March, march, march

I opened the pantry next to the kitchen to get a napkin and when I moved the bag o'napkins, I saw an ant run and hide under the next closest box.

Crap.

Moved the box.  Got the ant.  Got a new napkin.  Saw another ant run and hide. 

Crap. Crap.

I told Walt Kowalski that his suspicions were correct, the ants were in the pantry.  He said he noticed a line of them earlier in week headed towards the pantry with knives and forks. 

The pantry was added to the to-do list.  It wasn't THAT bad actually.  I have seen it worse. 

Here was before:

The bags at the bottom take about 2 weeks to get out of control.  I'm usually in a hurry and trying to find a bag without a hole or a larger or smaller bag for my needs. 


 

The pantry is now ant free!  The ant picnic surrounded a single candy cane pushed to the back from Christmas baking.  Small, but enough to feed a large ant family.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Some things were combined.  Some things went to the trash.  There were lots of crumbs (do we eat IN the pantry?), multiple boxes of pasta, unruly bags, boxes of crackers with a half eaten sleeve of that was now stale, a bottle of honey with a 1/4 inch of crystalized honey left in the bottom.  You know, the usual pantry stuffs.

Everything was removed, all shelves were swept, wiped clean and dried. 

The big container of cat food MUST be kept on a high shelf.  These cats are organized.  They can open the door and bite through the container.  It hasn't happened just once.

This is not the only pantry in the house.  I have three more small closets it the laundry room.  That's where I keep the majority of things...canned goods, sauces, chips, baking supplies.  They get unruly, too.  They are rather empty lately.  I haven't been buying as much to "eat up" the old.  I went down yesterday for something quick for a snack.

No snack foods.  Not a single thing to take as a snack. 

Maybe that's a good thing...no mindless snacking will help watch our waistlines.  But it's not good when a snack was needed.  Can I offer you a box of uncooked pasta?

Start a new grocery list...