I came home for lunch two days ago and did some puttering around while the hot dog was roasting. There was a funny noise coming from somewhere, sounded like the house was settling in parts where it should have long ago settled or will resettle only during the next big quake. It seemed to be coming from the chimney.

I finally realized it must be a squirrel in there, trapped above the damper.

So I got out my ladder, went up to the roof, dropped a rope down the chimney held by a fishing rod across the top, and went back to work.

Turned out most folks there have a squirrel story. One guy had one get into the rafters and drop down into a wall well. Reluctant to have it die in there, he rented a human trap and drilled a hole in the wall, captured TWO squirrels and then realized he had a recurring problem, which made him resort to rat traps. The squirrels learned to steer clear.

When I returned home, the noise was gone. I've had limited problems with squirrels over the years, so no rat traps for me.


Yet.