Teal

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Teal
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Teal's Modest Adventures

Home & Garden > It's Not over After All
 

It's Not over After All


I wrote my kitchen problem was solved, and after a week of using the dishwasher, I walked in one morning and found a flood on the floor. Back came the repair guy from the appliance store. The palm rat had returned, even though we now have a critter control contract and the guy comes regularly and checks traps he has set. So far Lester (the rat) has been smarter than us.

I went back to washing dishes in the sink and after the new hose came in, the repair guy came back yesterday and installed it. I was about to run it at the end of the day but couldn't because the floor was again flooded and I hadn’t even used it. I cleaned everything up, no small task, and called this morning for the repair guy to come back. And, of course, I had to unload the washer so I could deal with clean-up using the sink. The repair agent told me if it was the rat again, we’d have to pay for the service call. And I said I understood that, but it was highly unlikely that Lester was watching the door and came in just as the repair guy was leaving because he is trying to bankrupt us with repairs. The service call costs about $200. So they will have someone come tomorrow and tonight I will wash dishes in the sink again. At least we have drainage now. It’s not so bad. I have it down to a science now.

I had a plastic oblong tray, a cheap-o one that is designed to go under flower pots, and I asked the guy to place it over the hole in the side panel that seemed to be an entry point. So we taped that into place and the dishwasher slides in next to it.

Ed shut off the water that leads to the dishwasher and it appears the shut-off also affects the filtered water device on the refrigerator, so I am drinking bottled water.

The bottom line is that we are way overdue for a kitchen cabinet remodel – the cabinets are falling apart and are easy pickings for such as Lester. Ed also wants to remove the dropped ceiling – that would mean more storage space as the cabinets would go higher. Estimated cost, $10,000. Ed is brooding about that. The other issue is that we’d have to eat out for as long as it takes, and, of course, the house would be a mini disaster area because all the cabinet contents would be stored in the living room and they’d have to hang plastic sheets to protect the rest of the house from dust, and I’d have to do something about the cats, because I am worried they would freak and run out while the guys had the doors open.

Parenthetical to all this is that I had another attack of vertigo three nights ago, and it was bad enough that, for the first time in years, I went to bed without cleaning the kitchen. And I didn’t remove the kitchen trash bag as I do every night, and Lester had grabbed a large turkey leg bone, and left it on the floor of the cabinet. This is no small critter. I feel his eyes watching me.

Maybe there is a God and he hates me.

Better news is that at my semi-annual physical, my doctor said all my tests were perfect. He doesn’t know why I am tired. I got another B12 shot and feel better already. Also he is clueless about osteo arthritis pain and suggested the standard otc stuff, like Aleve, which does little for me and I don’t want to take it long term. I ordered a new item that has an extensive review on Amazon by a fellow who painstakingly analyzed it and compared it to other products and wrote pages about it. So I ordered a couple of bottles. It. It is called Flexacil Ultra. The reviewer said it is as good or better than Instaflex and way cheaper. It will take about a month for results. I’ll report back on it.

xx, Teal

posted on Mar 3, 2016 6:43 AM ()

Comments:

Let's hope that Lester doesn't have family. He is a wiley little
rascal. Hope you are rid of him soon.
comment by elderjane on Mar 4, 2016 5:16 AM ()
That's just nuts that Lester has to chew those hoses all the time, it sounds like he's pranking you. If it was me, I wouldn't re-install the dishwasher, I'd leave it pulled out and put a rat trap in there baited with peanut butter in case Lester would fall for that. Hope there's only one of him and not a whole parade of Lesters.
comment by troutbend on Mar 3, 2016 9:22 PM ()
We have put peanut butter loaded traps in the cabinets next to the dishwasher. He tripped one without getting caught. He pulled a turkey bone out of the wet trash container (one night I was sick and hadn't cleaned up the kitchen) and left the bare bone on the cabinet floor. The critter rep said let's try what he likes, so he re-loaded the trap with chicken scraps. The rep says he chews on the hose to get water. We've shut off the water to the dishwasher. Waiting ... waiting ...
reply by tealstar on Mar 4, 2016 9:11 AM ()
When did he become "Lester"? I'd laugh but your kitchen problems aren't funny... This is worse than trying to catch a human thief.
comment by drmaus on Mar 3, 2016 1:11 PM ()
Ed referred to him as Lester last weeks. He names most of the wild things around here if they stick around for any length of time. Peter Pelican, Harry Heron and so on. Harry walked into our garage a few years ago and I got a photo. If people feed them, they get bold.
reply by tealstar on Mar 4, 2016 9:15 AM ()

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