Monday, November 20, 2006

Disco


We hung a strobe light in the attic today. Three little disco balls too. I might have hung more if it weren’t for Amanda’s warning. "At some point you might have to worry that they'll just come in to party."

"They." The squirrels. We’ve patched the holes, tried the live traps, and still they want to share our home. All my online research and conversations with “pest control” persons didn’t offer much reassurance. "Once they're established in a nest, they're hard to get rid of. " But, with the van still in the shop, we’ve got time to experiment with new methods. If the pulsing light and mirrored reflections aren’t enough to make the squirrels uncomfortable, the seven little bottles of fox urine we hung and generous sprinklings or pepper crystals should put a damper on their party. We're not shy about trying the ultra-sonic sound devices either.

Other often overlooked household care enabled by the van’s cylinder mishap?

• Cleaning the gutters
• Pruning the trees and thinning bamboo
• Plumbing repair
• Mulching, weeding, gardening
• Moss removal from roof
• Furnace cleaning

Tomorrow we move the washer and dryer. With any luck, we’ll be off before we find time to paint.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm happy about the gutters, furnace cleaning and plumming repairs! i hope the disco fox urine rocked the squirrels out of the house!
and that you find your way back to the road very soon!
love, emily (your renter)

Anonymous said...

Hey Emily!
Apparently squirrels aren't into dance parties. Or maybe their waltzing at the park down the street.
We made it to Eugene tonight. Last summer we made the drive from here to Sacramento in a day- but we're not as hard core as we use to be! ;)
Talk to you soon...
~nora

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