And I do have a stowaway...

Here's something you blog watchers can follow along with - who knows, it may go viral!

A few weeks ago I found a pile of chewed up acorns on the base pan of the motor compartment. Some animal had been eating in there, obviously. I vacuumed them out. Next day, same thing. Vacuumed them out again. And the next day, and the next...

I was getting tired of this. How was he/she/it getting in and out? There is a gap between the base pan and the bottom of the transaxle bell housing and I figured that this was where the critter was gaining access. I found some garden screen in the garage and covered up the opening. Did it work? No way, more acorns the next day.

I got some gopher pellets from the garage (we do seem to have a little of everything in there) and made a little pile. Did it work? Nyet. Pellets scattered around, more acorn mess. Guess they weren't tasty enough.

OK now this is getting to sound a little like Bill Murray and the gopher in Caddyshack (which I have not even SEEN, BTW). With a smirk on my face I decided that this had become somewhat of a personal challenge. My task is to outsmart the little whatever-it-is. I got a big ol' rat trap from the garage (yup, got those too), smeared some peanut butter on the trigger pad, and stuck a few peanuts in it for good measure.

Did it work? Nope. More acorns, trap still set. They were fresh peanuts, even. I figured this would eventually work, so I started checking it daily, moving it around a little in case the bugger had a set routine. Still acorns.

Then a couple days ago I opened up the hood to check on things, and there he was, looking at me. A rat. A few moments of man/rat eye contact, and he scampered off - behind the controller bulkhead! The single most inaccessible place in the whole car. I needed a new strategy since the trap wasn't working, and I was thinking about some new kind of poison. But then I realized that if this intruder ate poison and then went back behind the controller bulkhead to die, it would be stink city. Not what I want for my beautiful shiny newly completed electric car. So I got some mouse/rat sticky traps from Lowe's (apparently we were out of them in the garage) and set them out. Clever, huh.

Took a look this morning - more acorns, sticky traps still just like new. I'll try to update daily.