am i gonna watch 'em? they're nocturnal.

pest control guy: i know they're not. you gotta watch 'em anyway.

your pal,
blake

On Sep 13, 1:58*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> I suppose I should consider myself lucky that it's been
> a couple years since the last invasion. *They used to be
> much more frequent.
>
> I've never used insecticide. *The last time I saw someone
> use Raid, it seemed spectacularly ineffective. *The ants
> were swimming around in the stuff. *On the other hand,
> I once stopped an ant trail in the bathroom by spraying
> Tilex tile cleaner on it. *It killed the ants instantly
> and the residue kept them from rebuilding the trail.
> I might try that again, if I decide to go nuclear.
>
> Right now, I'm trying to knock down the invasion by hosing
> down the ant trail on the outside of the house every couple
> of hours. *That works during the day, but they build it up
> again at night. *Ants don't appear to sleep.
>
> Any other tactical suggestions cheerfully accepted.

I had some great ant poison - even killed carpenter ants - you put
little drops on the provided squares, and put them in window sills,
etc.

I absolutely cannot remember the name of the stuff.

I have used the Ortho Max defense around the outside perimeter of my
house, with good results on earwigs.

Apparently, aspertame works .... do some googling. ;-)

N.

In article
>,
Nancy2 > wrote:

> Apparently, aspertame works .... do some googling. ;-)
>
> N.

Scary. Thanks for that tip!
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:15:56 -0700 (PDT), Nancy2
> wrote:

>I had some great ant poison - even killed carpenter ants - you put
>little drops on the provided squares, and put them in window sills,
>etc.
>
>I absolutely cannot remember the name of the stuff.

That sounds like Terro Ant killer. Syrupy stuff in a bottle, and the
box had markings to cut it into the cardboard squares. It really
brings the ants at first, then the colony dies off and attendance at
the feast drops precipitously...
>
>I have used the Ortho Max defense around the outside perimeter of my
>house, with good results on earwigs.
>
>Apparently, aspertame works .... do some googling. ;-)

There's a lot of stuff that's poisonous to one creature and
more-or-less harmless to others. IIRC dogs and cats can't tolerate
acetaminophen (Tylenol), it'll kill 'em. Boric acid (in Terro ant
killer) is highly toxic to most insects but small amounts don't bother
human beings.

Best -- Terry

blake murphy wrote:

> On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:37:04 -0500, Sky wrote:
> >
> > Squirrels in the attic are very, very bad news. They nest in the attic
> > and will have litter, after litter, of baby squirrels. If the hole is
> > plugged up, the squirrels will chew another hole in the eaves/soffits to
> > get back to their little babies. I wouldn't recommend poison, because
> > if they die in your attic, that won't be too nice either. Best way is
> > to plug up their entrance and be vigil about new entries. Or, hire a
> > good pest control company. Another idea might be to check with the
> > 'extension department' in your area. Good luck.
> >
> > Sky, who's had squirrels in the attic a few times too
>
> my dad had raccoons in their attic. he was talking to some pest control
> guy as follows:
>
> pest control guy: you have to watch them and see where they go in and
out.
>
> dad: how am i gonna watch 'em? they're nocturnal.
>
> pest control guy: i know they're not. you gotta watch 'em anyway.
>


Heh, they sound kinda like some of the "human" - type coons that skulk
around some of our better ghetto areas...

;-)


--
Best
Greg

Nancy2 wrote:
> On Sep 13, 1:58 pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
>> I suppose I should consider myself lucky that it's been
>> a couple years since the last invasion. They used to be
>> much more frequent.
>>
>> I've never used insecticide. The last time I saw someone
>> use Raid, it seemed spectacularly ineffective. The ants
>> were swimming around in the stuff. On the other hand,
>> I once stopped an ant trail in the bathroom by spraying
>> Tilex tile cleaner on it. It killed the ants instantly
>> and the residue kept them from rebuilding the trail.
>> I might try that again, if I decide to go nuclear.
>>
>> Right now, I'm trying to knock down the invasion by hosing
>> down the ant trail on the outside of the house every couple
>> of hours. That works during the day, but they build it up
>> again at night. Ants don't appear to sleep.
>>
>> Any other tactical suggestions cheerfully accepted.
>
> I had some great ant poison - even killed carpenter ants - you put
> little drops on the provided squares, and put them in window sills,
> etc.
>
> I absolutely cannot remember the name of the stuff.
>
> I have used the Ortho Max defense around the outside perimeter of my
> house, with good results on earwigs.
>
> Apparently, aspertame works .... do some googling. ;-)
>

When we lived in the RV, we would put Bon Ami cleanser around the tires,
hoses and such (everything touching the ground) and the ants would not
come through it to get into the trailer.

People have used other cleansers like Comet and Ajax, but I always felt
a bit guilty about putting chlorine bleach on the ground. Bon Ami
doesn't have bleach and is usually cheaper in the dollar stores anyway.


--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

On Sep 15, 12:15*pm, Terry > wrote:
> On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:15:56 -0700 (PDT), Nancy2
>
> > wrote:
> >I had some great ant poison - even killed carpenter ants - you put
> >little drops on the provided squares, and put them in window sills,
> >etc.
>
> >I absolutely cannot remember the name of the stuff.
>
> That sounds like Terro Ant killer. *Syrupy stuff in a bottle, and the
> box had markings to cut it into the cardboard squares. *It really
> brings the ants at first, then the colony dies off and attendance at
> the feast drops precipitously...

I think that must be it - was the little box red, black & white? The
squares were perforated, so you could tear one off at a time. I
haven't had ants in forever, so I couldn't remember and I threw out
the hardened leftovers when I cleaned closets for remodeling....

>
> Best -- Terry

Yeah, when I lived in an apartment in OKC, the landlord brought around
half-aluminum foil pie plates with a scattering of boric acid to get
rid of the roaches. It didn't really get rid of them entirely, but I
did find some dead ones....

N.

On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:33:13 -0500, Omelet wrote:
>
> I tried them briefly for rats, but kept catching geckos. :-( Not good.
> I got rid of them pronto and went back to snap traps. Those big rat
> traps are hard and dangerous to set tho'.

i bought one of those big-ass rat traps a few years ago because i liked it
as an object. i brought it to work and put it on top of the bookcase over
my desk. whenever someone asked about it, i would look around quickly,
lower my voice, and say, 'just between you and me we got plenty ****ing
rats around here.'

the victor brand rat trap:

<http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE-963447reg.jpg>

note the cunning rat silhouette in the logo. the damn thing made a most
impressive sound when triggered.

your pal,
blake

On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:15:37 -0500, Terry >
wrote:

>On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:15:56 -0700 (PDT), Nancy2
> wrote:
>
>>I had some great ant poison - even killed carpenter ants - you put
>>little drops on the provided squares, and put them in window sills,
>>etc.
>>
>>I absolutely cannot remember the name of the stuff.
>
>That sounds like Terro Ant killer. Syrupy stuff in a bottle, and the
>box had markings to cut it into the cardboard squares. It really
>brings the ants at first, then the colony dies off and attendance at
>the feast drops precipitously...
>>
>>I have used the Ortho Max defense around the outside perimeter of my
>>house, with good results on earwigs.
>>
>>Apparently, aspertame works .... do some googling. ;-)
>
>There's a lot of stuff that's poisonous to one creature and
>more-or-less harmless to others. IIRC dogs and cats can't tolerate
>acetaminophen (Tylenol), it'll kill 'em. Boric acid (in Terro ant
>killer) is highly toxic to most insects but small amounts don't bother
>human beings.

Boric acid was at one time used as an eye wash. It's still sold in
drug stores but usually kept in a hard to find place. Anyone who uses
it to get rid of ants and isn't successful is doing something wrong.

Lou

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:33:13 -0500, Omelet wrote:
> >
> > I tried them briefly for rats, but kept catching geckos. :-( Not good.
> > I got rid of them pronto and went back to snap traps. Those big rat
> > traps are hard and dangerous to set tho'.
>
> i bought one of those big-ass rat traps a few years ago because i liked it
> as an object. i brought it to work and put it on top of the bookcase over
> my desk. whenever someone asked about it, i would look around quickly,
> lower my voice, and say, 'just between you and me we got plenty ****ing
> rats around here.'
>
> the victor brand rat trap:
>
> <http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE-963447reg.jpg>
>
> note the cunning rat silhouette in the logo. the damn thing made a most
> impressive sound when triggered.
>
> your pal,
> blake

They do indeed. ;-)
Just watch your fingers!
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> A few minutes ago I saw something I've never
> seen before. As I was getting into my car,
> a large animal was moving in the tree about
> 40 feet in front of me. I stood there watching
> to see what sort of animal that big could be
> in the tree. The animal had just lunged at
> something I couldn't see because of the leaves.
>
> Then the largest bobcat I've ever seen dropped
> out of the tree with a squirrel in its mouth.
> It's probably been 2 or 3 years since I've seen
> a bobcat in the backyard. A family of coyotes
> moved into the neighboorhood, and since then
> the bobcats have been scarce. Coyote activity
> seems to have diminshed recently, and maybe
> that's why this bobcat had come around. There
> certainly are plenty of rodents available.
>
> I hope that was one of mine that was killed.
> Even if it was, there's still one to go.

Keep your pets locked up! Bob's are beautiful, but indiscriminate.
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain

A few minutes ago I saw something I've never
seen before. As I was getting into my car,
a large animal was moving in the tree about
40 feet in front of me. I stood there watching
to see what sort of animal that big could be
in the tree. The animal had just lunged at
something I couldn't see because of the leaves.

Then the largest bobcat I've ever seen dropped
out of the tree with a squirrel in its mouth.
It's probably been 2 or 3 years since I've seen
a bobcat in the backyard. A family of coyotes
moved into the neighboorhood, and since then
the bobcats have been scarce. Coyote activity
seems to have diminshed recently, and maybe
that's why this bobcat had come around. There
certainly are plenty of rodents available.

I hope that was one of mine that was killed.
Even if it was, there's still one to go.