Turf Wars

So we made it back to the cabin earlier this month. At first, it seemed like everything was in order. We walked in, listened for anything vaguely like a mouse skuttling. Hearing nothing, we started to unload the car and get organized. The cat went right into the crawlspace under the cabin and within about half an hour, caught a mouse. Hmmmm. We didn't think much of it until we opened one cupboard and found that a mouse and his friends had had a major party in a big kleenex box. It was totally shredded, with a generous sprinkling of black rice. It cleaned up pretty quickly. So we thought all was well.

A while later, we noticed a groundhog (muskrat) sticking his head out from under the shed next to the cabin. Our backyard was full of delicious greenery. At first we let him be. The cat was fascinated with him. They didn't bother each other. Then we learned that they can make big tunnels and burrows under buildings, and that those facilities would likely be inhabited by other critters down the line. So, we decided he'd have to go. We planned to get a "Have A Heart" trap to do some 'catch and release.' However, before we took that step, we played some Tower of Power out in the shed at a good volume. He or she wasn't a fan, and we haven't seen him since!

We thought our experiences were quite unique, until a neighbor told us of a relative of his who unlocked his summer place up north, only to find lots of duck scat all over the house, a pile of duck feathers, and then a very smelly and very dead duck in the middle of the living room. Apparently the poor thing had flown down the chimney (they'd left the damper open) and couldn't get out.

Today I was filling my car with gas and half-way through, I happened to look at the area around the gas tank opening. There was a miniature wasp nest, complete with an actual wasp on it!  I managed to fill the tank, close the lid, and get home. My husband kindly took care of the nest.