Oh, rats! 2025

We returned from our overseas trip on October 14th. After a week of rest and recovery, we commenced getting on top of household chores and yard work. We'd been gone five weeks and had plenty to do. The RV sat in its place off the driveway, as always, and we had no thought to go into it or check it out. Till mid-November, that is, when I needed to get the heated mattress pad off the RV bed to place it on the guest bed in the house (for Nannie's upcoming visit).

We keep the slides in when we're not using the RV, so I hit the button to release the bedroom slide. It stuttered open. With the carpet now exposed, I spotted bits of torn tissue paper on the floor in front of the bed.  Uh-oh.  I knew what that meant:  A critter aboard.  No doubt an unwanted rodent critter.

Jimmy brought out the rat and mouse traps, baited and set them.  Two nights in a row, it enjoyed free meals, and on the third night, WHAM, we caught a big ol' rat.  UGH.  OK, problem solved.  Jimmy kept the traps baited for a few more nights, with no more takers.

Deep cleaning began.  Under the bed, too.  That slide had been recalcitrant, to the point of almost not working at all.  We thought it was simply worn out.  But, in the spirit of cleaning, we pulled up the wood barrier that separates under-bed storage from slide workings.

OMG, no wonder the slide wouldn't work.  Look at the pics to see what we found!

Close to 15 pounds of ACORNS!

This mess extends under where you can see.

 

Covering the slide mechanism on one side,

and a nest of torn tissue, toilet and paper towel papers

on the other side, part of which you see.

15 pounds of ACORNS and junk!

Into the trash.

Also in the giant acorn pile were some bizarre items stolen (STOLEN, I say) from our bathroom drawer and some of the under-rig bays, e.g., a small toothpaste, all my ear plugs, a couple of six-inch pieces of gray foam, a "dumping" glove, toothpicks, string, a clothespin, my hair barrette, a small package of Listerine lozenges, lots o' bits of Kleenex, toilet paper (and paper towels from a utility bay) ... and more that I've forgotten (or deliberately erased from my brain).

I can't even begin to tell you how grossed out I was.  Jimmy, also.  We cleaned and vacuumed and used anti-bacterial wipes, and then did it all over again.

So, the question is, how long have those acorns been in there and who stuck 'em there?  Not the dead rat (WHAM!), 'cause the slide's been bad-wonky for a while.  How long?  We can't remember exactly.  Did this dead-as-a-doornail rodent add to the pile?  Could be.  We have bazillions of acorns.  But he ain't talkin'.  And was it a roof rat or a pack rat?  Do rats even eat acorns?

A puzzle.  A mystery.  We'll never know.  PS: The slide works fine now.

* * * * *

See you in 2026!

Nannie comes to town! Nov-Dec 2025

The days are foreshortened this time of year, sunset comes early.  Maybe that's why the two weeks Nannie was here flew by so fast.  Or perhaps it's because we packed in as much as we could.  We were very lucky with the weather, none of those 95° afternoons or a foot of snow or atmospheric rivers of rain of years past, nope, we enjoyed sunshine and cool temps every day!  Perfect for playing in these abbreviated late-autumn days.  Two weeks of fun!

She flew in (from her home in Maryland) two days before Thanksgiving -- great timing.  Son, Matt, and granddaughter, Evie, arrived on Wednesday for an overnight visit, meaning he'd have an early start for prepping "da bird" on Thanksgiving.  (Daughter-in-law, Jen had to work [she's a nurse].)  Nannie, Evie and I had a ball on the swing set.

Naturally, Matt brought Lucy, seen above with him and his aunt, Nannie.  You might notice that we're not a formal family 😄, ours is a wacky, fun-loving family.

I took lots of photos, so some were corralled in collages.  The one picture I took of the five of us at our festive table was the only Thanksgiving disaster.  Instead, at top is my plate FULL of our delicious dinner.  Matt "spatchcocked" the turkey, bottom left, and stuck it on the grill -- turned out yummy.  He also made his signature green beans, and a corn-y cornbread casserole.  Nannie made a pecan pie.  Yessiree, we ate well!  I don't know who the skinny guy is, bottom right.  Nannie arrived in time for the last of our beautiful Dogwood tree color.

Evie and Nannie spent time coloring turkey pictures before we ate.

Everyone had a great time Wednesday/Thursday; the youngsters went home Thursday evening. I think we were all pretty tired, especially us older folks. Friday Nannie, Jimmy and I did a bit of shopping and sightseeing in iconic downtown Grass Valley, which was all dressed up for Christmas.  

Saturday the three of us checked out a Craft Faire at the fairgrounds, followed by a cool visit to Mt. St. Mary's Convent and Academy, also in Grass Valley, and its historic museum, with exhibits on local history, especially women's roles, and featuring artifacts from its past as an orphanage and convent.  Built in 1865, it's the oldest standing convent building in the US west of the Rockies, and it was placed on the Nat'l Register of Historical Places in 1974.  We'd not been in the museum before, it was really interesting.

Nannie (upper) and me (lower) at the main entrance.

The oranges and reds of autumn provide color, and these roses prove it.

This scene is on the lovely church/museum grounds.

One day we drove up-the-hill to Truckee with the intent of going for a walk/hike, stopping first at the Donner Memorial St Pk visitor center and Pioneer Monument.  But at 6000', the 37° temp was bone-chilling, and we didn't last long outside.  At left, above, we're standing next to some tall critter at Layton Park by Lake Tahoe.  At right, Nannie poses with the Snow Sheds as a backdrop, plus a dusting of snow on Donner Peak.

Me 'n Jimmy at the Monument.

We enjoyed lunch at Jax @ the Trax in Truckee, a diner with good food, then walked across the tracks to the Truckee train depot where a kind stranger took our pic, above.  Best of all, we watched an Amtrak train pull into the station, drop off a few people and pick up around the same number.  That took roughly three minutes, then it blasted off, down-down-down the mountains toward Reno.

In between gadding about, we played cards (Hand 'n Foot), met friends for coffee, bought veggies at our Saturday farmers market, picked up a couple of books at the library book sale, attended a (very bad) community concert, went on walks, and tried to beat each other at Scrabble many nights ... and more.  We had such a good time -- I wish she could've stay longer ....

And we sat with Santa (at the fairgrounds)!

* * * * *

Here in the foothills, we've basked in above-average temps and daily sunshine, while the central valley has been bedeviled by weeks of tule fog -- chill, damp, and depressing.  We hoped the fog would've lifted one early afternoon when we drove down to the Woodruff rice towers and Gray Lodge to view the birds, but we were skunked on this one.  Not much action and not many birds, and the damp cold hurt; thus, no hiking.  Instead, we did the auto tour.  The Snow Geese, above, stand as statues.

In November 2019, Jimmy and I encountered so much birdlife

it literally made my head spin.  Not so much today.

Cormorants.

Can you count how many?

Top left looks like a juvenile Snow Goose, and top right features a "wake" of turkey buzzards, bottom left is a ginormous rose bush covered in elongated rose hips.  Bottom right:  Blackbirds disguising themselves as leaves. 

Even with a cold wind and a dismal sky, we enjoyed our outing.

Double your pleasure!

Haha, every time I see this picture, I laugh.  You should see the outtakes, hahaha! On Saturday, the 6th, we drove to Matt's (new) house in Fair Oaks (approx an hour away) where this pic was taken, spending several hours visiting, talking, laughing, and playing silly games with Evie.  (We missed Jen again, but she was working.)  Oh my, if I could grant the world one wish, it would be to have as much joy and love and fun as we do!

Finally, on Dec 7th, Nevada City held its first Victorian Christmas of the season.  We go every year, and Nannie comes with us when she's in town, it's "the thing to do," and we usually end up buying something we need (or a present), so it's a win-win.  This year was no exception.  After a few hours on our feet, we were ready to go home.

Like I said, the two weeks disappeared in a flash, but we're soooo grateful we had them!  Jimmy and I drove Nannie to SMF (Smurf) on Tuesday the 9th.  We miss her lots, but we know she's enjoying time with her own family in her new Maryland home (which makes US happy).  Now we'll play catch-up for the looming holiday.  I know, Nannie, I know, it's our turn next!