Maybe it's gone.

Not long ago I blogged about a critter that was visiting each night and leaving a sparkly trail behind to show where it had been. We determined it wasn't a spider, but we still weren't sure what it could be. Whatever it was, it ambled in and out among some Hot Wheels and other small toys the boys had left out overnight.

I vacuumed. I sprayed heavily with bug spray. I went away for 10 days, and when I came home I only saw one trail instead of several days' worth. I thought it was gone because there were no new trails for a few more days.

My friend Amy suggested that it might be a snail, that she had similar experiences when she lived in Louisiana. Her idea sounded better to me than a lizard running loose. Plus, after examining the trail a little closer, it became clear that whatever it was had to be small. The trail was too crooked to have been a lizard's trail. It also never covered very much area, leading me to believe it must also be slow.

Amy recommended sprinkling salt near the outside doors to keep them from coming in, so after vacuuming really well again, I did. I only sprinkled just inside the door because I figured all the rain we'd been having would wash it away. I worried that the grains of salt would fall down in the carpet and not work well. I saw several grains resting on top of the carpet, so I was careful not to step there and force it down to the bottom.

I watched and waited. A few days later I saw one short trail - and nothing since. Maybe Amy was right, that it was indeed a snail. And maybe now it's gone.

Thanks, Amy!