Back on Feb 1st, 2022, I took advantage of the last warm day and found all the spots where critters were getting into my attic. I cut up some old two-by-fours and blocked off the entrances. Squirrels in particular have a habit of chewing on wiring and causing fires, so I had to make them go away.

That evening, we had freezing rain and sleet. I stayed indoors and worked on several books and a Hollywood treatment. In January I cranked out around 109K words and at the time of posting this node I have a bit over 17K for February. Since I live alone I have nothing better to do except write.

Well, at around 3am local time, I hear something banging around in the carport area. I figure it's a critter trying to find a new way in to the attic, so I grabbed one of my boomsticks and ventured out in the freezing, stormy weather. I caught a squirrel in a trap I baited with peanut butter, set up near the main entrance they used to use. Because we were in a nasty winter storm warning (and expecting about eight inches of snow on top of the ice and sleet), I couldn't take a long drive and let it go. I also didn't want it to suffer and starve or freeze, so I put the critter down. Always bums me out when I have to do that, but it's part of living out in the boonies. I put him on the roof and within ten minutes an owl collected the body. I have a lot of owls around me. Still haven't received my Hogwarts letter, the lazy feathery gits.

Yesterday, the snows arrived. The wind kicked up too, so I have some drifts I'll have to deal with. I need to go out and make sure the rabbits are not crawling up into the engine bays of my truck and car. Also being rodents, they like to chew wires too. Last month I had to have the top of my engine removed on my F150 to replace a wire. No wonder I couldn't locate it, since I could've fixed it for pennies.

Anyway, back to writing novels. I have eleven mouths to feed and nothing but time.