NY Critters

I confess, I don't like sharing my house with critters. The level of my intolerance varies considerably with my mood, but I am never what you would call welcoming. In Dublin, we lived in the migration path of a couple of million lady bugs. As interesting as that might be, I did not look forward to sharing my bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and morning cereal with hundreds of these guys every February.

Now we find ourselves in New York. I don't know about you, but when I think of New York, it's sometimes difficult *not* to think about critters, especially when my foot is sharing a puddle with a dead rat. Furthermore, it doesn't seem incongruous to use the words rat, cockroach and New York City all in the same sentence.

Come to find out, I am not alone in this perception. When asked which U.S. city has the worst bedbug problem, an overwhelming majority of polled people named NYC. But in fact, NYC ranks only 28th.

NONETHELESS, the local papers have been *full* of bedbug stories lately. And I admit it's making me uncomfortable. One recent and noteworthy outbreak was in the (ritzy) Upper East Side's very own Victoria's Secret. You can bet your bottom dollar I'm done shopping there. For good!