There's a Chipmunk in my House

S

spedini

New Member
He's gone now.
I was having breakfast yesterday and out of the corner of my eye, I saw some movement.
Scared the tar outta me.
Called the local pest control and they handled it very humanely, trapped him and set him free.
They inspected my home for the usual signs of entry but didn't see any,
so it's a mystery how he got in.

But it made me think of being a senior and living alone.
We are so dependent on others for so many things.

Yesterday's thread about moving in a Senior Living facility is so timely for me,
I'm not sure how much longer I should stay in my home.

Not could, but should.

It's something I think about every day.
 

We had a squirrel run into our house as it dropped onto our balcony and the door was open. I was afraid my cat would try to get it and fall over the balcony chasing him but my husband was able to chase it out with a broom.

Please take care of yourself and do what you need to be safe.
 

We had a racoon get in our attic, had a roof fan to pull out summer heat from the attic and racoon bent the blade and came in.
I heard it up there, knew it wasn't a big mouse, heard it scratching at the attic ceiling panel. Got the exterminator out and he trapped it
after 5 grand of damage was done. We had wired fencing over that fan after that. Well heck we took this off in another direction on you.

I think we all have to have this very thing in our minds and I know being a weight on my family's shoulders is not something I want to do.
 
Closest I ever came to that was when we had a blue jay fly into our house at the Dead end Street, make a circle over my mother's head in the house and then fly back out the window. We all just sat there and stunned amazement, including a couple of our cats who had looks on their eyes like dinner was brought in and then took off. šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£
 
I had a few squirrels come in once. I came home from work, heard a lot of noise in my apartment (which was over a garage) and called the police. The landlady came out of her house with her hair in curlers and a pair of men's underwear on her head.

The police raced up the stairs with their guns drawn. They found the squirrels and made them go away. They did not hurt them. They thought it was funny.

Once I had 3 chipmunks in my house. My rough collie amiably followed them around and eventually they left. They had homes -- one outside my front door and one outside the back door.

And for several months I had a shrew come in every night at 10 pm and stay for a couple of hours. My collie just laid on the couch watching it. I, of course, was thrilled. I'd never seen a shrew. Then my husband saw it and fixed the hole the shrew came in through.
 
I've known more than one who moved into assisted living facilities, or other such places. Some liked it, some became very unhappy. But once the move has been made, it's hard to undo. If I cannot manage on my own without some assistance, I will first check into hiring help as needed. It may be less expensive, and can certainly be undone.
 
With the squirrels around here, having one sneak into the house is a concern. There is a sliding glass door in the master bedroom that leads out onto a deck. My little dogs love going out there, looking for the squirrels in the surrounding trees. I will leave the door open while they are out there and I go about my business. Now and then, I forget that door is open. Dogs come in, door left open. It would be bedlam if one came into the house as one of the dogs is a spaniel mix and is determined to get those squirrels.

Occasionally, the mice manage to sneak in. Twice this summer, something in the attic has died. The smell manages to come through a light switch on the wall. I tape over it to keep the stink out. Argh! This happens every couple of years. Something (squirrel, mouse, chipmunk, pack rat?) gets up there and dies. Pee Yoo!
 
Speaking of cats and small critters.....

We had a cat that understood that, while it's OK to prey on vermin, it's not acceptable to eat your family members.

My daughter had gerbils. The gerbils were escape artists and would occasionally get out. Gerbils are hard to find when they're hiding. I'd just send the cat after them and after a while, he'd come back, gently carrying a gerbil in his mouth and hand it over. I don't know how he knew the difference between vermin and family members (in case of MY family, even I have trouble figuring that out....) but he did. He was the scourge of outside mice and other critters, but he was the great protector of those gerbils.
 
I have been thinking along the same lines as Mack here on assisted living. My mind is sharp, and my body is good except for the hips. But, I can still do the daily things around the house, just takes longer and is more difficult. I do have a housekeeper every Monday and that really helps because I keep it up all week. She also does some odd things I ask of her. Does my laundry. So maybe trying a seasoned housekeeper would help before you decide on moving.

My housekeeper costs about 160$ a month.
 
I have a gal that comes every other week.
She was here today, as a matter of fact.

She cleans the bathrooms, vacuums the whole house, does my laundry, changes my bed linens, etc..
She's amazing.
I couldn't be in my home without her.
She really raises my quality of life.

I pay her a little more than what she asks to show my appreciation.

I have a service that cuts my grass and shovels my snow.

I have to pay others for home maintenance when the need arises.

I still drive.

All in all, it's much less than Assisted Living, but doesn't have the benefits...meals, social activities, etc...

I don't know, I think a change may not be very far away.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
I've known more than one who moved into assisted living facilities, or other such places. Some liked it, some became very unhappy. But once the move has been made, it's hard to undo. If I cannot manage on my own without some assistance, I will first check into hiring help as needed. It may be less expensive, and can certainly be undone.
Click to expand...
I think that's a great idea. Not only can it be undone if it doesn't suit, each person can use those hours of "housekeeping," as they and the housekeeper see fit. My elderly friend isn't as interested in the cleaning part as I would be, so some weeks he asks her to skip the cleaning and take him to the supermarket or to visit his friend in the nursing home instead.
 

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