Fear and Loathing in the Wool Room

Yesterday it was very, very cold. I had to go out at about 6 pm. So I went up to the "office" room, where I keep my sweaters, and pulled out an old favorite from Eddie Bauer. I haven't worn it in at least a couple of years--as I rarely wear my wool sweaters since we left Vermont for the tropical climate of Massachusetts--and I was happy to throw it on and go on my merry way. Only, a few hours later, I looked down and discovered A Hole. A Hole made by a moth, to be exact. And then I discovered several more holes and a few weak spots.

Oh, the despair.

Not so much about this particular sweater. I mean, I certainly like it, and it was a present from my DH, and I'm sad that it now has several holes in it and I'm not sure I can really salvage it. (It's currently in a pile on the basement floor.) But oh, the fear for the rest of my wool attire, and for the stash in the attic.

Today I pulled out all my other wool sweaters from that same room, and I examined them in sunlight. I found no other moth holes, and no signs of the critters, but that doesn't mean that they are not lurking about. Now I have to vacuum the room within an inch of its life and also clean out the closet. This is more of a challenge than you might think, because this is the room where my littlest one sleeps (it's a long story). So I can do nothing during naptime or after 7 pm, which--of course--is the only time that I can usually do anything (does that sentence make any sense?).

As for my stash, it was fully aired out on a bright, sunny day a little more than a year ago, and it was sprayed lightly with lavender oil and put away in breathable bins in the attic. There were no signs of moth damage then. And I haven't seen any signs of moths when I've visited my stash in the past few months. But you just can't see those damn tiny eggs. Instead, I live in fear, wondering when "they" will appear, and what havoc they will wreak.

Now I will probably start having nightmares about moths. That's even worse than my recent dreams about Buzz Lightyear (following an evening at Disney On Ice with my preschooler).

I wonder if Buzz Lightyear could come and zap the moths?