When I was a kid — probably pre-teen through late teens — I would spend parts of some of my summer days watching ants. The ants I watched most lived on the south side of my childhood home, under the fragrant rose bush. I was fascinated by their constant movement — they never seemed tired.

I remember one year when my family and I went on vacation and returned to find what had been a whole peanut on the kitchen floor, now reduced to near powder and a line of small ants carrying bits of that peanut powder several feet to the back door and outside. So much work for something so small.

Yesterday while taking care of business in our powder room, I noticed movement on the floor near the door. I looked closer and saw several ants working to maneuver what looked like a corn chip crumb into a tiny hole on the intersection between the door’s threshold and woodwork. I saw that the ants were coming from outside the powder room and followed a line of ants to under our kitchen table.

Please take note that sweeping and washing the kitchen floor was on my to-do list yesterday so no judging please but it was obvious that there was a smorgasbord of food under the table and the ants were taking advantage of it.

Since I had a lunch date with my friend, Suzanne, I ended up not sweeping the kitchen floor and left the ants go about their business.

This morning there are fewer ants and fewer crumbs. They are quieter than a Roomba, don’t get stuck under the refrigerator, and don’t need charging. I think I’ll keep them.