Wasps and Rent

Wasps. What is it with Elk Ridge wasps??? They are everywhere. I’ve got a wasp’s nest under practically every eave of my house and all under the back deck. While we’re at it, when I opened my mailbox to get the mail today, three wasps came flying out. Come to think of it... when I pulled the cover off the barbecue Monday night, there were wasps there too.

Here’s the thing about wasps. When they build their nest, they start with this little needle thing. The nest hangs from that needle. If you knock off the nest, but leave the needle, apparently they can find it again and start rebuilding. I wonder if that needle gives off a scent or something.

So, whenever I have my kids knock down a wasp’s nest (I’m not crazy... I don’t do it myself. I had children for two reasons: doing dishes and running interference on any stinging insects. Oh, well, I guess there are three reasons. I also had them so I could have grandchildren to play with.)... anyway, whenever they knock them down, you’ll hear me in the background yelling, “Did you get the needle? Did you get the needle?” My neighbors must think I’m nuts sending my kids out on the roof to look for needles.

Rent. We are currently renting. Still. We moved into this temporary rental situation exactly two years ago. The plan was to be here while we built our house on the building lot we have up the road and around the corner. That was before Elk Ridge City decided to do their thing with tightening up building code requirements and compliance enforcement. Then the economy and real estate market tanked. So, the subdivision that was finally approved, ended up being put on hold by the owners of all the other land. I’m the only landowner in the crowd that intends to actually live in the house I want to build. The others were looking to improve the lots and sell them. But these days, there’s no one to buy them. Finally, losing my job last October, well, let’s just say it has altered the family budget so we’re not exactly flush with construction funds ourselves right now.

So... here we are still in the rental. I never really moved in back in July ‘07 since I figured we wouldn’t be here long. We have a two-car garage that houses no cars, because it’s chalk full of boxes of all our earthly belongings. If someone can’t find something they’re looking for in the house, my retort is usually, well, it’s in a box in the garage. Funny, the things you live without that you packed up and brought with you because you couldn’t live without them.

Two years. Geesh. I should’ve actually moved in. Oh well.

Rent and wasps. So, there are literally wasp nests in every gable of the house. But, hey, it’s a rental. You don’t exactly see me scaling the rooftop to get rid of them. Or even calling an exterminator to have them removed. Maybe the wasps have picked up on my laissez faire attitude. That’s why they are all making a bee-line for my house.