The neighbors and their roaches.

i have lived in my city home for 8 years and though i see the occasional roach and/or mouse, i truly hardly see any bugs in my home. One reason could be that i am a clean freak, the other reason is that i have laid down roach traps every once in a while as a precaution and my cats take care of any mice...plus two winters ago, i plugged up every hole in my basement (100 yr old house...basement walls are brick with plaster and there are some gaps in some of the bricks...or used to be!)

So i really have not had a problem....until recently.

Enter my neighbors. i am connected to that house on one full wall...every room. They were very dirty, they fried chicken all the time, kept their trash (tons of baby diapers) on the back porch, once had a dead possum in their house for days and days (the mother was running from the constables and had left the house...the possum got in through a back window that was always hanging open and could not get out...and died...and stank). They were notorious for their drug dealing, and i even believe she was running a small prostitution ring, would spit and throw up on the sidewalk and piss out of their windows.

This is in the historic district of my city.

Almost every week one of my other neighbors, or myself, would call city codes and complain. We called the police, we fought with them and daily i prayed that God would remove them. They did not know how to use an inside voice and used the "f" word every third word spoken. i am no prude by any imagination, but it was more than i could handle. The stress and strife and tension on the block was felt by all. i believe they were the ones who broke into my house and maybe the houses of some others. Long story a bit shorter....they were horrible.

They moved about one month ago. Skipped rent and moved. The owner came by looking for rent and i told them they had moved. i also told them we had seen mice running around inside their house and outside as well.

And the roaches.....

Apparently, they had tons of them. The other day, i saw three in one night and i about died. Then i saw three more early this week and was ready to burn down the house. i cannot stand roaches. They are from hell. i hate them.

So.....i have armed myself with bleach, roach bait, Borax, diatomaceous earth, paper towels, and grim determination that this house will NOT become infested. i have caulked places where there were gaps in the kitchen, i have scrubbed and cleaned and you could seriously eat off of my kitchen floor (just got done mopping it...the water wasn't even dirty). i moved the fridge today and cleaned, i clean under the cupboards and stove....i am telling you, i think i might be going crazy.

i have threatened to have the house sprinkled with holy water and will get a Pastor all up in here and then let's see what scurries around this house. i have declared war on them...and i will win. (cause if not, i am moving!)

But i must say, though these two weeks have been a pain in the neck dealing with the roaches, i am more than glad that those people moved away. Now am just hoping and praying for nice, clean, quiet people.

Do you think that could be possible????