Hopefully this will be more easily dealt with than the washing machine or the windshield on my car.
I was sitting in my living room this morning, checking my e-mail and thinking about changing out of my workout clothes when I saw a branch pass my window, and heard a FLUMP. Yeah, a big chunk of the pecan just let loose (it's been windy here and we had storms yesterday) and landed on my drive.
I guess the good news is that it didn't hit the roof, or the air conditioning unit, or even the hanging baskets on its way down. But it's enormous. I was JUST strong enough to drag it off the drive so I could come in to work.
There's also a downed chunk of the elm that's not on the yard (it's in the messy/scrubby area I always intended to plant with a nice ground cover, but which always gets invaded with weeds - I should just hire a service to clear it out and then put down mulch, and do "specimen plantings" in there). I had been delaying doing anything because calling people, ugh. But this, I couldn't leave. And it's too big for me to cut up with my little handsaw. And I didn't want to lean yet again on the guy I know at church who has a chainsaw.
So I called a local tree service; he's supposed to call me once he's on his way (so I can work a bit up here instead of waiting at home). I know it will be expensive (And I still have to get in a roofer, and a siding guy, and find a carpenter for the inside-house stuff) but I guess this is just going to be an expensive summer. Then again, it could have been worse - could have been a larger piece that punched through my roof.
*** Update: the guy didn't make it out this morning but understandable, we had a severe thunderstorm. He did call me about 1:30 pm and came out, gave me an estimate. He said he should be able to come out and do it tomorrow. So that was pretty easy.
But now: I heard a noise, thought "oh damn is it another rodent"
Nope. It's a marsupial:
this is a live opossum. It is a small opossum and looks like a juvenile. I am not sure how it got in. I checked the door to the pipe chase to my bathroom and it is still latched up. Also, the dryer vent seems unmolested. It is possible it came DOWN through the attic access point and toddled its way through the house.
it is currently kind of trapped - one front foot is in the "bear claw" type trap I put out when I was afraid a rat had gotten in.
Yes, animal control has been called. I don't know when they'll get here but the possum seems pretty calm right now. If I were braver I'd put on leather gloves and try grabbing it and just carrying it outside but that would mean going out to my garage and I don't know if it would try to do a runner while I stepped away.
I'm hoping it hasn't been hiding out in my house for a while. It seems like the attic access point would be the most likely entry way. I had part of a package of cookies that had been torn open and eaten and I thought it was mice but it could as easily be this guy, I suppose. Then again: I'd think I'd have heard it perambulating around this past week while I was home if it had been in the house, so who knows. I'm gonna have to look for LARGE openings where something could get in
Anyway. I used my big "grabber" thing to remove the trap (its paw doesn't seem to be hurt, it was just scared) and then the Animal Control guy came and managed to corner it and used the grabber to pick it up, toss it in the bucket I provided, and he's driving it out to the woods and leaving it. He said he'd bring the bucket back but honestly I don't care too much if he doesn't
I don't know what supernatural being I have ticked off but I am very sorry and would like all of this random stuff to STOP
We joke with my friend Laura that she has a "cat portal" because feral kittens seem to show up at her place. Well, unfortunately I may have a possum portal.
I HAVE to finish clearing stuff out and then get an exterminator out here to try to find how stuff is getting in, and close off that gap
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