On Saturday, I finally captured the chipmunk that has been living in our house under the nose of two cats and a dog. The little bugger was able to go into my live trap three times and clear out the bait before I finally captured him with pure ingenuity. I think he was avoiding the trip-plate that would set-off the trap, so I put some junk mail on the bottom of the trap in such a way that it had to push the plate down if it got within half an envelope from it. I’m sure he was just as happy as we were to be out of the house, though time will only tell if the cat manages to bring it back in.
I am also in the process of demolishing a shed in the backyard that has steadily been collapsing. It was poorly built and sitting on four stacks of cinder blocks to hold it level over the ground. Problem is, the stacks are situated at each corner putting pressure only on the joist plates. Needless to say, these points have rotted and now the shed is falling at the rate of wood-rot. At this point, I’ve broken down to simple skeleton walls, and in fact removed one of them altogether. I anticipate rebuilding it again up closer to house, and on a much better foundation.