The Most Expensive Free Trip Ever - TR Link is Up! Pg. 164

[winkers]

does this mean you take the laptop in the bathroom with you and read his TR's when you are going to the bathroom.

nope, my dogs would really think I'm crazy if I took the laptop to the bathroom...it's enough that I have 2 dogs staring at me.

but I do hide in the bathroom while visiting my mom...

 

[Cameo818]

I assume that "fancy rats" is a technical term, right?

Yep - fancy rats are domesticated brown rats and are the most common type of pet rat. They're really sweet creatures. Though, I don't think my cat has quite figured out why we would bring "toys" into the house that she's not allowed to play with...

 

[aprilisis]

I don't know why I haven't posted more often, but I am really enjoying the PTR with all of your photos!

Yep - fancy rats are domesticated brown rats and are the most common type of pet rat. They're really sweet creatures. Though, I don't think my cat has quite figured out why we would bring "toys" into the house that she's not allowed to play with...

(Sorry, glennbo, that I am going ) You are the only other rat-owner I have ever seen here! Sadly, my 3 boys passed on. They were great pets, though.

 

[glennbo123]

nope, my dogs would really think I'm crazy if I took the laptop to the bathroom...it's enough that I have 2 dogs staring at me.

but I do hide in the bathroom while visiting my mom...

I popped in here while I was on the phone with somebody, but waiting for something. I had to stifle my giggles when I saw that picture. It's actually a nice picture of you, if it weren't for the setting.

Yep - fancy rats are domesticated brown rats and are the most common type of pet rat. They're really sweet creatures. Though, I don't think my cat has quite figured out why we would bring "toys" into the house that she's not allowed to play with...

I was hoping that was the case. I don't think I could handle them as a pet though. They'd give me the heebie jeebies.

Here's a good Glennbo story everyone. One spring, a long time ago in our first house, I went to the shed and got a bag of grass seed to sprinkle on some bare spots on the front lawn. There wasn't much left in the bag when I put it away back in the fall, so I had to reach waaay down in the bag. What happened next is kind of a blur. I grabbed something that didn't feel quite like grass seed. I may have heard a squeak, I'm not really sure. But I looked in and there was a nest of several baby mice. I absolutely freaked out right there on the front lawn. I threw the bag, screamed like a little girl, and did some weird dance/spinnning-around thing before I could regain my composure. Then of course I looked up and down the street to see if anyone saw me. Fortunately, no one did (that I'm aware of). I'm sure it would have made a great video.

 

[glennbo123]

I don't know why I haven't posted more often, but I am really enjoying the PTR with all of your photos!

No problem April. It's good to hear from you. Glad you're enjoying it.

(Sorry, glennbo, that I am going ) You are the only other rat-owner I have ever seen here! Sadly, my 3 boys passed on. They were great pets, though.

It's obvious you are a great animal lover.....Isis, fancy rats, others?

 

[kangaand2roos]

Here's a good Glennbo story everyone. One spring, a long time ago in our first house, I went to the shed and got a bag of grass seed to sprinkle on some bare spots on the front lawn. There wasn't much left in the bag when I put it away back in the fall, so I had to reach waaay down in the bag. What happened next is kind of a blur. I grabbed something that didn't feel quite like grass seed. I may have heard a squeak, I'm not really sure. But I looked in and there was a nest of several baby mice. I absolutely freaked out right there on the front lawn. I threw the bag, screamed like a little girl, and did some weird dance/spinnning-around thing before I could regain my composure. Then of course I looked up and down the street to see if anyone saw me. Fortunately, no one did (that I'm aware of). I'm sure it would have made a great video.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

This has been 'fessed to more than once here on the Boards....eh-hmmm....

nope, my dogs would really think I'm crazy if I took the laptop to the bathroom...it's enough that I have 2 dogs staring at me.

but I do hide in the bathroom while visiting my mom...

only problem is you need a hamper to put the laptop on to be truly comfy, to hard to put it on your knees while visiting the lavatories.

 

[Flossbolna]

Here's a good Glennbo story everyone.

Thanks that's really a funny story! I would have reacted in exactly the same way - but then I am "allowed", I am a girl! Would have made a wonderful video!!

Good point! That's when the shoe and bag discussions start -- you are exactly right. Hmmmm.

I think my wife would commit me to a mental ward if I started taking pictures of gas stations and posted them on the internet.

After having read the first paragraph (and already having had forgotten all about gas stations) I expected the second paragraph to go on after mental ward: "if I would start taking pictures of her shoes and bags to discuss which ones she should take to WDW with her..."

 

[dd50]

Now I am going into the garage and throwing away all the bags that are open.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Hmmmm. I did locate a cd of pictures from our 2005 trip. I won't remember many details though. I'm not like the Great Biscuit, who can summon vivid memories from the '80's and '90's.

How Judy and Glennbo met.....that's a possibility.

Thanks for the shout out! You should totally do a retro TR. You’d be surprised by how much you start to remember once you actually start writing it down. I didn’t realize just how much would come back to me until I began telling the story.

I don't think you need vivid memories. Mine certainly wasn't full of them, but I had fun writing it. In fact, it might be even more interesting to you and us, to know what really did stick out in your mind and make the 20 year cut. I vote for retro trip.

Here, here. I doesn’t matter if you don’t recall an attraction play by play. Just highlights and photos are nifty.

but I do hide in the bathroom while visiting my mom...

I won’t tell you how many hours I spent in a similar state last week when I had the flu.

Here's a good Glennbo story everyone. One spring, a long time ago in our first house, I went to the shed and got a bag of grass seed to sprinkle on some bare spots on the front lawn. There wasn't much left in the bag when I put it away back in the fall, so I had to reach waaay down in the bag. What happened next is kind of a blur. I grabbed something that didn't feel quite like grass seed. I may have heard a squeak, I'm not really sure. But I looked in and there was a nest of several baby mice. I absolutely freaked out right there on the front lawn. I threw the bag, screamed like a little girl, and did some weird dance/spinnning-around thing before I could regain my composure. Then of course I looked up and down the street to see if anyone saw me. Fortunately, no one did (that I'm aware of). I'm sure it would have made a great video.

This would so TOTALLY be me. I’m not a fan of varmints. Of course it would be worse in that of the three houses directly across from me and the ones on each side, four are occupied by active duty soldiers and two by vets, so I would definitely lose some man points for doing a rodent dance in the yard! I'm glad you remained unseen! Although you do make a good point. It'd be an awesome video!

 

[englishrose47]

nope, my dogs would really think I'm crazy if I took the laptop to the bathroom...it's enough that I have 2 dogs staring at me.

but I do hide in the bathroom while visiting my mom...

And you look like a Queen sitting on her Throne !!!!

 

[glennbo123]

Glad you liked it. That occurred probably about 15 years ago and it still makes my skin crawl.

only problem is you need a hamper to put the laptop on to be truly comfy, to hard to put it on your knees while visiting the lavatories.

Yeah, make yourself comfy in there Winkers.

Thanks that's really a funny story! I would have reacted in exactly the same way - but then I am "allowed", I am a girl! Would have made a wonderful video!!

Whether "allowed" or not, there are times when you just cannot control your reaction to a situation.

After having read the first paragraph (and already having had forgotten all about gas stations) I expected the second paragraph to go on after mental ward: "if I would start taking pictures of her shoes and bags to discuss which ones she should take to WDW with her..."

No...maybe I'll just throw in a picture of my old shoes.

Now I am going into the garage and throwing away all the bags that are open.

If it's seed, it might be a good idea. At the very least -- look before you reach in. When you think about it, it'd make a great nest for a mouse: food and bedding all in one.

Thanks for the shout out! You should totally do a retro TR. You’d be surprised by how much you start to remember once you actually start writing it down. I didn’t realize just how much would come back to me until I began telling the story.

I was amazed at what you could recall.

Here, here. I doesn’t matter if you don’t recall an attraction play by play. Just highlights and photos are nifty.

We'll see what I can come up with.

I won’t tell you how many hours I spent in a similar state last week when I had the flu.

Something tells me you didn't look as perky as Winkers does in that picture.

This would so TOTALLY be me. I’m not a fan of varmints. Of course it would be worse in that of the three houses directly across from me and the ones on each side, four are occupied by active duty soldiers and two by vets, so I would definitely lose some man points for doing a rodent dance in the yard! I'm glad you remained unseen! Although you do make a good point. It'd be an awesome video!

Yeah, you might earn yourself a new moniker if something like that happened to you and was reported back to Man Headquarters. But if the truth be known, I wouldn't be surprised if a fair number of soldiers would freak out at grabbing a handful of baby mice by surprise. Okay, maybe they wouldn't do the scream and a quick spin-around dance, but just a little freak out.

And you look like a Queen sitting on her Throne !!!!

Yes...very regal.

 

[winkers]

I can picture you on the front lawn screaming and running..

This is a timely topic because yesterday we discovered we had an extra family living with us.

I don't do mice, unless it wears pants and white gloves. They had a nice little nest inside one of the walls in the basement and when they took out the drywall our little friends decided to move upstairs.....

Did I mention that I hate and am scared to death of mice? I've kept at least one of my doxies near me all day, after all they were bred to catch rodents.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Yeah, you might earn yourself a new moniker if something like that happened to you and was reported back to Man Headquarters. But if the truth be known, I wouldn't be surprised if a fair number of soldiers would freak out at grabbing a handful of baby mice by surprise. Okay, maybe they wouldn't do the scream and a quick spin-around dance, but just a little freak out.

I'm telling you, its rough being one of the few civilians on our block. As to soldiers and mice, I do know a couple who flipped a script when a copperhead snake invaded our camp site during a men's fishing trip at church. Of course I was screeching louder than they were so I still lost points! My redeeming grace is that I can do passably well at the firing range and can smoke a mean brisket.

 

[jenbear123]

Wow. I would've LOVED to have seen that. America's Funniest Home Videos or what?!

Good thing the big mama wasn't in there to protect her babies. You could've got a nasty bite. Mice and rats don't give me the heebie jeebies when their domesticated and are pets. But finding them in my ceiling or closet or a bag out in the garage.... NOT SO MUCH!

Still. That's pretty funny

 

[eandesmom]

ahh varmits.

They took out my roof.

Literally.

Jeff and I noticed we were hearing an odd "scratching" noise above our heads. And in the kids rooms.

It was rather loud

And CREEPY. Icky Icky sounding

After months of praying it would go away on its own (ok maybe 2, tops) we decided to investigate. I had been a single mom for 4 years at this point and sadly had NEVER been in the attic of my house.

Face mask. Check
Rubber gloves. Check
Long sleeve shirt and pants. Check.

All I could picture was a rabid animal attacking us the minute we opened that ceiling access door.

Ghostbusters for wimps.

Sure enough. A racoon.

Not just one.

A mama. With babies. OOOHHH how cute, all snuggled together.

We closed the attic up. Called animal control.

They are rabid. She was nesting. Animal Control wouldn't do a thing. Their advice?

Wait for the babies to grow up (Spring, so about 4-6 weeks from when we were calling) and they will leave on their own. They gave us some strategies to try and get them to leave on their own before that.

Mothballs. Loud music. Ammonia. High pitched sound waves

Problem was, it was a 1700 sf attic. We tried it all. We'd huck mothballs up there and the insulation was so thin you could hear them thunk and roll. So mama and her babies would just move away from the smell or sound. About the only good aspect was we did get them to move away from the bedrooms, to over the dining room. Only a problem on the one night we had friends over for dinner.



Mama was getting in and out through a vent on the roof. Using trees to hop to the roof. Or so we thought. Babies decided to tear up the roof from the inside out, cedar shingle by cedar shingle. Six different major holes. Beyond repair. Patch job actually made it worse.

They did. Leave on their own. And left me with a really really big bill to get the house sold.

I hate varmits. Especially racoons. It is not a coincidence that the new house has no trees remotely within jumping distance of the roof. Nor will it ever. Good thing its a tall house!

Field mice though...those we do have. Sigh.

 

[All7OfUs]

Awww, stinkorama! I missed some great stuff on here today! Varmits, men screaming like babies, Cherie posting from the throne room.... all great stuff. .

I admit I had a little "incident" just yesterday like this. We have two lizards that live in our house. We see them occassionally, and yesterday, as I was standing near the couch talking to my DH, it decided to hop up on my foot!! I thought, as I glanced down, that it was a big grey/brown spider and freaked OUT!! I saw him clearly just as he was running for his life back under the couch!! Poor thing, I probably scared him to death!

GREAT story Cynthia! I can't even tell you how many times we've had our phone lines in Portland chewed through by squirrels.

In Thailand we used to have to listen to the life and death battles between snakes and mammals. There was screeching, and slithering all night long. Horrible!! Horrible, I tell you!!!

 

[eandesmom]

Awww, stinkorama! I missed some great stuff on here today! Varmits, men screaming like babies, Cherie posting from the throne room.... all great stuff. .

I admit I had a little "incident" just yesterday like this. We have two lizards that live in our house. We see them occassionally, and yesterday, as I was standing near the couch talking to my DH, it decided to hop up on my foot!! I thought, as I glanced down, that it was a big grey/brown spider and freaked OUT!! I saw him clearly just as he was running for his life back under the couch!! Poor thing, I probably scared him to death!

GREAT story Cynthia! I can't even tell you how many times we've had our phone lines in Portland chewed through by squirrels.

In Thailand we used to have to listen to the life and death battles between snakes and mammals. There was screeching, and slithering all night long. Horrible!! Horrible, I tell you!!!

Oh you'll find that all when you come home, the music might be different but the impact the same.

We call them...

Coyotes.

They may not slither. They may not screech but oh....all night long. Heaven forbid they hear a siren.

And then there's the crows. Some day Jeff is going to pull a Steel Magnolia Tom Skerritt. I can smell it.

Sorry about the lizard on the foot, I'd have screamed like a girl too. Oh wait. I am a girl.

 

[englishrose47]

I can picture you on the front lawn screaming and running..

This is a timely topic because yesterday we discovered we had an extra family living with us.

I don't do mice, unless it wears pants and white gloves. They had a nice little nest inside one of the walls in the basement and when they took out the drywall our little friends decided to move upstairs.....

Did I mention that I hate and am scared to death of mice? I've kept at least one of my doxies near me all day, after all they were bred to catch rodents.

I remember one of our cats bringing me a "PRESENT" he dropped it at my feet and it ran and sooooo did I !!!!

 

[hucifer]

I'm here! I read through all the updates. Thank goodness for table of contents.

You are one funny dude. I love your stream of consciousness writing, those are the best parts.

Alright, I'm in. Now I have to find the time to read your old TR...