Skip to main content

Squirrel! Part 5: Eviction!

After three months, several tiny holes in two bedroom ceilings, multiple failed techniques, falling from a ladder and nearly breaking my hand, and wasting $625 with Home Paramount - a squirrel was caught in our attic in less than a day. Borrowing a Havahart trap from a friend, baiting it with peanut butter, and placing it in the attic on the afternoon of February 13 the next morning we had a squirrel. Yup, on Valentine's Day we caught the little varmint.

Here's where any rational person would ask: Why didn't you do that from the start? Well, like millions of men before me, at the time my approach seemed like a good idea. Plus, guys often don't ask for help and borrow things as a last resort. Or at least that's the way I operate.

Now, left to my own devices I would've water-boarded that squirrel into telling me the location of the secret Rebel base. Or at least revealing if there were any other squirrels in my attic. Since we had 17 inches of snow outside, my first thought was shoving the caged squirrel into a snowbank and letting him suffocate.

Kim was in full support of snuffing him out, but when she saw the furry mongrel she couldn't allow me to kill it. Thus, we drove out to Glenelg, MD - 15 miles away - and dumped the squirrel into a snowy field. He scampered away, leaping through the inches of snow trying to find cover.

I had a sinister thought that maybe a hawk would find that hopping furry punk and wisk him off to his demise. But the fact was he wasn't finding his way back to our house. And, yes, a squirrel can do that if you don't take it out far enough. 15 miles is more than adequate.

So, this story arch can come to a close as we make certain there are no more varmits, patch the ceilings, and seal the breeches.



Also, check out:
Squirrel!





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I Can Honestly Say Jon Is My Best Friend

At the beginning of this year, these were Kate Gosselin's words in an interview with Today's Christian Woman : "I can honestly say Jon is my best friend." Kate also says, "When the babies were born, I was well aware that our marriage could crumble. It was close to doing so at times. But we survived that first year. And then the second one. And then each year after that. Even though the issues have changed, it's never gotten easier. "But Jon and I are more determined than ever that we're in this together. We've told our kids many times that we're always going to be a family. There are no other options. Sure, Jon and I take our stress out on each other, and no, that's not always good or healthy. But we work hard as a team every day."

A Very Angry Prostate

Cancer.  No other word evokes so many emotions and consumes so many thoughts of both the one with the diagnosis and those who learn of it. On Tuesday, June 25, at 4:40pm, I learned that I have prostate cancer.  One of the questions I'm most asked: "How did you know to check?" Naturally, some wondered if I had signs or pains. There were none. Last September, I had my second physical with my new primary physician. With an age of 50, he requested a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test be added to my blood panel. The next day, the results were in my portal. For my age, my PSA should be no higher than 4. My reading was 4.191. Since this number was out of range, the portal chart visually shouted at me that this was HIGH. Googling sent me into a spiral of thinking I might have prostate cancer which led to many thoughts of mortality. I was at work sitting in my cubicle attempting to calm myself and praying as waves of anxiety, thoughts and emotions washed in. I contacte...

When Three Weeks Felt Like Three Months

These words have taken months to reconcile as I've wrestled with and revisited many times over. Summarizing three very long weeks of December 2023 has been quite the challenge. I was in Mississippi for what began as a hip fracture for my mother and ended in her passing. It's still rather surreal for her to be gone. The first Mother's Day without her impacted me more than what would've been her 86th birthday on January 24 or what would've been her 67th wedding anniversary on April 4. Not getting a call from her on my birthday July 1 was also a void which was filled with Dad calling in birthday wishes. My family being a thousand miles away for the last 20 years, only speaking on the phone once or twice a month, visits only being every few years due to life and expenses...it feels almost routine being disconnected from Mom. Yet, random memories and various regrets have trickled through my mind since those exhausting weeks in December. Three weeks which felt like three ...