We had an unwelcome guest in the bathroom tonight. I saw a big old cockroach (water bug?) on the shower wall. Great. Now I'll be afraid to shower.

I fled the bathroom and told D about our visitor. Catchwords for D:

calm
stable
even-keeled
relaxed
mellow

He just said, "Oh, I saw him...or maybe his brother? a couple days ago."

"You didn't tell me?!?!?"

"No, you were sleeping. I just opened the window to let the water evaporate."

Which brings us to the next issue. Cockroach...or water bug? I read somewhere that they're one and the same. D thinks waterbugs are a lazy subspecies that like to chill in the water. Which is what they seem to do. Whatever, they terrify me and I don't want them around.

I brought my toothbrush, toothpaste and floss to the kitchen to minimize bathroom time.

I remember my college roommate was visiting a few years ago. She was sleeping on the couch. The next morning, she told me she woke up in the middle of the night and heard me pleading, "Kill it! Throw it out!" I wonder if she thought it was real or thought it was all a dream. It does seem surreal, those words out of context.

Bugs have always scared me. I remember in college enlisting a friend's help to kill a centipede. He lobbed my dictionary at it.

Who kills bugs in your household?

Comments

Anonymous said…
They're gross....but I kill bugs (and mice) in my household. I used to get all upset about it, but once I realized there was no one else to do it...I got over it.
Anonymous said…
I kill them unless they're spiders. And I can kill small spiders usually. Roaches get bug spray because I can't bear the crunching.

In Florida, people insist that those roach-looking things are Palmetto bugs, but I had an exterminator tell me that they were just cock roaches.
Kristen said…
We've been pretty lucky - I think our dog is eating them. Which is gross, but as long as I don't have to see them I don't really care.
This suzy said…
I usually kill my own bugs and spiders (living alone will do that for you). But just the other night, I had to have Master kill one for me. I was going to the bathroom and a big spider crawled out! I'm sitting there with no shoes, my panties around my ankles, and unable to reach it, so I called him in to do it. I sounded so wimpy, but I really don't like spiders, esp. with no way to defend myself!
Bearette said…
Leah - Mice! You got guts.

Kitkat - it's funny how they have euphemisms, isn't it?

Kristen - maybe that's why he gained a pound ;) Just kidding. He looks perfect to me.

Suzy - that's what masters are for ;)
Poppy said…
Hay kills them. I set them free. Whoever gets there first does their thing.
Elsa said…
I have no idea if a cockroach is a waterbug or not, but I hate them! They are so "ikky"-looking! Luckily, I don't see them where we live, but we did have one in our hotel room in NYC back in 2005 - you see how traumatized I was - I even remember the year! :)

Anyhow, I'm with you, Bearette, I don't like bugs and Dick is the one that has to kill them...actually, he usually tries to bring them outside, but if this isn't practical, then he kills them.
Anonymous said…
The great wikipedia says that sometimes the name "water bug" is given to the Oriental cockroach.

I think they prefer to be called "Asian."
Bearette said…
lol...i know bugs are very politically correct.
Mz.Elle said…
We don't kill any bugs here unless they start to take over and we've never had roaches. Those ones I'd be offing right away,lol Usually we leave bugs be,unless of course they are MONSTER spiders. Those suckers get carefully taken outside because the big ones creep me out. Other than that though..we all live in harmony. Is that weird?? I have the same policy with mice,lol. Although there are rules. They have to stay out of my cupboards and off my counters..oh and avoid the cats. So far,so good!
Bearette said…
Very harmonious :) I bet the cats take care of the mice, though...
Roxanne said…
I have bad memories of cockroaches and earwigs (my least favorite) as a kid.

Ron is extremely afraid of spiders, but he usually does the killing for this very reason. Things tend to get broken around here whenever he's going after one. I just usually back out of the way and let him go at it. :)

Whenever the cat brings in a dead critter, I always try to talk someone else into taking it outside. It just creeps me out too much.
Bearette said…
there were a lot of earwigs where i grew up too. i didn't like them either. i don't see them in new york that often, though...
Anonymous said…
We (meaning Mike) usually catch and release. Cockroaches, though? I don't know. I think they might be the exception to my "live and let live" rule.
Bearette said…
Yeah, cockroaches definitely challenge that rule! There is still debate over whether it's a cockroach or a waterbug, though. I'm getting over my fear of seeing it in the shower.

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