Foiled Again!

Sometimes just when you think you are ahead of the game, something trips you up and you fall back a bit.  That is what happened early this morning.  I was headed to the kitchen around six this morning to make a pot of coffee when I heard it.  Crunk, crunk, crunk.  Not again!  This has to be a dream!  That's it, I am still sleeping.  I turned on the water...nope..it felt cold so not dream.  Drats!  That darn squirrel was back!  Michael and I literally removed the entire outer closet so the rascal would not have a place to gnaw.  Crunk, crunk, crunk...it was gnawing.    MICHAEL!!!  I am not too sure he was overly happy about being dragged out of bed at such an early hour.  He had been up on the rooftop all day yesterday replacing some rotted boards and I can imagined was still a bit tired.  MICHAEL!!!  Crunk, crunk, crunk!  It seemed as if the squirrel did not even care that I was yelling my head off down in the kitchen.

Soon, Son came groggily into the kitchen and I handed him a cup of coffee.  "Here, I think you are going to need this!"  He grunted something that sounded a lot like "Dare pearls in adding."  Which I knew translated to "There's squirrels in the attic."  I was satisfied..he had heard them, too!  Once two cups of coffee were poured into him, he awoke enough to make a tad more sense.  It seems that the squirrels were gnawing right above him!  His bedroom is upstairs and anything that lands on the roof wakes him immediately.  Wakes him...not wakes him enough to get out of bed, though.  That is my job! (And I do it quite well!)  Anyway, he headed out on the rooftop to find the entrance hole.  It seems that the squirrel had ripped off a metal sheet of "flashing", gnawed through one inch thick trim boards and finally through a sheet of plywood.  That little rascal really wanted to be inside!

Michael shooed the squirrel out by banging with a hammer on the outside wall.  The squirrels (yes, there were two!) scooted out and across the rooftop.  From there, they leapt to an oak tree to make their escape.  Son patched the hole again and after about an hour, came inside for breakfast.  Crunk, crunk, crunk!  AACK!  The critters were back!  Michael dashed back outside and up the ladder.  Sure enough, his patch was pulled free from the house and the squirrels had darted back into the wall.  Oh, geez!  Banging began again, as Michael chased the squirrels out of their hiding spot.  Again, he patched the hole..and later, again, the squirrels pulled it free.  Four times...four times!..Michael patched the hole.  Four times..the squirrels gnawed through the patch.  Finally just at dark, they were on the rooftop once again but this time his patch held.....for now.  I am sure that the first thing come morning, I will hear the pitter-patter of little squirrel feet tripping across the rooftop.  Then..crunk, crunk, crunk!  MICHAEL!!!!