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Two Cents Worth

I have had a house guest for a few days.

Having unexpected visitors can absolutely be the most wonderful surprise ever or it can be very annoying and even upsetting. It can be fun or painful. It can be joyful or downright aggravating. And as Benjamin Franklin says, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.”

My guest was unexpected and gave me quite a shock when first encountered. I walked around the corner into the back hall just as it scampered out. I stopped and stared. It stopped and stared and then scampered back behind the cupboard. I just stood there trying to formulate what I just saw. It happened very quickly but I am pretty sure it was a chipmunk.

I walked to the kitchen to contemplate what I was going to do about it. A few minutes later I walked into the office/library, dressing room/pantry, junk room to look it up on Google. Again we met each other with surprise. It ran behind some boxes and I again walked away. Sounds really dumb now, but it was all quite surreal at the time.

In my Google search it said to leave all the doors open and it would find the way out because they don’t want to be in the house. I assume it got in because I left the back door open, which I am known to do when I run out to the garage, so leaving the doors open didn’t seem like a very good idea to me. God only knows what else might decide to come in.

I have lots of critters around including birds who love to fly into and peck at the patio door. I could just picture robins flying around, a squirrel or two, possibly the rest of the chipmunk family and a couple neighbourhood cats coming in, not to mention bees and flying things of all description.

Recently it has taken up residency in the kitchen. So I bought a live trap. Didn’t have any cheap peanuts or even peanut butter so was forced to use pecans. Pretty high class critter feed. I set the trap with the nuts but it must be very light because it got in and ate and got out without setting off the trap several times. By this time I was a bit annoyed so set up some mouse traps as well - I know, but it’s not living in your house - which also gave up the treats without catching the perpetrator.

It had also started digging up my house plants creating a huge mess. With the abundance of high caloric food, I figured it would soon gain enough weight to spring the traps.

Now, I am curious so did some research and although I am pretty sure it’s a chipmunk it could be a vole, a mole, a shrew or even a mouse. Whatever it is, it doesn’t like cheese so I got some peanut butter and reset a variety of traps to no avail.

This morning, Tuesday, the traps had not been sprung nor were any of the treats taken. There may be a variety of reasons for this such as the fatty pecans and peanut butter did it in, but I am choosing to go with the pleasant thought he found his way out. I am not going to think about how or where he got out, just that he is freely and blissfully roaming the great outdoors.

twocentsworth40@hotmail.com 

Distroscale

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