Au revoir, Remy.

Our unexpected, uninvited guest has finally departed. I still don't like to believe it but we did in fact have a rat. The small lettering indicates a whisper. It is somewhat a long story but I feel I need to tell it to get the full picture. Last Monday evening while everyone was already sleeping I went into the garage to get something from the fridge. I didn't make it very far as Remy (that's what I'm calling him - from Ratatoullie) made his first appearance. I didn't even have the breath to scream. I immediately ran upstairs, woke up Tony to tell him what I saw. He said there was nothing he could do right now and it was probably just a mouse so that was that. I had to wait until the weekend (keep in mind it's Monday) when he had the time to find it. So of course, all week every time I had to go in the garage it was with the greatest trepidation - okay I was completely freaked out. I didn't tell the kids because I thought if they knew it would just get everyone all worked up and then I would have to try and calm them down when I was the one who needed calming down. So as the days passed I got less freaked out and I thought that maybe he had found his way out again the same way he had found his way in.
Fast forward to Friday. While washing the floor I noticed that the floor seemed to buckling a little in the kitchen, like it had been wet. I showed Tony that evening and he thought maybe the dishwasher had leaked and he would check it out the next morning. I go to bed. A couple of hours later Tony comes to bed. He has spent the last little while trying to figure out what has caused the leak because now the water is dripping down Mum's walls downstairs and the ceiling is wet. He has shut the water off and because it is too late to start cutting holes he comes to bed planning to start again in the morning.
The next morning, Saturday, starts with a little snow on the ground, but enough to cancel soccer. So we all watch cartoons for a while and then I start the kids in on chores and stuff while Tony heads downstairs to check out the pipes. The water is still off so there's no shower for me so I pitch in and help the kids clean up their rooms so Hudson can get his vacuuming done (it was his week).

Not too much later Tony comes up and lets me know what's going on. "It's your little friend" he says with a look on his face that I don't like. 'My friend', I think - oooohhh - the light goes on. Okay, now I'm back to completely freaked out. It is no longer just in the garage but it has got into the walls. EEEEWWWWWWW.
Tony fixes the pipes and head to Home Depot to buy traps. Meanwhile I call the Pest Control guys to see how much they would charge, just in case our plan doesn't work. The water is back on now and Remy hits another pipe looking for a drink so now we have more water running down walls and soaking through ceilings.








water pooling behind the paint downstairs and the floor of the hot water tank room

The kids now know what's going on and, a little to my surprise they are not worried but rather think it's cool or funny or something.
I call Tony and he tells me how to shut the water off again and he heads home to get the traps in place.

Poor Nana has to live down there with it running around in the ceiling above her head and holes cut out where it could drop in on her at any moment. I'm shuddering at the very thought. Hudson says to Nana "don't forget to listen to the pitter-patter of little feet" .
Nana says to Hudson "thanks Hudson".
Later that night though, Reagan and Hudson forgot about the humor in the situation and cried at bedtime because they thought Remy might pay them a visit.


Now all weekend long I am peeking into the garage, scared I am going to see Remy in the trap and just as scared that I won't. He took the bait once and got away. Last night Tony and I are talking about what I am going to do since he has to go to work and I don't want to be here while our little friend decides to cause more chaos. We decide the situation calls for ice cream so Tony heads out to the garage to get it. He returns with no ice cream but a grin. 'No need for the exterminator' he says. Big, big sigh of relief on my part. He tries to get me out to the garage to pay my last respects to Remy but I decline. I can pay my last respects without seeing him. I don't need that visual. Tony thought that the kids would though, so he snapped a photo before shoveling him to his final resting place. I won't share that photo here - that's a bit morbid.

So now peace and order has been restored and we can rest easy knowing that Remy has found a better home. This is what we were greeted with this morning as I opened our bedroom blinds.
The moon just going to bed behind the snow-capped mountains.