Catching Up.

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Besides playing war with the ants in our kitchen, things have been going pretty well. I’ve read and heard from a few sources that mint, cinnamon, citrus peelings, vinegar and coffee grounds are all deterrents for ants. I’m giving them all a fair chance, especially since they are all green choices, less expensive and much healthier and cheaper than using a can of Raid. AND they all smell better than Raid. I just spent the last 20 minutes lining the top cement portion of the wall that’s open to the outside which surrounds our kitchen with a barricade of cinnamon. Well not really a barricade, but I sprinkled a whole defense line around the kitchen. I’ve stuck a piece of chewed mint gum into a hole where I saw a whole interstate hwy of them coming out of. I studied this one for a while and it seemed to be working for the moment. The instant they got within one centimeter of the gum they’d turn around and march away -- each and every one of them. I wonder how long it’ll last. I hope for a while. We shall see. I’ve tried vinegar – Which DOES kill them when sprayed directly on them; however it doesn’t work as a deterrent. I haven’t tried coffee grounds; the only thing is -- in our market we can only get instant coffee… (Which I suppose I should try) – And true coffee grounds can be purchased in Siem Reap – but that too is expensive. We’ll see.

But really other than that things are good. We’re getting settled into our new place just fine and are truly enjoying the full nights of sleep without hearing the traffic. It’s funny – now that we’re a ways from the national road, I definitely notice just how loud the road truly is. I mean, as soon as I approach the market on my bike – you begin to hear the sound of traffic roaring through town, and horns, and motos, and big trucks. Sigh. We are in a MUCh quieter location and are enjoying it immensely.