Vermin

We have struggled with vermin this year. In the spring, it was the squirrels in the attic. They had chewed a hole in an exterior corner of the roof which also happened to be right above my side of the bed. Each night they leapt from our neighbors elm tree to our roof and into the attic and for some reason, I bolted awake.

Me: "Jon!"
Jon: "Harumph."
Me: "I heard it!"
Jon: "Harumph."
Me: "I think there is something in the attic!"
Jon: "Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

It took me literally months to convince Jon that something was living in the attic. It wasn't until we trapped a squirrel that he believed me. Once we trapped the squirrel, Jon searched for and found where they were getting into the attic (right above my side of the bed--duh). He replaced the chewed wood and sealed the opening. I was concerned--what if there was a squirrel already in the attic? I started putting bowls of water and food up there, lest we kill a critter by starvation and dehydration.

Summer brought camel crickets.

Fast forward to this fall. Tucker became obsessed with the nether region beneath the shed. He sniffed and snorted at every opportunity. He barked to go outside, only to perch himself on the back patio and stand watch. As the temperatures continued to fall, we noticed that something was dragging compost under the shed. If you have ever plunged your hand into a compost pile, you will know that it is HOT. These critters were no fools. Winter was a' coming and they had found a heat source.

Jon finally saw our squatters and announced that we had rats. I scoffed--unthinkable! We do not have rats. Rats are dirty and pest-ridden and are only found in urban areas like New York and Nimh. These must be mice, which are small and cute and harmless.

I was content to let the mice use our compost for a winter heat source until one night...

Kerplunk!

Me: "Jon!"
Jon: "Harumph."
Me: "Something is in the attic!"
Jon: "Rats."
Me: "We do not have rats!"
Jon: "Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

So there you have it.

Us: 3
Rats: -3