Where Are The Snakes When You Need Them?

I warned this guy. Really I did.

I've had some problems with rodents trying to nest in the engine of my car…one of the downsides of living rural. A few weeks back I checked to see if there were any "friends" trying to take up residence and I noticed a few droppings on the battery. It's that time of year!

I tweeted about the problem and received a tweet from a company that makes natural, rodent control…safe for the environment and pets, my primary concerns. I didn't want to have to resort to rat poison since hawks or snakes or other predators (such as setter dogs) could find a poisoned rat and get poisoned themselves. Since I garden for wildlife, this is not something I approve of. So, I purchased some of the product and taped the packet inside the engine close to where I saw remnants of my not-so-good friends. I checked a couple of days…no sign of activity… could it actually be WORKING?????

Well, NO! Upon checking a few days later when I saw the setters noses in the air by the front of the car, I noticed some crumbly stuff along the top of the engine. Guess what? My not-so-good friend chomped a hole in the packet and some spilled out. So much for repellant! My not-so-good friend thought it was a banquet. I started parking my car outside of the carport, but that is rather inconvenient and when I shopped the other day I pulled in since I had a lot of packages to cart inside.

The other morning I took the kid next door up to the bus stop. These poor kids have to be there at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. and since I am up, it really isn't a problem for me to ensure that she doesn't have to trudge in the dark to a desolate stop where she is the only kid waiting.

When I backed the car out I thought I heard a thump, but didn't think anything of it. Well, today I drove to the bus stop and when I returned I guess I parked the car in a slightly different spot. Later on when I was walking along the parking pad, I noticed something that looked like nesting material…bits of fur being evident. I kicked it slightly with my foot and was horrified (and secretly happy) that it was my not-so-good friend…apparently unceremoniously dumped from the engine and munched upon by who-knows-what. That must have been the thump! Sweet justice. I warned her, really I did.