A Non-Stop Wagon Train

Knowing nearly every day this week would be a scorcher, I made sure to get as many of my out-of-office errands taken care of before the today's temps started climbing. While out shortly after the sun came up, I noticed a distinct haze in the air, which means there'll be high humidity along with the heat, so be careful not to over-due yourselves whenever out and about.

I had an unexpected drop-in today whom I'd sold a property to about four years ago, and the reason for her visit, was to inform me that she's planning on moving to southern Iowa where her daughter lives, which came as no surprise since her other child decided to move out of State several years ago, which left her alone in North Iowa. I know it's going to be another listing, but I'll certainly be sad when she leaves because she's one of the most kind and thoughtful persons I know. Of course she's not much of a socializer which definitely makes it worse for her. Isn't it interesting when finding most of the terribly genuine people are basically loners? Her daughter has already found a home in her city, so I'll likely be hearing from her more sooner than later, just to get hers on the market.

A tenant of one of my clients text me a photo this morning which was accompanied by a text message saying, "Look at what I just came home and found!" Well, after getting a good look at the photo, I could see some sort of animal had chewed thru a plastic bag of hot dog buns which were on his counter, and it looked like it had either eaten or run off with part of one, so my back and forth emails to him were about looking for any entry holes behind kitchen drawers and everywhere else on the main floor of his home. About twenty minutes later he text saying couldn't find any entry points, so I went on to assure him it was likely a squirrel that got in rather than that animal being a rat, and only because rats normally don't jump that high, and are almost never out and about during daylight hours. I called the owners to let them know what was going on, and was given the OK to buy the best squirrel trap.

I spent some time online looking at the various traps, and the highest rated ones were called 'Squirrelelimator" which just happened to be in stock at Tractor Supply, so I went ahead and purchased it online and then was given a notice to pick it up anytime today. I even watched several videos that were made regarding the high 'catch' rate those traps have, so if I do manage to catch that tenant's squirrel, I'll likely be using it at home were there seems to be a non-stop wagon train of them heading in the direction of my home. They did suggest to spread some peanuts around in their live-traps, so I also went ahead and purchased a bag of peanuts in the shell, and only because squirrels seem to like them better than those that've already been shelled. I tell you what, if it isn't the deer, it's the raccoons, and if it isn't either of them, it's the squirrels. I'll definitely let you know how that trap works. On a footnote, when I went to pick it up at Tractor Supply, the guy said it was the last one of the many they've sold, but for some reason, the manufacturer stopped shipping them, which I thought a bit strange. I'll have to look and see if that trap was made in China, and if it was, then the shortage of them is likely a supply-chain issue.

When the closing hour was approaching, I began wondering where the day went, but then had to remind myself of the number of drop-in's and phone calls I had to make as well as return. It was definitely a busy Monday, and glad for it because I do hate having time heavy on my hands, but at least I didn't have to be out in the heat of the day for any extended periods.

Truthfully, I can't remember the last half of August being this hot, and while I was driving on Hwy 65 this morning, I could definitely see fields of corn that were 'firing', so by the looks of it, I'm not so sure our farmers are going to be getting bumper crops this year, so we might as well brace ourselves for a hike in food prices these coming months.

Since I hadn't talked to one of my relatives in months, I placed a call to her, just to see how she's been, along with filling her up on all the 'family' happenings which've taken place since we last spoke. Several bits of my news had her fully overjoyed when knowing there'll be two people we both intensely dislike, soon exiting our area. Yes, there's much good to be said about 'out of sight, out of mind'. Yes, those two have been spreaders of the most vicious gossip for a very many years, and certainly glad they're leaving. It's too bad they can't take their dirty little circles with them, and just recently, I discovered once again, that like attracts like, which came as absolutely no surprise. Not to worry, Karma is still busy sharpening her claws before she lands in their laps. Before hanging up, we did promise to have lunch the next time she's in town.

From what I've been reading, it looks like there's going to be a number of activities in and around North Iowa this coming weekend, and I believe one of them is taking place on a farm outside Belmond, and from what I read in the Shopper, it'll likely be quite the two-day attraction. They're also having a festival in Bolan which is just east and north of Plymouth. There's likely something going on over at Clear Lake since we're rapidly approaching the end of the tourist season, so if you're looking for something to do, check online and take your pick. From what I read, this coming Saturday and Sunday's temperatures will be back down to tolerable ranges.

I have an appointment to show a home tomorrow morning which I'm hoping will be a good fit for my buyers, and then on Wednesday, I have a showing scheduled over at the Pilot House in Clear Lake, so let's hope they'll both be acceptable enough to purchase.

Tonight's One-liner is: An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything, and in this lies the great distinction between great minds and little minds.

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