the good, the bad, and the ugly (not necessarily in that order)

Really hit the jackpot when we bought this home: bats in the attic, mice in the basement and probably the walls.  Here's a fun date idea: you and your significant other hanging out in the unfinished basement, pulling down insulation filled with feces and acorns (might have a squirrel problem here, too, friends).  Guess what?  If you haven't been able to hang out for a while, it's not so bad!  Doesn't matter what you do, as long as you're together.  Mouse casualties: 4 in December (3 caught in glue traps, 1 beat to death by Jake, in the basement, with a broomstick.  You should have heard that battle cry--the terror when the mouse jumped out of the insulation at Jake, and the rage as Jake chased it down).  Not a single kill since.  We even called in the professionals.  Nothing.  Clever little monsters.  I shouldn't dare hope they're all gone, but I can't help it: please, let them be gone!  The mice, I mean.  The pros say we can't get rid of the bats until March.

Irony: we considered the guy who bought our house in Michigan neurotic and irritating.  We left him (he was measuring every room and window in the house with a measuring tape as we loaded the kids in the van) and his inspector alone in the house for 5 hours (they had asked for 4).  When we got back, his head was literally in our fireplace.  Looking for raccoons, I guess.  The inspector looked aggravated by his client and grateful to see us.  When we bought this (insert swear words) house, neither Jake nor I was even here for the inspection.  Boy, do we wish we would have taken a few pages out of Cautious Carl's book now.  (Honestly, it would have been very difficult--we were stretched pretty thin at the time.  But if we knew then what we know now, we would have found a way, by golly.)

Moving on.  Here's a story from parent teacher conference.  Names have been changed to protect people's privacy.  But know that these are real kids in the school here in Kansas.

Teacher:  So, what does Becca tell you about kids at school?

Mother: Not much.  Just that she has two friends named Meg and Hailey, but some kids don't like her.  She wouldn't elaborate.  We're just so grateful for Meg and Hailey.  Becca hasn't had close friends for a long time.

Teacher (tearing up): Yeah, Meg is really great.  I taught [a different] grade last year, and Meg was in my class then, too.  I just have to tell you--one day at recess, I saw Becca, Meg, and Hailey walking across the playground with their arms around each other's shoulders.  So cute.  But some of the kids are...not so nice.  One little girl was handing out birthday party invitations to some of the kids during recess, purposely not inviting Becca.  Meg was invited and brought the invitation into me saying, 'I don't know what to do with this.  So-and-so didn't invite Becca, so I'm not going.  What should I do with the invitation?'  And there's one little boy that really has it in for Becca.  One day--has Becca ever mentioned Noah?

Mother: Yes.

Teacher: Yeah, they sit by each other and Noah's really good to Becca.  Anyway, this other little guy who really has it in for Becca was put in a group with her one day, and he stood up and said, "I won't be in this group if Becca's in it!"  And Noah stood right up and said, "Then I won't be in YOUR group!"  So, we've got all kinds.

May God bless them all, but especially the nice (not mice) kind.  Unless He can bless them to get out of our house and stay out, which is what Damon prayed for.  He didn't want the devils hurt, and initially encouraged us to let them live in peace in the basement.  Then we explained things like hantavirus to him (and updated our wills because Jake and I might be dead in a few weeks from it) and he was okay with getting rid of them, if they don't suffer too much.