Aunt Dinah

 

When someone started rifling through all the mailboxes in our neighborhood, we installed a Ring doorbell/camera. The mailbox raids stopped. We never caught the culprit, but we were surprised to see how many non-human visitors we get in the wee hours of the morning, primarily to use our yard as a toilet. Most are Canada geese. Some are semi-feral cats. And a few are neighbors’ dogs, with the neighbors in tow. McKenzie Sterdivant, a young Florida resident, says her mother complained someone was doorbell ditching around 3:00 or 4:00 every morning. McKenzie checked her mom’s Ring app, and discovered the nightly visitor was a large roach. Her story raises questions. Ring doorbells emit light. Don’t roaches generally avoid light? Is a roach strong enough to ring a doorbell? And if it is, how do you make it stop? Meanwhile, I have my own question. Should I post a sign saying, “We can see you. Please bag the poop?”