The mouse and rat action around our properties continues. Two years ago it was the summertime invasion of the Chicago rats into the backyard of the bunker in Bucktown. This problem was eventually subdued with the installation of a Maginot line of steel sheets and cement on the fences facing the alley. There is a price to be paid for living in a neighborhood that is chock-full of wonderful restaurants; the presence of tossed foodstuffs is heaven for the Chicago Rattus norvegicus.
After solving the backyard problem, I thought I was home free. However, this past year sustained the penetration of our fishing cabin in Michigan by untold numbers of mice. While I much prefer mice to rats, neither is acceptable.