Sue's Blog - Some assembly required.

Bug or Rodent ?

Ok so I have been decorating the Christmas Tree since Friday and finally got it finished late yesterday.
The picture is when I was almost finished. I hadn't cleared up the floor or anything yet.

This morning whilst tidying up, hoovering etc.........I heard a noise. A strange noise I didn't recognise.
Two of the cats were sitting under the tree staring intently upwards.
After a while I heard the noise again.
It sounded sort of rustly and squeaky.
The cats were fascinated.
Oh no.........was there something living in the tree?
When we bought it on Thursday it was really tightly compact. The branches took a couple of days to relax and open up a bit.
Was something in there and we didn't know?
I listened...........there......heard it again!!!!
This time it sounded like a chirrup, sort of like a cricket. Oh ...maybe it was some sort of big bug.
Oh no.
I got on the internet.
Yes, there are pests that you can bring into your home via a Christmas tree.
They listed, mice, bats (oh no not a bat) and various insects, the most common of which were praying mantis.
Oh yuk.
Apparently they lay eggs in sacs in the tree but the warmth of a home can make them hatch.
Your house is then invaded by praying mantises. You can't spray the tree as the sprays are flammable so you have to wait for them to die and then hoover them up.
By now I had decided that this would be the very last real tree ever to set trunk in our house.
Back to the tree.
I heard it again.....this time the rustle and squeak. It must be a mouse, chipmunk or bat.
To test my theory I got a muffin.......yes a lovely banana nut muffin........ and tucked it way inside the tree.
I would look later to see if there were any nibbles out of it. If there were....then it was a rodent of some description.
I then went out with my friend June and grossed her out with the tale of the intruder who had hitched a ride on our tree.
She said I had to phone her when we got back to let her know the 'nibbles' situation.
There were no nibbles but I could still hear the noises.
I decided that when Philip got home we would set up the humane trap in an effort to evict the beast.
I had written my dilemma on my status on Facebook but hadn't had the chance to check it any more.
I had a think.
This morning I had found a special, boxed ornament that our friend Gary had given us when he came to Thanksgiving dinner.
It wasn't very glamorous. No sparkles. Just a ball with a picture of zombies (very festive) and a ribbon. I remembered that as I put it on the tree I was surprised when it rattled. I even tried to see if it opened. It did not. Why would it rattle?
I hadn't heard the noises before I put the ornament on the tree.
I went and got it. I then noticed that the string that holds it retracted into the ball when it wasn't hanging.
Miss Marple hat was well and truly plopped on my head now.
Hmmm.........I hung it next to me on one of my reindeer.
After some time.......it chirruped.
That bugger Gary......it was a trick ornament.
I flew downstairs and went onto Facebook where my status had produced quite a few comments from friends.
One of which was Gary who said......."you might want to check the ornament I gave you".
I hadn't been on there and hadn't answered. After several other comments there was another from him......"seriously, you might want to check the ornament I gave you."
It was very well done. The noises are really spaced quite far apart.....maybe 5 or 10 minutes so you are not able to track them down.

This will explain it all.

Tannenbomb Prank Ornament from ThinkGeek
I will probably murder him.

posted by Sue Banks @ 7:21 PM