You realize, of course, This Means War.

Back in October of last year when I had the zombie plague aka pneumonia, my lovely, sweet, caring daughter called while out with her friend to ask if she could please, please bring home this little kitten that she found on the side of the road because she knew that, having the zombie plague, I would agree to pretty much anything just to get her to leave me alone so I could sleep. So, she brought home this poor little kitten that she found on the side of the road. In a box. With its brothers and sisters. Where it was being given away by its owners. She failed to mention that part, because she knows her mother is a sucker for abandoned animals.

That little kitten was infested with fleas. Not just a couple here and there. She was crawling with them. I didn't realize this until I had somewhat recovered from the zombie plague .. and by then it was too late. We lost that kitten because of the fleas, they were just too much for her.

I thought we'd taken care of our flea problem, but it seems they were just biding their time, perhaps doing recon for the last 10 months. There has been a sudden uprising in the last month. They are crawling out of the woodwork, goose-stepping through my living room, office and both bedrooms.

They are staging a hostile takeover.

I first realized the problem -after- the kittens were born, of course. I had to research to find out how to best treat the babies because, of course, you cannot use flea killing stuff on babies. I did find out that Frontline is okay to use on the mommy, even if she's still nursing, so I did that. I was thrilled to find out that the babies get a bit of the medicine through mom's milk, which keeps the little biters at bay.

I still have the problem of the house though. These little buggers are everywhere!! I've used Sargeants Flea Free Breeze and Hartz Home Spray (which works, but not for very long). I've bombed and bombed with various different bombs (the cheap ones) .. and I've finally given in. I bought the super-dee-duper, nothing-left-standing bombs that not only kill fleas, cock-a-roaches, spiders, silverfish, ants and various other baddies, but it has an insect growth regulator in it to keep the eggs from hatching and it supposedly works for up to 7 months.

Those babies are getting set off tonight when we leave. We're going to see a play at the amphitheater in one of our state parks :) The theater troupe that performs around here has a donation night on their last performance. Donate a non-perishable food item, and that pays your ticket. Cool, huh? :) Pookie is all excited. She loves going to these plays every summer. They've done a few old favorites, like Cinderella, Charlotte's Web, Hatfields & McCoys, Honey in the Rock, and Wizard of Oz ... and those are just the ones I can remember. I used to go years ago with a friend.

So, anyway, I am waging war on these little biters. I expect to see them all belly up when I get home, with little chalk outlines drawn around their murdered insect bodies. If it kills spiders too, like it says, I'll be pushing the product like a crack dealer. The more spiders I can kill with the fogger, the less hairspray and mousse I'll have to use to freeze/drown/smother them from a distance. Yes, I know, it's very amusing for you non-arachnaphobic people ... Pookie thinks it's hysterical to see their little frozen bodies hanging all over the place too.

The dog will be thrilled to be allowed back in the house. She's been dosed with Frontline, but I want to kill the flipping flea circus before I bring her back in here. Poor thing probably thinks I'm mad at her because she's been banished to the outside .. where there are less fleas to bite her.

I also got a spot of advice from grandpa. Lyme will keep fleas, snakes, as well as several other buggies out of the yard, and will keep those rotten, evil deer from eating all my sunflowers!

That information might have been useful about 3 months ago .. but whatever, I know for next year now lol

And what have we learned from this whole ordeal?

Pookie is not allowed to speak to me when I'm sick with the mutant bubonic zombie plague .. ever again.