One of the irritations of living close to nature is that nature sometimes moves in on us. That happens regularly with pack rats, or as other people call them, bush rats. They are cute creatures but have a terrible stink about them. They build huge nests wherever they feel it is safe. The nests become permeated with odour. We had one such creature building a nest in our woodshed, up above the shop, in the rafters. The smell was so strong you could smell it when you came out the front door of the house. We finally bought a live trap, so we could quit borrowing one from our neighbours. We have used kill traps in the past, but the rats are clever. They would eat the bait, even though it was tied to wool, and leave the trap un-sprung. I am always in favour of letting wild creatures live, especially if they are just going about their business of being who they are. If they are not killing my sheep or eating my garden then I don't feel right about taking their lives. So, the live trap was called into use, and here we are:
Packrat was taken out to an old logging block and set free. So far we haven't caught any more so I think he was a solitary rat. Perhaps he will find more of his kind out in the bush.
Christmas is around the corner. We will cut a tree off the fence line and bring it in. Fence line trees are nice and full as they grow mostly in full sun and do not compete with other trees. It will be a spruce tree. It just dawned on me that since I will be hosting Christmas for my daughter and her two sons, plus my son and another grandson, I need to get busy with preparations, mainly, making pies. Apple pies and pumpkin pies will be on the menu. Pie making is not one of my skills. I like to do it early in order to not be under pressure at the last minute. They may be a bit tough, and they may look odd, but they always taste good!
Bye for now.
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