Today I am . . .
- Raking up and sweeping the teeny tiny oak seeds in our backyard. They are choking our new lawn, which is simply unacceptable.
- Tracking down Soul Eater: Volume One, which is two days overdue at the library.
- Voting. (Hooray for living in a country that gives me this incredible right!)
- Working up the courage to deal with my compost, which appears to be housing a rat. *Gag*
- Meeting my husband at the county office to put in the application for our younger son’s renewed passport. This is an annoying task, as it requires both parents plus the child on a weekday.
- Doing laundry to take advantage of the terrific clothesline-friendly weather.
- Crossing my fingers that someone besides scammers respond to my Craigslist ads for my TV armoire and Goodwill rug.
- Still laughing about how I spontaneously invented the swear word “Bluggery” yesterday.
- Enjoying that my mother finally moved back to Portland from Nebraska. (Master’s degree, schmaster’s degree.)
- Anticipating that I will accomplish a lot of stuff in the name of procrastinating the rat-in-the-compost task. Again, *gag*!
Update: I disassembled the two compost bins and didn’t see the rat(s). However, there were lots of rat-sized channels. I was ready to freak out at a moment’s notice.
How about you, what are you doing today?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Ohh Katy, my sympathies! I had a r** near my compost & bird-feeder. After I freaked out & took down the bird-feeder, I tried peppermint oil on cotton balls stuffed into a few nylon Knee-His and hung near problem spots. Seemed to work. Be brave. Hang in there.
It’s hard, as rats are the one thing that I am phobic about.
Katy
reframe the rat thing as a contest, with a prize (perhaps Pocky), for the contestant who provides proof of the rat’s capture and execution. Oops. Portland. Capture and relocation to Lake Oswego….
That would piss off the rich people.
Katy
Today I worked out, and now I am hanging laundry, menu planning, and getting a little work done for a class I teach tonight. And, most importantly, all the windows are open and the fresh air blowing through the house is so nice! Of course, the air would be fresher if I added “take a shower” to my list. Moving that one up to the top, I think.
Thank you for sending your rain to Austin. We live it and will take as much as you send! On this rainy day I am making a healthy New Orleans jambalaya with brown rice and fruit and nut no sugar cookies.
love to know how to make the cookies
http://makeordie.blogspot.com/2011/09/vegan-breakfast-cookies.html
That was we love it…not live it.
Here on the other side of the country, I, too, am dealing with rodent “issues.” My daughter’s friends were over the other day, and we were outside watching our little flock of chickens roaming around the yard. One friend said – “Hey? Is that a squirrel over there?” Um, nope. Not a squirrel. But roughly THE SAME SIZE. And then I saw it again (at least, I hope it was the same one!) yesterday IN my chicken coop. Eeek! I’ve taken to going outside only in knee-high wellies and long-sleeves – which my kids find hilarious – but luckily my “home-owner’s pest control contract” (for termites, bees and – apparently – rodents) includes our barn! Hooray! So the exterminator is coming today to deal with “Templeton the Rat.” I think I am going to hide in the house while he is here!
Today I’m preparing for a house guest on Thursday, lots of laundry, did the grocery shopping. As a treat went to Target’s 50-70% off section and bought a few summery shirts. Love it when a shirt is $3.48 originally a lot more! Now I need to work on business planning and making Indian for dinner, I’m making naan and I need to give that time to rise.
There’s actually a term for this – “productive procrastination” – in which you get a LOT done to avoid the one thing you really should be doing. Now when I find myself doing same, I kind of like that I’m at least getting something accomplished (even though it’s lower on the list than the LOOMING thing).
Today I am working on costumes, pulling together last minute plans for the big art show, scrubbing down the kitchen due to the rapidly rising ant population this year. (Seriously could not even get my mail out of the mailbox due to the swarm of ants hiding out from the earlier rain) I can’t leave out food for my cat because of them.
Rats are the one thing that do it for me too – send shivers down my spine. making my legs weak just thinking about it.
Today I am picking strawberries to put in the freezer for pies and getting to make jam tomorrow. I am pitting pie cherries from a friend’s tree–who generously shared, provided we picked them ourselves. Can’t beat that! Then I made a cobbler with some of the cherries and still had enough to put five containers in the freezer. Also had bananas that needed using, so made two loaves of banana bread to fill up the oven at the same time. I fit in a walk as I am trying to lose a few pounds. That doesn’t really jive with cobbler but is better than cobbler and no exercise:)! Also did one load of laundry, watered flowers and herbs in pot. Been a beautiful and sunny day and that makes me feel happy! Sorry about the rat. They are so dirty and nasty. They really freak me out also. We live in a very rural area with farms abounding. So, with cropland, there are always rats around at some point. Ick! Sounds like you have fixed the problem and that should make you feel good! I commend you on voting–that is right we shouldn’t take for granted!!
I made a rhubarb pie with $4.52 worth of rhubarb from the grocery store and still needed another $2 worth of rhubarb to make a full pie.
Folded clothes from yesterday.
Washed a load I will hang out tomorrow when the rain stops.
Started a blog post with the pie recipe and crust recipe and lots of pictures–new kind of crust.
Washed hair and need a bath since it is dinner time.
Searched high and low for my slingshot.
Rats are just so ugly and nasty. I don’t blame you for procrastinating!
Oh Katy I feel your pain. I had a similar problem with my compost. Just wrap small mesh chicken wire under the bin. Leave yourself about 8 inches to wrap up. They can chew through it, but it has deterred rats from my compost for a few years now.
Katy, just be a brave girl, get one of those large size snap type traps,
bate it with good old cheese and put a few out on top of the heap.
Quick and cheep.
Hi Katy, Thanks to your success, I’m gearing up to put some stuff on Craig’s List. In your last post, you mentioned scammers responding to your listings. Can you clarify what you mean and what I should look out for? I’ve never done this before and fear I will fall for a scam… Thanks for your advice. Love, love, love your posts!!
EWWWWW! Listen, I’m an outdoors girl 100% , I’ll pick up a snake in a heartbeat, but a rat would send me up a tree! Thankfully I’ve never encountered one, maybe because I’ve mostly lived in the country? Hope he chokes on an eggshell!
I believe one parent can get a permission slip[1] notarized for the other to use, instead of both parents having to go in. Because yes, what a hassle.
[1] Note: “permission slip” is not official terminology.