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Friday, November 5, 2010

Defending the Homefront

So many of you know that Eldon travels quite a bit for a living. He travels to lavish places and is given the high and mighty treatment. This fall has been no exception. We have been bracing ourselves for the amount of time he would be gone. In the past when he has been gone for awhile, something inevitably goes wrong at home. Sometimes are worse than others. I always hope for the best but expect the worst.

This time was no different. I will just say that I believe I have just experienced my pioneer woman moment. I didn't have to fight off a buffalo or a wild Indian, but I did have to defend my home.

Last week, a huge bird flew into our house. It was landing and perching on our drapery rods. It would fly in the circle of the main floor from room to room as I chased it with my broom. I was no match for the bird as it was much faster and I couldn't understand why it wouldn't just fly out of the house. All the main level doors were open and no one outside would be chasing it with a broom. I think it was a very dumb bird. It finally got caught in our light fixture in the hall and I was able to coax it out the front door. Max was laughing his head off, Jackson was crying, and Claire was screaming. This I know will be what the kids remember about the fall of 2010.

This week, Eldon gone again, I am reading the last Harry Potter book to prepare for the upcoming movie and as I'm sitting in my bed, I hear dragging above me in the attic. I think it's the wind, or the rain, or maybe the dryer was still going downstairs, but alas it was not. It continued through the night and into the morning. It was like someone was walking on my roof all night long. So I figured it was a larger animal that had gotten into the attic.

Earlier in the day, I had gone down to the food storage to get some cream of mushroom soup. I noticed that a mouse had gotten into a bag of rice I had left down there. (I know that was stupid). So I was already preparing to trap and kill that mouse when I heard the noises upstairs.

I was near tears as I realized that I was surrounded, alone, and I didn't want to protect my children from animals. I wanted my husband to do it, but I needed to man up and get the job done. So how do I handle things like this??

I called Critter Control. They came and did a full assessment and found a nice large RAT living in the attic. They said it was a field rat and that it was bringing in it's own food and just making a home there. It didn't want our food. That was thoughtful. They set the trap while they were investigating and the dumb thing went right in. I couldn't look at it when they took it out. Knowing what it looked like would be too many nightmares in the future.

Apparently, the entry point where the AC line goes into the house has been a highway for rodents since it's so big. They sealed it, set up bait points in the basement that feeds the mice and then sends them out to die. They covered the attic with some type of bait similar to the basement but in much larger quantities and we are good to go. I am still going to have to trap the mouse in the basement, which I have no desire to do, but I will.

I know it's winter coming and the dry summer that is increasing rodent activity, but guess what neighbors???? They are going to go to your house now!