Home Intruders

The other day while I was getting ready for the day, I kept hearing this thumping noise, almost like someone was in the house. I knew that there was no one home but me, and so I dismissed it as noise from some construction or roofing job nearby.

I didn't think anything more of it until I was sitting at the kitchen table and I heard a really loud thump that was obviously something on my back porch. I moved to the window overlooking the porch, but couldn't see anything. Pretty soon I heard more noise, so I opened the door and stepped out to see if there was an injured bird or something, such as the robin we found tangled in our rosebush last year. As I was standing there, I saw the lid of the girl's toy box jiggle. I reached over there and opened it and found myself face to face with this critter:

It's our birdseed thief! I had been storing the birdseed in the box, but found the day prior that someone (I had assumed a mouse) had chewed through the bag when the girls left the box open, so I relocated the birdseed to the garage and closed the box. Apparently the squirrel got in the box, but then couldn't get enough leverage to get back out. I had scared him pretty good when I opened the box, and he had dived for cover under the toys, so I went inside and got a broom and my camera and then unearthed him and poked him until he left. He was making a lot of weird noises as I was uncovering him - telling me off, no doubt! I thought he might be absent for awhile after that, but he was back sniffing around the box in 10 minutes. He's a bottomless pit when it comes to birdseed.

The next day I opened to door for Maggie to walk out to the school bus stop, and this dive-bombed me:

I couldn't really tell what it was, and I didn't have time to deal with it, so I tossed a plastic tub over it when it landed and left that job for the man of the house. It's funny, the snake didn't bother me much, but the bugs get me every time. Unfortunately, Maggie is much the same. We were at the park a few days ago and Jerry and I hear blood-curdling screams and crying from across the park, so we sprint over there, and Maggie is hysterical because a bug (later to be elaborated on as a brown beetle with spots) landed on her arm.

Tonight we got back from riding bikes / walking, and she was extremely hot and sweaty. I pointed out that she had worn a long sleeve shirt, and it was in the upper 80's. Her reply: "Mom! There are BUGS! REMEMBER?!!" Ah yes. The phobias live on!