Because my life wasn't fun enough

[gwyn]

Now I have rats in my heating vents. I sat down at the computer this morning to copyedit a piece, and heard this skittering sound. But I figured that it might be a while before anything showed up towards this end, only after a while, I noticed a pokey little rodent nose sniffing around in the grating of the office vent. That's when I went to the phone book. I called the people I'd used before when we discovered carpenter ants and wood-boring beetles in the south wall of my house, but unfortunately, they're so good -- and popular -- that they can't have a tech here until freaking Monday afternoon. Unless someone cancels, which is unlikely, the way my luck is going these days.

I'm not afraid of rats. When I was a kid I had white rats for pets, gerbils, the whole rodent thing. But in my house, that's another thing altogether, you know? And I've been gone so much that I don't want to go stay at a motel, but I'm not sure how well I can sleep with that awful skittering sound going on for five nights. Plus it's a long time to be without heat -- once I saw that face, of course, I closed off the vents, but those things have serious teeth, and they chewed through the furnace to get into the vents, so I'm sure they can chew through the grates to get into the house. And anything I put over it, since I don't have much I can stick over them that isn't chewable. There's no food near the vents, though the garbage can isn't far in the kitchen from that one. It's just hard to *work* in this office knowing that they're waiting down there!

Emma the pusscat is of course going crazy. She's all "lemme at 'em" and at the same time freaked out that there's something making noises in her vents. But no way am I putting her in the crawl space. I have no idea what the previous owners have put down there, and whenever she's snuck into the space, I've been pretty freaked that she might eat some poison or step on something dangerous, since previous occupants all seemed to be morons who didn't know how to do even the most basic of things.

Sometimes I just feel like I can't take it anymore. The garden is a mess, and I can't make a dent in it because I'm always gone, and when I am home, it rains. Everyone asks me what they can do to help, but that's the one thing I need help with the most, only I know that the offers would somehow mysteriously disappear when I actually asked for help from anyone local, because who the hell wants to help you pull weeds and clear out overgrown grass and stuff. The house is falling apart and now I have rats because I can't keep up with what needs to be done... and this exterminator will be very expensive, at a time when I have no money because Dad and I are having to pay for all these things up front before we see any money from the estate... and I may have to go down to SD yet again since the thief friend is causing trouble.

Game over. You know? I just want to say game over, get off, and take my ball and go home. I don't even know what to think about the Serenity trailer (why are there no shots of Book? They said the whole cast was back, but he's conspicuously absent, and one of my faves) what with my girl River being turned into Trinity from Matrix or something, and I don't know what to think about Jayne with poofy hair and being so thin... plus Simon's hair wigged me a little, no pun intended. And I'm bummed that I can't see the preview, because I've been away from stuff for so long that I had no hope of getting tix to that event.

I need to find a cave to live in.

Comments

[movies-michelle.livejournal.com]

Rats now?! Man. *hugs*

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

You know what I'm seeing? Aliens in the ducts. That's what I see in my mind's eye.

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

I had pet rats, too, and having rats in the house is a whole different game.

I'd be happy to help you pull weeds and stuff, by the way. I could use the fresh air, I'm cooped up inside way too much.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha! You may regret saying that because I'm likely to whine at you, though I still want to take you to lunch anyway, soon, now that I'm back.

It's a LOT of work, as you have now seen how huge my yard is. Some of the weeds are in that "oh, look, pretty" stage, but if I let them go another week or two, it's bad news.

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

See, we could have a weeding/lunch extravaganza. It'll be great. I'll bring Guster CDs...

I have to warn you that I have about as much gardening experience as a newborn babe, so you may just want to point me to an area and say "pull at will!" rather than letting me near any flowers.

[fishsanwitt]

If I lived near you, I'd come out and help you pull out weeds and clear up your garden. ::hugs::

Sorry to hear about the rats. I'm sure you've thought of mousetraps.

A motel sounds pretty good. Is there no-one near you that you could bunk with for the weekend?

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

One of the things I learned from the last go round with pest control was that traps rarely work past the first rat or mouse -- I guess they figure them out. It's really discouraging to think that humans have to warn against everything because of liability (like peanut bags warning "may contain peanuts"), but rats can figure out a trap and avoid it after their first exposure. Makes you wonder!

My mom gave my rats away behind my back -- she hated them. I loved them, though. They were sweet.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

{{{{{{{{gwyn}}}}}}}}}

[jidabug.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry things are continuing to pile up on you. And I really do wish I were closer, because I'd love to pull weeds and tidy up your garden; I find weeding to be quite therapeutic.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I think weeding might be therapeutice were it not for the backbreaking hundreds of yards of garden. It's tough to keep control of even when I am home, but boy this has got out of control! My backyard could easily hold another house, and I've slowly tried to turn it into all garden, but that has a cost when it's bare in winter, and the weeds take over, as well as the field grass. The good old Northwest with its temperate climate!

[barkley.livejournal.com]

Rats! So useful a word. Not so useful a thing in heating structures. I curse at the world for you.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I know! Of course, I thought about titling it "oh rats" but then I thought nah... they're quiet right now but it's still creeping me out and I keep opening the toilet lid, expecting them to be in there too. Bleh.

[viverra-libro.livejournal.com]

Hey, sweetie, I am so sorry life is sucking right now. Really. With the rats, why *don't* you just turn the heat on and, if they get out, let Emma have her way with the little buggers? The hot metal might also keep the little rats from walking around in the vents, too. I totally get the wig factor; there were a couple of times that little bats got into my (very urban!) apartment, and I totally freaked - slept with a hat on for days! So 'tis understandable. ::hugs::

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I think I just can't handle the thought of them actually in the house is why I can't turn the heat on tonight and open the vents -- Emma might get them, or might not (sometimes she just sits and watches the squirrels run by her and has this "whatever, dude" attitidue about them) and I am creeped out by the disease factor. With my luck ("if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all"), I'd have to get rabies shots.

[minim_calibre]

I am totally willing to weed, for the record. It's one of the things I love best in the world (yeah, okay, I know I'm crazy), and I couldn't do it for 9 months, which drove me bonkers (and did bad things to my yard *and* the yard I take care of for a friend who hates to garden).

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

You're crazy! You just had a baby! Though I can imagine that after all that bedrest, you're probably just itching to get out and do stuff. I'm almost at the point of taking the machete to get sharpened and just wading in, hacking away!

[superplin.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of you and minim_calibre wielding machetes in tandem through your overgrown garden.

I've been thinking about you lots, lately, although I know that what you need now is some tangible assistance. I wish I could do something useful.

I do hear you on the pains of estate settling. It was complicated enough with my mother, who died leaving no money (just debt), a house, and two children who would obviously inherit everything (including the debt). Yet it took three lawyers and nearly a year to get everything settled, and it was incredibly annoying and expensive.

I also remember the two months I spent there, alone in her house (the house I grew up in), trying to tie up loose ends, with people organizing the estate sale all around me to get rid of every last item in the house. I lived surrounded by price tags for a couple of weeks, and then spent another two weeks sleeping on the floor after it had been completely emptied out. So my heart aches for you when you talk about your sister's place, because although I'm sure it's different that same kind of cold pang is still there.

Anyway, I didn't mean to make this all about me, but just let you know you're in my thoughts, and I wish I could do more. And boy, I would never be able to sleep in the house in those conditions, out of a combined fear of the rats themselves, and the trouble the cat might get into. Yikes!

[zandra-x.livejournal.com]

Speaking as a lurker, if I were a friend who asked if I could do 'something' and you mentioned weeding, I'd jump at the chance.

[mystic-savage.livejournal.com]

Weeds?!? Weeding is my new obsession, dude! I can't wait to get my hands on 'em. No, seriously. I went to my friend Karen's house last weekend and helped her out in her yard for a couple of hours. And I've been doing about half an hour a day around here. I mean, I'm no expert, but I can get at dandelions like nobody's business.

So let me at 'em! Sunday afternoon?

[mystic-savage.livejournal.com]

Plus, it just occurred to me that if we weed Sunday, we might be able to wite latew in the week. 'Cause there's nothing like being able to weed and wite.

**ducking for cover**

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

Also, Gwyn, if it would help, if you need a getaway day ... in the presence of a blind in one eye 78 year old eccentric with technicolor hair who lives across the sound from you in a small house in the woods with a delightful lake view and there is no cellphone and molasses slow i'net*... I will contact my Greataunt Sara and see what she's up to.

(*IE, Aunt Sara's house is a great place to be if you want to fall off the face of the earth for a day.)

[falzalot.livejournal.com]

Oh man, not RATS! We had them for the longest time in the attic. I'd hear them skittering around, but considering the house is a) falling apart, b) in the middle of a big dirt field, c) going to be sold for the plot one-of-these-days, my landlords (=mom & dad) wouldn't do anything about it.

But for some reason, I'm not hearing them this year. Hopefully one of the ferals got 'em.

But y'know, rats in the attic don't compare at all to darkling beetle larvae crawling through the cracks in the windows and falling through the ceiling fan onto your bed.

And I don't even live in the country!

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. If I lived anywhere near you, I would totally come spend a day weeding with you. It drives me nuts when my flowerbeds get overgrown with grass (as they always do), and I get fed-up easily with weeding along (because it can seem so interminable), but doing it with a friend is actually pretty fun. Especially if cold beverages and good music are involved. :-)

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

My friend Meag said she'd love to do a gardening day with you, only I know that her schedule is pretty full. Whether she can or not, my offer is still open. I'll call on Saturday or so to arrange a weekend...unfortunately it can't be this one, because of school and work projects, plus the weather forecast, but I'm sure I can find some time for you in May. I think I could even get my parents into it, as they know your sitch and are very well versed at gardening. (Our yards are probably three times the size of yours, and we've lived on this property for over 25 years.)

Good luck with the rats. Bummer!

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

I would be all over those weeds. Begone, weeds! Sadly, I suspect the drive to get to the weeds would pretty much use up my vacation. :)

Settling estates is never, ever easy, no matter how much care someone goes through (or doesn't) before they pass away. We had stuff turning up from my grandfather for years. Some of it was because my dad had the same name as him, and most of it was because he did no advance planning, but still. I hope your stuff goes as smoothly as can be expected.

And I hope the thief friend gets hit with one hell of a karma hammer. Now.

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

only I know that the offers would somehow mysteriously disappear when I actually asked for help from anyone local, because who the hell wants to help you pull weeds and clear out overgrown grass and stuff.

It sounds from the comments like you might be making the mistake I made last weekend, when I didn't ask for help with something that people would have been happy to assist me with. It's turned out that some of my friends and relatives are actually offended that I didn't ask. I agree with the people who've said that a gardening day sounds like fun. (You should see what I get people to do when I have gardening days!)

If you can't get enough people in short order to do what needs to be done, can I give you a day's work from a gardening service? I would be happy to do it. You have my email address.

[maygra.livejournal.com]

Aw hon, I'm sorry aobut the rats and the weeds and that I can't help with either (Because I would totally weed with you.) I'm sorry it just keeps piling higher. {{{Gwyn}}

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Rats?!?!

I have no words. And too much punctuation, apparently. And also, a woman with an Italian accent in my head, saying, "Rats, they are filthy creatures -- like Gypsies. Ptui!"

{{{{hugs you a lot}}}}

[makd.livejournal.com]

Okay: First - virtual hugs, chocolate, and a glass of cuarenta y tres.

Second. Rats - you need to call an exterminator: Stat! Then, sleep overnight somewhere else until they're exterminated. Rats are not healthy; they spread disease, etc. Not good in the heating vent.

Third. If you lived near me, I'd be over to help you weed. Instead, I can only offer you support. It's a nasty job, but better than the rats....

Fourth. Book is involved, I do believe...at least, I hope so; he's one of my favorite characters, too.

Fifth. There is no fifth; just another virtual hug.