Free Rodent Control!

   Since the Little Bayou House has been officially void of cats for nigh on a year, rats have decided that the out buildings are free housing.  The greenhouse, shed and pump shed have literally been invaded by the varmints since Hurricane Zeta chased them out of their homes in the palmettoes.  Recently, the pump shed has become somewhat less infested by the critters since a large snake has taken up dwelling there.  The snake is welcome to stay.  It is a gray rat snake that is just doing its job.  Hopefully, next year dozens more of the snakes will be around but, in the meantime, that snake is going to get gigantic! The other two outbuildings still have the resident rats.  I have emptied the greenhouse of everything and set traps.  Three fat rats have met their doom so the traps will continue to be set.  But until some of the other hiding places are cleared, the rats will continue their reproducing.  Ugh!

  I had just about made up mind to go cat-hunting in hopes of finding another rat-catcher but in came another predator.  For the past few weeks, several large owls could be heard at night.  This gave me an idea!  All table scraps are now placed in an open place down by the wild persimmon trees.  Aha!  The owls are feasting upon rats as the rats feast upon scraps.  The free rodent control group is definitely doing its job as there is a lot less "evidence" of rats in the shed.  I am thinking Mother Nature knows when to send in the "big guys" to level the odds.  

  For the past few days, the owls have even started coming to the yard during the daytime hours.  This gives me hope that soon the rats will be gone for good!  I am tired of fighting them so let the predators have their fun.  While they are about it, the predators need to take a few squirrels along with the rats!

Monsters In The Greenhouse!

   I am NOT my happiest right now!  I made a discovery that has upset my whole set of plans for this week.  Backtracking, I had good intentions of having the house fully decorated for Halloween plus taking advantage of our cool weather to do some yard work.  Well, a big kink has been thrown in that well-laid plan. There is another major chore that demands attention.  This one will have to be left up to me since Son is still repairing the water damage around the fireplace in the dining room. I may as well push up the shirt sleeves and get to work come morning light.

  This morning, I was going to make space in the greenhouse for two of the porch rockers.  Stuff has been shoved in there while Son is (was before the water damage) remodeling the shed.  Everything from the shed was jammed in my greenhouse.  There is not a lot of space in there for anything but I really need to store the two chairs for a couple of months.  While there, I noticed that my seed packets were on the floor.  Well now!  I imagined that the squirrels had somehow made their way into the greenhouse and decided to steal a few seeds.  No problem.  I went to pick up the packets and saw it....IT!!! There was a huge rat nest in the corner behind the gardening tools.  My couple of months of recuperating from illness left the greenhouse up for grabs obviously!  "Well, I guess I would get rid of a rat nest before clearing a spot for the chairs." Then...another nest!  Oh, geez!  It seemed as if a whole colony of critters was in the greenhouse!  

  While battling rats, I noticed that the weather packing around the eaves was sagging.  I gave it a gentle poke with an old flounder gig thinking perhaps this roof had also developed a leak.  Oof!  THAT was heavy!  I poked harder and heard a squeak and some rustling. Geez!  Those rats are huge!!!  I poked harder!  The critter rummaged around to the north side of the eaves and then half fell through!  A fluffy, striped tail and one dark foot dangled precariously through the vent.  Raccoon!  Yep, I now had to battle raccoons!  So...poke again!  Squeal, rummage and into the greenhouse, went the coon.  I raced around the side and into the door only to find several coons up in the rafters.  They were frightened and a bit confused as to why their daytime snooze had been interrupted.  Suddenly, one coon fell (or dove) from the rafter and started scurrying around the greenhouse floor in search of a new hiding place.  Well, with that much stuff packed in the small space, hiding was relatively easy.  Then, plop! Another coon and another.  Three, madly-racing, juvenile raccoons , a crazy, old lady with a flounder gig and a mountain of junk suddenly became like a huge pinball machine.  It was crazy!

  Needless to say, I gave up.  I was exhausted from this fracas!  I will attempt again in the morning.  Hopefully by then, the coons and the rats will have had enough of the gig-wielding monster and will have vacated my greenhouse!  Otherwise, the battle will continue!  I sure need to find me a big, ole rat snake to inhabit the space.  By now, it would resemble an anaconda in size with the ample supply of prey hiding in the greenhouse.  So much for decorating the house.  It is already Halloween in the greenhouse!  Monsters!