Taming Needle Eye Mountain

As I’ve mentioned, our property has a number of old out buildings. We think they are at least 100 years old. In addition to the barn (see earlier post), there was this building that we’re calling the machine shed. Time and nature, however, had turned it into a fantastic habitat for rats and wasps. This place was full, and I mean FULL, of rat poop. Not the most pleasant conditions for trying to clear it out.

This was one of those days when I wasn’t sure who was taming whom. Were we really taming this mountain or was it the other way around? If you could have heard all the screaming I did that day, you would have to say the mountain was winning.

It took us a full day to drag out all the stuff in there. That included a couch, fridge, safe, ice chest, all sorts of furniture and odds and ends. Scott did find a few “keepers” and one John Wayne picture that he immediately put on the wall. There were multiple screams and what the heck is that questions that came from me. When Scott opened an old refrigerator door it was full of beer… very old very flat beer..yucky!

I had already spent most of the day squinting in fear and muffling screams every time we moved something, when, from across the room, Scott yells “Look out, rat running your way.” The shed instantly became a scene from Green Acres or I Love Lucy. It’s mostly a blur, but there was was hysterical screaming and broom throwing before I sprinted outside. We made sure to put a buffet of rat poison inside when we were done. Sorry (not sorry) to any PETA members that might be reading this. When we came back the next day, the rats had chewed a hole in the pail (!!) and eaten all the bait. Haven’t seen any rodents since.

Scott plans to replace all the rotten footers and put new tin all around. One day he’ll put in better doors too. This is the home for our trailer and side-by-side ATV for now.

And did I mention that there are also spiders the size of rats too…. Ughhh. These bugs I am definitely not used to!