tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post5465379120316686979..comments2024-03-20T08:32:25.794-04:00Comments on Dept. of Nance: The Rambo Moment: Wildlife Wars Continue, Part IIINancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-57789940302572668782015-07-21T22:09:35.065-04:002015-07-21T22:09:35.065-04:00I will write it up. After I get done with the dogs...I will write it up. After I get done with the dogs. Non dog people may avoid this post, without offence.MARY Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178370815712313585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-23216700681584615732015-07-20T15:10:22.208-04:002015-07-20T15:10:22.208-04:00You know, I think they actually blew it in there i...You know, I think they actually blew it in there in a cloud - enough to make them uncomfortable and skitter out - and as soon as they had gone, the guys went in and foamed all the cracks shut. It also helped that we had the neighbors trim their trees - the branches were so long that the squirrels were able to climb the trees and basically just stroll onto our roof. Once it got more challenging, our attic didn't seem quite so attractive. MsCarolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03623997911568143459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-11739504539832054612015-07-19T11:00:45.613-04:002015-07-19T11:00:45.613-04:00MsCaroline--Roof Rats would make a great name for ...MsCaroline--Roof Rats would make a great name for a band or a roofing company. But I agree, they sound horrifying.<br /><br />I'm intrigued by the remedy for your Resident Squirrels since we've found cayenne pepper largely ineffective against squirrels here. I sprinkled it into our bird food for an entire summer to discourage the damn things from robbing the birdfeeders, but they parked on top of them anyway and gorged themselves constantly. We must have a Cajun variety of rodents here.<br /><br />This is the Year Of The Spider, most certainly. I am taking it personally. It is absolutely ridiculous how much time I spend destroying webs and smashing spiders EVERY SINGLE DAY. That it is an International Epidemic is frightening.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-80414215033681623642015-07-19T05:12:02.615-04:002015-07-19T05:12:02.615-04:00When we lived in Arizona, it was always the scorpi...When we lived in Arizona, it was always the scorpions I ran across, but what really frightened me were the Roof Rats - supposedly attracted to citrus trees and swimming pools (which pretty much summed up every house in suburban Phoenix.) Thank God they never showed up or I probably would have gone stark, raving mad - and, in fact, your description of the rat in the mousetrap was terrifying. We had squirrels in the attic in our house in Texas, but the exterminator guys were able to get them to leave with a liberal sprinkling of cayenne pepper and then filling up the cracks where they entered with some crazy expanding foam(who knew? We could have done that ourselves and saved some money.) Here in England (the land of No Screens on Windows and Doors and No AirCon) we just have a constant stream of spiders, mice, and pill bugs. Mind you, when we were moving in, our landlord (a lovely retired Naval Officer) tossed out this conversational bombshell: "You know, they say that, anywhere you go, you're no more than 2 meters away from a rat." I have often wondered if this was an attempt to set the expectations, if you know what I mean. Six months in, still haven't seen one, but maybe they're just hiding in the walls, growing fat off all the insects.MsCarolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03623997911568143459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-89657670146618408482015-07-16T17:16:18.088-04:002015-07-16T17:16:18.088-04:00Nancy--Oh, my dear! You only had to ask. I have ...Nancy--Oh, my dear! You only had to ask. I have one more post in the series and you'll see what's left. (It's none of the things mentioned by the Weird Sisters, believe it or not. At least SO FAR...!)Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-57329895610244675492015-07-16T10:01:54.689-04:002015-07-16T10:01:54.689-04:00Nance,
I thought that locusts would be next but t...Nance,<br /><br />I thought that locusts would be next but the situation is more dire than I imagined. What other creatures could possibly show up at your house? Your neighbor will have her binoculars at the ready to see how Rick handles this next group.<br /><br />Eye of newt, and toe of frog,<br /> Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,<br /> Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,<br /> Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--<br /> For a charm of powerful trouble,<br /> Like a hell-broth boil and bubbleNancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09426821858355153898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-27400077972138304222015-07-16T09:03:37.634-04:002015-07-16T09:03:37.634-04:00Rats in the rubbish was about as exotic as it got ...Rats in the rubbish was about as exotic as it got in Bahrain. I just could not believe the size of those suckers. I used to babysit for a family (U.S.) whose kids had "pet rats." In a cage in the garage, thankfully, and these were, uh, normal size I suppose, but that did not keep me from feeling uneasy that Templeton & Co. might escape. How anyone could want those creatures as pets is beyond me, but then there are those who have snakes and other delightful creatures as pets, so go figure.Ortizzlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03709991994425909880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-2372884531417046902015-07-16T08:48:43.599-04:002015-07-16T08:48:43.599-04:00Ally Bean--Good heavens! What objectionable peopl...Ally Bean--Good heavens! What objectionable people. And, really really immature. Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-22227855914190465362015-07-16T08:46:35.642-04:002015-07-16T08:46:35.642-04:00Mary G.--Oh, go on. It's even funny to me now...Mary G.--Oh, go on. It's even funny to me now. I've survived it. At the time--not so much. Honestly, it's a miracle we still own our little house. It has betrayed us in so many ways. But I love it still.<br /><br />Heaven help us if Rick ever, EVER has to go up against anything truly vicious with his BB gun. Or any weapon. It would break his heart if he did not emerge victorious.<br /><br />I do want to hear about your husband's terrible battle with the compost bin. It's all in the telling, as you know.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-62859035870809822482015-07-16T08:42:03.805-04:002015-07-16T08:42:03.805-04:00Bug--Oh, hell. Thank you for THAT. I'm still...Bug--Oh, hell. Thank you for THAT. I'm still leery about the snake in the toilet story from last summer, and now I have to remember your rat. Sigh.<br /><br />YET SO MANY OF YOU WILL EAT OUTDOORS AND RIDE IN CARS WITH THE TOPS DOWN, WILLINGLY SHARING MORE OF YOUR LIVES WITH NATURE THAN IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! JUST SAYING.<br /><br />Do not get me started on camping. I mean it.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-64687581377458432102015-07-16T08:39:01.867-04:002015-07-16T08:39:01.867-04:00Ortizzle--My, yes, peanut butter and a cheapo trap...Ortizzle--My, yes, peanut butter and a cheapo trap. Cheese is a big ol' myth. Rick is quick to use MY peanut butter--smooth--rather than his stuff, the extra chunky. <br /><br />Isn't it funny how that cute little mouse you see everywhere else is suddenly a disgusting rodent once it's INSIDE YOUR HOME?<br /><br />We haven't seen a rat since that one "kitty" that Lou dispatched. That was almost worse than the bats, I think, taking into account all of the Baggage and Stigma that rats bring with them. And we didn't even have the exotic perks of life in Bahrain.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-35814024221056238472015-07-16T08:31:47.784-04:002015-07-16T08:31:47.784-04:00J@jj--Certainly rain at those/these levels, anyway...J@jj--Certainly rain at those/these levels, anyway. And if you live near woods, a river or creek, or any other hunk of Nature, you're far more likely to entertain Guests. And, our home is an older one, built back in the Depression era. It constantly reveals small fissures, nooks, and crannies that we need to seal off. Some of them are from old fixtures or archaic plumbing thingies. As a condo dweller in a more modern building, you wouldn't have to worry about much of this.Nancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17627214346956206283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-77035833766961329192015-07-15T18:03:59.413-04:002015-07-15T18:03:59.413-04:00UGH. Poor rat. Poor you. I think I'll stop ...UGH. Poor rat. Poor you. I think I'll stop complaining about our drought now, if moisture brings such delights.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00653383372182667361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-21262269961141846512015-07-15T17:07:50.615-04:002015-07-15T17:07:50.615-04:00Mice:
We had some once in our condo. I found ou...<i>Mice</i>: <br />We had some once in our condo. I found out one day as I opened the trash compactor early one morning to discard the coffee filter and ... smiling up at me was a little grey mouse. I freaked out, but managed not to scream. Not knowing what else to do, I turned the compactor on, hoping he would be squashed enough to deal with. When I opened it again, the mouse was gone. I started investigating fancy mouse traps online. Electric zappers that cost about $50. Then I called our property manager to see if anyone else had a mouse problem. He said no, but recommended I not bother with the fancy traps. Came over to have a look, and recommended I set some of the old-fashioned, cheap 99-cent traps and bait with peanut butter, which apparently they like a lot more than cheese. By golly, it took about 3 days, but the various traps I set around the kitchen produced results. Snap, snap, snap! Haven’t seen a mouse since. <br /><br /><i>Rats</i>: <br />Never in the house, thank God. But when I lived in Bahrain, the dumpster near our apartment building had those suckers and they were the size of feral cats. Geez. Scared the crap out of me. Ortizzlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03709991994425909880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-89514509077695560462015-07-15T14:59:45.013-04:002015-07-15T14:59:45.013-04:00Oh yuck!! I know I've told the story of the ra...Oh yuck!! I know I've told the story of the rat in the toilet (while I was sitting on it), so I'll refrain this time. But suffice it to say that I do NOT have warm fuzzy feelings for rats!!The Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509037206264761261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-68490064996137622592015-07-15T11:57:52.557-04:002015-07-15T11:57:52.557-04:00Laughing. Sorry. Although I figure you intended th...Laughing. Sorry. Although I figure you intended that. Best regards to Rambo.<br />My Rambo once killed the compost bin while attempting to scare off a bear. Not nearly as good.MARY Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13178370815712313585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179498.post-8628854978881903872015-07-14T18:04:23.633-04:002015-07-14T18:04:23.633-04:00Oh man, what a story! Mice are icky, but rats… YU...Oh man, what a story! Mice are icky, but rats… YUCK. The only one I've encountered in person was dead, and thrown onto our driveway by the neighbor's moving crew who thought I was being a bitch when I asked them to move their van so that I could exit my driveway in my car. But that rat was not in my house. YIKES.Ally Beanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17017098395188176477noreply@blogger.com