Monday, April 06, 2009

Things that go Bump in the Walls...

The last few days Ben and I have been frantically trying to get work done around the house. Although one would think that taking one task at a time would be the way to go, we have implemented the ADD method. Every day we come up with a plan of action-i.e. Today we are going to finish putting up the closet organizer. Simple enough. But then we get side tracked and instead go up to Home Depot and buy peg board for Ben's work room area only after we meet our friend Julie (our realtor) and her family for lunch at the annual Kiwanis Pancake Luncheon. And after we buy the peg board and eat pancakes, we sweep up the garage and put books in the book case in the office. That was our day on Saturday.
So today (Monday) we both said, we are going to work on the closet and get it completely finished so we don't have to live out of boxes anymore. I guess you could say our ADD set in, but for good reason. Let me explain. I was in the living room eating breakfast when I heard a noise in the kitchen. Thinking it was Ben rustling around in the pantry I asked him what he was doing. He replied he was working on the computer in the office. So then I got a bit freaked. Could it be mice? A rat? A Raccoon? Or maybe it was just my imagination. Then I heard it again. So I called Ben into the room. Of course by the time he came in, the noise had stopped.
So a little later the noise started again and this time it was a bit louder. It sounded like thumping and rodent nails on a hard surface. Ben heard the noise this time and started opening cabinets and pulling out the oven....all the while my wussy self was standing on the couch. Yes, that's right, the girl who once had rats as pets was standing on the couch like the stereotypical girl hiding from a mouse. But I must defend my actions. The sound was far too heavy for a mere mouse or rat.
We called the pest service and the soonest they could come out for an inspection was Tuesday. So we settled back down until we heard the noise again. So Ben ran outside to the side of the house where the noise was coming from and discovered a very large black bird flying out of our microwave hood vent. It wasn't as big as a crow but it was big enough.
So instead of working on the the closet today we ended up going up to our new favorite store Home Depot to buy some hardware fabric to cover the vent. And of course Ben needed a ladder, so we had to go purchase one of those too. I almost think Ben trained that blasted bird to fly into our vents so he could have an excuse to buy the ladder he had been coveting at Costco. :)
After we were finished with blocking the bird vent i walked around the yard and took some pictures of the flowers that are blooming. I know what some of them are, but I am still unsure about a lot of them.
I know Dad would call this whole experience the "joys of home-ownership" but I would hardly call it a joy. It's more like one of the "pains in the ass of home-ownership." :)

4 comments:

Mom said...

I recognize several of your flowers and would venture to guess at the names,but I'm sure Aunt Martha will know the name, correct spelling and pronunciation of every single one of them. ;-) And tell Ben to keep his trained black bird down there. Now that he has purchased his coveted ladder, he doesn't need to give his father-in-law and excuse to get one too!
Mom

marty said...

Too funny! I can just envision the great critter hunt--hee, hee! Glad it was just a bird in the vent, not a squirrel in the pantry! Beautiful flowers--the ones you suspect are daffodils are in fact daffodils, and the little purple mystery guys is muscari (grape hyacinth). All are bulbs. The flowering trees are gorgeous! What fun to find all the plants--we are looking forward to making a visit to see you guys and the new Roadruck Homestead!

marty said...

Oh, and before you pay a pest control company to check for critters, remember that most uninvited wildlife aren't housebroken. They'll leave little droppings around for you to see, not to mention a habit of gnawing on wood and food containers, so you'll know whether or not you've got some new pets. And, according to the size of these droppings, you can determine the height of the furniture on which you take refuge.

marty said...

And speaking of pets, trust Aida to alert you to critters! Even Cali the Clueless let us know of the raccoons under the patio; surely Princess Aida will detect intruders in her realm and let her servants know about them!

OK. I'm done. No more babbling. Unless I think of some other words of wisdom to impart....