Reasons

Peter is out of town this week in New Hampshire for a conference.

He is learning how to use ground penetrating radar.

I am not really certain what he can use it for but he uses it for his job and now he will be certified.

I don't mind when Peter is only gone for one night here or there but I miss him quite a lot when he is gone for multiple days like this.

This week I have thought of several reasons that I wish her were home this week.

1. I sleep better when he is home.

2. He helps fold the laundry, when it is all over our bed it kind of has to be done before we go to bed. The other night I put it back into baskets and decided to face it the next day.

3. Tonight when I work, we have a babysitter coming to stay with the kids. She is great and I trust her but tomorrow morning when I am exhausted from being awake for 24 hours I will wish Peter is here because I don't function well.

4. He could have been the one to deal with our dead guinea pig last night. Chester has seemed sick for awhile but he was still eating and moving around.  Well sometime yesterday he crawled under their new chew tunnel and died. Guinea pigs can apparently be carnivores and so once I realized it I had to get him out of there because Rusty seemed to be nibbling at his ears. Lovely. I recruited Joey's help to get him in a box.  I told the kids as we took Joey to scouts. I dug a hole while Joey was at scouts and then we buried him once we got home. Farewell Chester. You were a cute little piggie! And I loved that Arabella called you Chestard.

5. When leaving to get Joey from scouts, I noticed something in the driveway after we pulled out. I stopped rolled down my window to get a closer look and then it moved. It was a rat! Double lovely! Our neighbor put a shed in his yard in the corner that is next to our driveway.  He has had lots of problems with rats and mice since.  This unfortunately means that we too have had a few problems with mice and once a rat but I have never been so blessed to see the rat! (sarcasm there) Our neighbor about a week ago said he had put out a bunch of bait because they had been more active well I think he may need more.  Since he is a pest control guy I have confidence that he will get it well under control.  

I thought for sure the rat would be gone when we returned but no, it was in the driveway waiting for us. I knew it was not dead because it's little head was moving around. I had Peter on the phone and he said, "Get the square nosed shovel and scoop it up and fling it out by the train tracks." 

Doesn't that sound so simple. Until you are a girl (I did not feel very womanly) and you are the one scooping said rat and flinging said rat with its long tail and beady little eyes. 

I gathered my courage and went to scoop the rat and it ran off into the grass and under my neighbor's fence. 

I am not certain that I felt relief that I did not have the "fling" the rat but it was heading to the supposed poison.  But the rest of the night I had to force myself not to think about rats in my garage and possibly in my house. This also led me to remember the coyotes I have seen and heard behind our house as well and I hoped that Chester (who was buried back by the tracks) would not be dug up and be a snack for some animal. 

Peter is enjoying his conference and he says it is gorgeous back there with the fall leaves and the cooler air. He will be home Friday afternoon and I am hopefully that no more pets will die before then and even more that there will be no more signs of rats! I will deal with sleeping alone and folding the laundry.