Something Goes Bump in the Daytime

The last two mornings, I sat here at my computer, going through my usual morning routine -- reading email, playing Bejeweled2 and eating my breakfast (don't you love multitasking?) -- to the accompaniment of something making a scratching or gnawing noise under the dining room floor.

The dining room is also our media center, sewing room and my office. It is the oldest part of the house, built around 1870, and has a root cellar under it. It is by no means critter-proof.

Referring back to last week, you will understand that we have a critter problem. Three -- count 'em, three -- groundhogs have been marauding our yard, accompanied by a yearling deer. My husband has seen the groundhog go under the house, but once he is there, he has ways of escaping detection...it's that protective coloration. He's the color of dirt and the root cellar is, well, dirt!

Those of you who watch PBS and love This Old House, my advice is that you not get interested in the finding a quaint old house in the country and purchase it with the thought of restoring it to former glory (if it had any in the first place), because it just doesn't work. It's not the money involved although that is an issue, too --it's the neighbors -- the four-footed ones, the feathered ones, the insects and yucky ones. Ewwww!