Good news—the squirrel is now out of our basement. We are so relieved! My anxiety has been triggered these past four days all because of this furry, little creature. 😏
How can something so small—that’s also very frightened of humans—cause so much anxiety and stress? Lol 🐿😅
Our uninvited guest came in through the chimney clean-out door. Apparently, it was already open, but we just didn’t know it. (This also explains how a House Sparrow got in our basement last summer. 🐦🤔)
🐿 This furry, little guy (or gal?) caused quite the fuss this week! Thankfully, he was humanely trapped and released back into the wild.
On a first attempt of safely trapping Mr. Squirrel, he managed to quickly get into the cage and eat the bait (peanut butter and peanuts), and then walk right out of the cage without tripping the trap door. 🤦🏽♀️🐿
So, Travis made sure to place the food-bait behind the trigger plate, and thankfully, that did the trick.
The wildlife trapper arrived within the hour of my calling to report the squirrel had been safely secured. The trapper then humanely removed the squirrel from our basement and released it back into “the wild” (about 20 miles from our home per standard wildlife trap and release procedures).
So, no squirrels were harmed in this squirrely fiasco, and my nerves have returned to normal!
What a week it’s been! 😄
💜 XO
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”— 2 Corinthians 3:17
The dryer stopped working yesterday, but I didn’t find out about it until this afternoon. 😐
E (25) let me know he tried drying a load of laundry yesterday, but when he returned later on for his clothes, the clothes were still wet.
So, I wasn’t able to do much laundry today. I only washed a small load of cleaning towels, which I had to hang dry in the basement.
I’ll have to put a work order in for the dryer on Monday.
I think this is the third time this year the dryer has had an issue. 😐
🛍 Running a Couple of Errands
The weather was cold, cloudy, and a little wet today. Dreary weather makes me feel like taking a nap, so I made today another chill day.
Zaya (5) went with me to run a couple of errands at Target and Meijer.
At Meijer, we bought a big bag of shelled peanuts for the blue jays (and pesky squirrels) I love feeding.
Checking out the crafts aisle at Target.
Zaya ringing up our items at Target. 😊
🐦 Blue Jays and Sneaky Squirrels
Around midday, I was in my room watching TV, and I could hear a blue jay loudly calling out.
I looked out the window, and I saw a jay perched on a branch in the tree on my patio just looking at my window.
One of the blue jays who regularly visits the bird feeders in my patio garden.
I get about three jays who show up for peanuts. Whenever there aren’t any peanuts out, they loudly call out until I open the door and toss out some peanuts for them. Clever birds!
I don’t particularly love feeding the squirrels, though. They just show up as they please and snatch as many peanuts as they can before the blue jays get to them. 😒
It amazes me I spend money to feed birds that aren’t even my pets. 😐😂
👸🏻 Watching Victoria with Chocolate Chai Tea and Chocolates
Back at home, I made a cozy brunch for the kids and I. Then, I watched three episodes of the first season of Victoria, the Masterpiece Theatre series (2016 – 2019).
I LOVE historical dramas, and I especially love Masterpiece Theatre! I’m thinking about getting a subscription to PBS Passport so I can watch all the Masterpiece Theatre shows to my heart’s desire. 😍😄
While watching the show, I sipped my favorite Chocolate Chai tea and munched on decadent milk chocolate almond bars.
Travis got me a small box of these chocolates for Christmas. Kinda pricey, but totally worth it!
Sanders chocolates are divine!
🧒🏽 Five Challenges to Complete, According to an Eight Year Old
Zephaniah (8) said the cutest thing today. He said, “Mom, I have five things I have to do today before I play Minecraft Dungeons.” (That’s the new video game the kids got for Christmas.)
He said he needed to make his bed, get dressed, have some M&Ms 😆, clean under and around his bed, and brush his teeth.
I got the kids M&M Minis as part of their Christmas stocking treats. 😊
“They’re each my separate challenges,” Zephaniah told me.
I’m happy to report he completed all five challenges in under 30 minutes. 😁
“Teach us to count our days aright,that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Psalm 90:12
All images in this blog post are my own photography. If you’d like to use a photo, please contact me first for permission. Thank you!
