Rodent Wrangling

A trail of birdseed meandered across the work bench and then stopped.Upon examination, there was a cleverly chewed hole in the bottom of the seed bag. Not too big and not too small. Something was helping themselves to a feast. Looking further to the table saw that sat next to the bench, seed was neatly arranged in piles according to the type of seed. Millet in one, sunflower in another, corn in yet another. The marauder was at least organized.

An assortment of traps were then set to catch the criminal critter, but alas to no avail. The mousetrap with its peanut butter and cracker were left untouched and more seed disappeared. Suspicions arose that the critter was too big for the the regular sized mousetrap, so the larger "Have-a-Heart" trap was dusted off and placed on the workbench with tidbits of juicy apple and peanut butter displayed temptingly inside. Nothing! The creature was far too clever to be taken in by these crude methods. Seed continued to disappear and frustration rose. The rodent was momentarily observed peeking from behind a cabinet in the garage. Perhaps it was taunting the frustrated man who huffed and puffed with irritation.

The heavy artillery was mustered and a dish of poison was positioned next to the traps. It was time to get serious. Once again more birdseed was found the nooks and crannies of the garage--under the storage cabinet, between containers even though the seed was now safely stored in a covered container. The poison remained untouched.

The man began to suspect that the shop vac was a wonderful place to spend the winter. It was cozy, dark, out of the elements and a great place for seed storing. It was unceremoniously dumped outside. Lo and behold, a nest had been built inside, but no packrats were in residence. However, all indications at the present time are that the Neotoma devia (Arizona Woodrat) has taken its eviction with grace and left the premises.

It there are any lessons to be learned from outwitting rodents, I'll leave it to the reader to make the proper application.

Comments

Debbie R said…

The story is well told, and sounds ever so familiar ... substitute laundry room for workbench, chipmunk for Arizona
Woodrat and it was the same story here not so very long ago.

November 15, 2011

Four Ways to Improve Your Pastor

Management expert, the late Peter Drucker once observed that the four most difficult jobs were: President of the United States, a university president, hospital administrator, and you guessed it--pastor of a church. I can hear some of you saying "Are you kidding? He only works on Sundays." Well, that's not quite true, is it? The research shows that pastors are burned out, prone to moral failure (and not just sexual), and their marriages are often troubled. Who in their right mind would want to be a pastor? It's a tough gig, and God most definitely needs to call you to the pulpit. It's not for the faint of heart or the thin skinned. There's also this warning from James: Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. James 3:1 NLT The job is 24/7/365, shepherding the flock of human sheep who, if we're honest, aren't great at following. The church is full

Choosing a Puppy for Your Children

"But, Mom the puppies are really cute. I'll take care of it. Honest. We need a dog. I'll walk him and feed him. Pleeeeeese, can't we get a puppy?" The age old parent-child exchange about getting a puppy. The big decision to bring a baby canine into your family. How the passionate promises of feeding, walking, and cleaning up after the puppy pour so easily from your child's lips. You know, however, you'll be the one doing all of the above and more. Of course, puppies are adorable, soft, cuddly, entertaining, annoying, labor intensive, and sleep disrupting. But, most likely you'll cave and get one anyway. Companion dogs are members of the family, and the puppy you add to the mix needs to be a good fit. Emotions run high over that furry, roly-poly critter whose antics can melt the heart of the stone. Take a deep breath and do your homework before making the commitment. Don't get a puppy at Christmastime. The excitement of the holiday will make it

Barbecue Season

It's officially here according to the thermometer at Casa Wallace. Summer is blazing a trail through the desert right now. June is the hottest time of the year, which entices the monsoon season to finally show up. With summer comes barbecue time. Steaks, burgers, chicken, you name it, we'll grill it to keep the heat of the house. Veggies are great too. The smell is my favorite summer air freshener. Every region has its own particular flavor for barbecue. Arizona is famous for that mesquite flavor. I haven't discovered THE Arizona barbecue recipe since we're greatly influenced by Texas. Smoked, slow cooked with a tomato based sauce, and fallin' off the bone, the ribs are finger lickin' good. We're lovers of Memphis barbecue, especially Corky's which is famous for its dry and wet seasoning. The dry rub is wonderful with a little kick to it. It's good on any meat, just rub it in, let it sit a spell and grill. Memphis elevates barbecue to divine hei

SimplyLife

Search This Blog