Menace or Hero?

Ole Albert was at it again early this morning so I decided to slip outside and see just what he was pecking!  Rat-a-tat-tat!  He was determined to wake me! Slipping on my moccasins, I realized that it was raining.  Well, that ended that idea!  I was not about to get wet because of a woodpecker!  Still, I was curious..why is this woodpecker always pounding on my house?  I listened.  From the sound, he was pounding away on the eave of the living room.  I knew then that I would be able to view him without even his knowing!  I quietly opened the side door of the house and slipped into the entryway.  This small room has windows on three sides and gives me a clear view of most of the yard.  Sure enough, there was the culprit!  Even in the drizzly rain, he pounded!  Rat-a-tat-tat!  Then with his head cocked to one side, he would listen.  What was he hearing?  Why was he drilling holes in my house?  This menace of a bird was tearing my house to shreds!

I watched as the bird literally tore a hole in the fascia board on the west side of the living room.  I suddenly had a sinking feeling.  Were there termites eating my house?  I am quite sure that the bird did not intentionally want to demolish my house!  There has to be some reason for him to be drilling holes into the wood!  Later when the rains stopped, I convinced Michael that he should clamber up to the rooftop and take a gander at what the woodpecker was doing. I definitely do not want termites infesting the house and me not do a thing to stop them!  Again, I watched but this time it was at Michael dangling over the edge of the roof as he peered into the gash that the woodpecker had ripped.  Nothing.  He even listened carefully but could not hear any gnawing.  (I am not sure you could hear a termite chewing in a board but it did make me feel some better knowing that Michael did not!  That would probably be very bad news!)  Ok..so he did not find termites!  Good news!  Then I heard..."but...."  Oh my..that did not sound good.  "But, what?" I queried.  "Well, there are a lot of ants up here."  Ants?  On my rooftop?  Could the woodpecker be eating ants?  And why are there ants on my roof?

The discovery of the ants made me realize that something must be done.  Tomorrow, Michael and I will find some sort of critter-killing stuff to put into the eaves of the living room in hopes of killing the ants.  I hope this does not bother Ole Albert as he is now my hero!  My opinion of him changed mightily..from menace to hero with the discovery of the ants.  Maybe Ole Albert was once again trying to tell me something...something important!.....Ants...ants in my rooftop..just imagine!  Mark and Michael will now have to take down and replace the fascia board which will give us a better view of just what, if any, damage has been done.  Good Ole Albert!