About oneta hayes
ABOUT ME
Hello. To various folks I am Neat’nee, Mom, Grandma Neta, Gramma, Aunt Neta, Aunt Noni, Aunt Neno, and Aunt Neto (lots of varieties from little nieces and nephews). To some I’m more like “Didn’t you used to be my teacher?” or “Don’t I know you from someplace?” To you, perhaps, I am a Fellow Blogger. Not “fellow” like a male or a guy, but “fellow” like a companion or an adventurer. I would choose to be Grandma Blogger, and have you pull up a chair, my website before you, while I tell you of some days of yore. I have experienced life much differently than most of you. It was and is a good life. I hope to share nuggets of appreciation for those who have gone before me and those who come after me. By necessity you are among those who come after me and I will tell you of those who came before. Once upon a time in a little house on a prairie - oops, change that lest I commit plagiarism - and change that “house on the prairie” to “dugout on the prairie.” So my story begins...
Sweet aroma 
As a southerner, I can’t stand ants. Fire ants are the bane of my existence!!! And they just love to double, triple, quadruple team me by covering my feet and legs before I even know they’re there until it is all too late—then I do what we call the fire ant dance 🙂
I feel your pain — metaphorically and literally. I’m in Texas, and have had my own encounters with the beasties. But consider: one reason the tick population in Texas is declining so rapidly is that fire ants think they’re candy. So there’s one plus in their column, anyway.
Really? I’ll tell my husband as he’ll be glad the hear that– seed ticks are terrible here- the baby ticks – maybe the ants will find them to be like popcorn!!!
😀 😀 Be encouraged by shoreacres and show a little remorse while you whollop those little creatures. The old adage “live and let live” doesn’t seem appropriate here, does it?
Well, when doing the fire ant dance, if numbers are reduced during the shwacking and whacking, the beating of all extremities as one tries to rid oneself from being covered with teaming ants…well, we call that their choice of sacrifice 😉
That is now called by man as “suicide by police!” 😀
Despite my dislike for the fire ants, other varieties are fascinating — although I’m not fond of the carpenter ants when they’re swarming. A friend’s grandson got an ant farm for his birthday, and it replaced his smart phone for nearly a year. That’s worth something!
Two reasons to tolerate ants: They are better than ticks and they entertain the minds of little geniuses. I’ll think of that as I battle the little monsters. I exterminate one little hill and their underground army goes to work double time. I’ll soon find out where they pop up. Then I do it all over again.
Here in Oz we are desperately trying to eradicate the fire ant to prevent it overtaking our natural environment. Apparently it was introduced ‘somehow’ perhaps in someone’s undeclared plants. . All other ants are not exterminated unless they invade someone’s home during drought etc. In the cycle of life they have a natural place (as long as its not on me). Ants here are a part of the vital clean up of dead insects etc. In our outback whole columns of ants have giant redsand structures which are a tourist attraction. My children all had ant farms. It was absolutely fascinating watching them with their teamwork and interaction. The place for ants is outside and certainly not on my benchtops or cupboards or on me.
You have described boundary limits acceptable to me. 😀 No, one more place they are not welcome – that is on the patio! They are goners when they get there.
Indeed it is 👮🏻