It's a critter control weekend....

Sad to say it has been that type of weekend. Attempted Critter Control. Again. 

We did get some solid outside work done, taking down some trees that we know have grown into the leach field ( I am not ready to talk about the septic situation yet, it is just too painful) and pruning trees that were not pruned this year (and perhaps the year before) but as usual it is the critter control that consumes most of our weekends. 

My son Peter, who knows I panic anytime he is near something sharp (There are reasons for this). The caption to go with it? "Look! Mom's worst nightmare!" He is his father's son. 

Trying to get an exterminator in is not as easy as it seems. I call, leave a message and nothing. Not being a family that's good at waiting around for things to happen we've been DIYing it. Traps mostly. But this weekend Chris and Peter went out and started closing up the holes in the extension and I went shopping.

Yup! Went for the poison. 

While Chris was in the basement when the jacks were being set up he noticed that there were rags stuffed in various places in the walls. Peter went and pulled them out today. They had rodent nests in them of course. Another trip to the store for expanding spray foam. (Canadian Tire must love us). Then Peter and Chris stuffed a mixture of copper mesh and spray foam into the holes.

Area where the cloth had been stuffed. A nice, cozy home for mice.

And the corresponding area outside. For some reason the previous owners had stacked all these bricks up against the foundation. I removed some to uncover this small tree that I then chopped out, but there was plenty of mouse poop sprinkled amongst the bricks. The black thing in the corner of the picture is a broken composter that I am going to move far away from the house as this is obviously a food source for the critters.

 And of course after dinner Peter heard something big run across the attic floor. Maybe I should put the rat bait up there?