Hello again. Life has been sooo exciting since I last had the nurses hose you down. Two dead rats were retrieved from the attic on Friday by the fellow from Andy Howard Pest Control. He wasn't the most hi-tech of bug control agents - he just put down five old fashioned mousetraps baited with fritos. I suppose you pay $5.00 for the moustraps, 50c for the frito knowhow and $200 for someone willing to carry sacks of dead vermin away. Although he didn't even bring his own bags to put the bodies in and we had to give him an old Target bag. His truck did have a giant image of the "Kill yur bugs. Kill your bugs. KIIIIIIILL!!!! YOUR! BUGS!" guy from the old TV commercials in mid-grimace on the back doors however, which was probably worth five dollars of anyone's money.

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Took yesterday off to look after Miles as he had a serious case of the sniffles and we watched the tree trimmers hacking back the encroaching forest of crepe myrtles, pecans, hackberry and elms that have been providing access for these critters. Now there's a career that beats sitting at a desk all day, clambering up trees with a chainsaw under your arms. And you get to learn the names of trees like crepe myrtle, pecan, hackberry and elm. We also watched Bagpuss and Trumpton on YouTube which made lovely slow-paced alternatives to the hyperactive stuff kids get thrown at them these days - although we won't hear a word against Yo Gabba Gabba.