termites raze did you know they chew through wood twice as fast when they're listening to rock music? dig out your old dusty copy of "frampton comes alive!" and watch that two-by-four disappear. 150819 ... ovenbird Upon returning home from a walk I discover a painful bruise blooming on the bottom of my left foot just where my arch meets my heel. It’s a confounding leak as I did absolutely nothing to prompt it. My walk took place on even ground and I didn’t step on anything unusual, which means my blood vessels simply failed. I suspect corrosion. Perhaps I’ve exposed myself to too much moisture. The climate here is awfully damp, especially in the winter. Have I been keeping up with general maintenance? I think so, but wasn’t my cholesterol just slightly elevated the last time I had blood work? I prod the gathering darkness and it’s more than a little tender. Maybe even a bit swollen. In grade six, my teacher’s solution to every ailment was a trip to the hallway fountain for a sip of water. Fell off the monkey bars? Go get some water. Had a fight with your best friend? A drink of water will solve it. Possible concussion? Better try the fountain and then reassess. So I go fill a glass from the sink just in case it fixes my foot. (It doesn’t). I eventually do the only other available thing and ignore the problem. I’m fairly certain my body has its own clean up crew for these sorts of spills anyway, so maybe it’s not my responsibility. In an older home you always have to live with the odd squeaky floorboard or clunking pipe. So I go about my day hoping I won’t crash through a section of floor that’s rotted away, revealing decades of invisible termite damage, and a host of winged workers returning this temporary dwelling to dust. 250616 what's it to you? who go blather from