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I have a good news story to share. In the Netherlands we have decided to get the nation off natural gas, as an effort to reduce climate change impact and also because it’s getting too expensive and unreliable, with our gas supply coming from Norway, Qatar and Russia.

So we have had a notice from the local council that our neighbourhood is due to have gas supply terminated in 2036, and that we need to update our house to find other ways of cooking and heating than by gas-fired central heating, for example. There was a meeting at the council offices, where the plan was explained to us.

The plan for our city is to sink a number of geothermal wells in our local area, from which warm water will arise at 70-80 degrees C which will be used to heat homes, bath water and so on. This will be distributed through so-called ‘warmthnets’ which will be laid under the ground. The company responsible for running the warmth nets will be owned 51% by the local council.

Sometime in 2028-2030 the warmth nets will come online and we will get a proposal for what it will cost us to get connected. Then when the connection is made the gas supply will get turned off, so the house will have to be prepared for that. That means quite a large renewal of the kitchen and the electrical arrangements. It’s going to be quite expensive.

But exciting times, to be at the forefront of the entire nation shifting away from a dependence on fossil fuels for warming houses.

Dopephins having a puff on their waterproof spliff

A humane, non-toxic approach to controlling ant infestations:

Start by placing a small amount of bait that the ants are attracted to. Observe their movement and follow their trail back to the point of entry. Gradually move the bait closer to this entry point over time.

Once the ants are consistently taking the bait near their entry point, wait for a lull in activity. At that stage, apply a thin smear of Vaseline over the entry point. This creates a temporary barrier that ants are unable to cross easily. If there are multiple entry points, repeat the process for each one.

This method encourages the ants to relocate and seek food elsewhere, rather than eliminating the colony.

If needed, for ants already inside, a simple spray can be made using hot water with a small drop of washing-up liquid. Shake well and spray directly onto the ants. The solution breaks down their protective outer coating and kills them quickly. It leaves no toxic residue and also helps clean the surface.

This is a temporary measure, however it can in some instances deter them for long periods of time.

I tried always to stick to humane methods but nevertheless I am faced with a little killing.

I think your intentions are good, your thoughts are wholesome but unfortunately life implies death. To live we need to kill certain beings even if we do not desire to do so. Poor ants, but also poor you. I don't think living in a house infested with ants will bring much good to you.

This is a viking Buddhist Statue from the 6th CE
Maybe we have them all wrong and they were civil celts? Who knows? Maybe they were the first Berserker Buddhist Evangelicals?

Crazy: Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.
Politicial: Convincing others to make the same mistake and expect a different result.
Statesmanship: Being paid to make the same mistake over and over
Wisdom: Gone Fishing

@Ning said:
If I'm not supposed to harm other living beings, what should I do if there's an ant infestation at my house 😅
I'm serious please help me 😭

If ants they can be guided to new sites with trails leading to their favourite food. I use tiger balm smeared trails.

Wasps and bee I have a particular affinity with and place gumdrops or plant flowers for the bee visitors.

You can also try talking to them or moving them on an individual basis...

30 years ago I had a job cleaning out a house. Some stuff was left behind. There were a couple chairs that I thought looked kind of cool so I nabbed them (this was fine as everything was abandoned). One of them I've used as more of a piece of interest that fits my decor. The other has been sitting in storage waiting for some time to use it. This winter I sought to reorganize my storage space to make some more room and decided its time to let go of the chair. I wanted to find out what it was first to see if there might be some interest from anyone to restore it rather than throw it out. Its a mid century modern chair from Plycraft, haven't been able to get a firm ID past that.

Anyway, rather than give it away, or sell it for cheap I decided to make it a winter project to try my hand at restoring it as the skill set, and tools, are sort of in my wheel house. At first I tried a heavier lacquer finish but had lots of problems with what is called "blushing" where the finish turns white in places. So I stripped it back down again and started trying lacquer over again, but immediately had some of the same issues. So I just finished it with a Danish finish oil, which apparently is closer to the original style of finish. So I spent maybe $125 and several hours that I didn't need to. But its a learning experience, so not a complete waste. Also, replace some screws and bolts to match closer than a previous restoration, as well as some chrome polish and rust removal.

Anyway, anyway, its now done and I think looks great. I hope to get $400-$600 for it.

It’s a tricky problem… in the past I’ve put my Buddhism on temporary hold in order to had exterminations done, and then make reparations by leaving a cake in the forest for the ants there to eat.