Amy versus the Outsiders

The battle began last night. I was calmly reading on the living room sofa when I saw it: a big black spider, it's middle the circumference of a dime at the very least. I did not scream, no no. I may have sequestered myself in the bathtub, however, had my summer roommate and her male friend not come in while I was contemplating my plan of attack. Graciously, he removed the repulsive thing from the wall.

You see, it turns out that even 70-degree weather isn't always hunky dory, particularly when one resides near a wood. I had the sliding door open onto my porch, with only a slightly ill-fitting screen as barrier between apartment and wilderness. I checked thoroughly for more bugs before I went to bed.

This morning I bought an insect-killing and -repelling spray at Target, as well as some Raid for wasps. When I went out on my porch to spray the wasps' nest I had discovered on my porch, however, I discovered a second, much larger one practically right over the entrance to my living room. I lost my resolve and ran inside. After all, what would happen if my spraying one nest enraged the other? I could only spray one at a time! And I was home by myself! If I got stung, such terrible things could happen (I'm allergic)! And no one would know for, at the very earliest, several hours!

I spent most of the day avoiding my porch whilst giving myself a pep talk. Finally, just before my volunteer shift at the library, I resolved to spray the first nest (I figured that the library was expecting me, and if I didn't show they might possible be a little concerned as well as peeved). I donned my long rain coat, stuffed my epi-pen one pocket and my cell phone in the other should a stinging occur, and I opened my screen door just wide enough to stick out my arm, aim the Raid can, and shoot one nest. It was rather drippy because I think I overdid it a little bit, but I think I won the battle against this particular nest.

The saga shall continue tomorrow, when I attempt to take out the baseball-sized nest. I'm a little afraid, as I have to physically be out on the porch to have a proper Raid-spraying angle. Which means I have little margin for error if I want to be able to reenter my apartment after the Raid attack. [If I don't blog tomorrow, try calling my cell phone. I may need someone with a ladder to come let me off my balcony.]

To be continued...