[Timeout]

Bug update:

Terminix just left and, yes, they're termites (yikes!) but not the bad Formosan kind. Just your basic, nasty, insomnia-inducing termites. The good news is he said

A) we caught them very early because the studs still feel surprisingly strong. And

B) I shouldn't worry about them travelling sideways and getting into my hardwood floors. They always travel straight up, meaning they're likely confined to the one little corner in the laundry from which they swarmed.

Now I (and you) know more than we never wanted to know about termites. Bah!

[mountaineer]

We had those critters when we moved in. Fortunately, they also had confined themselves to one little corner. The treatments are so darned expensive!