Hole

So, we were watching “The Two Towers” last night and what do we see running down the stairs from the upper room but... another rat! This one was the size of the one Rob saw first. So there are at least two. Argh. Rob and I tried to herd it out the front door but no luck. Ran into the kitchen, like the other one. Rob goes upstairs to see where it came from and, lo and behold, a hole in the thatch roof. They had chewed their way in!

I'm pretty frustrated. Obviously the landlord will have to come repair it but who knows how many rats are already in? And we put out the trap he gave us last night, unset with raisins on it, to get them used to eating off of it without fear. When we came out in the morning, the raisins weren't even touched. Smart rats. Phooey.

Rob noted that this is the second time we've had a nasty vermin encounter at a time in my work that should be particularly joyful. Like, first week of Bible translation work into another language after years of working to get to that point? Cobra. The last week of first round of successful checks of the whole gospel of Mark? Rats. He thinks I should be careful not to let these annoyances steal my joy. I think he's right. I just need to find a way to not be bothered by the rats, even while I am actively trying to deal with them.