Many of you know that I have a fear of squirrels...
Yes, squirrels...do I think they are the scariest animal alive, NO...let me explain, here's how it all started...
About 6 or 7 years ago, I was living at my parent's house and I kept hearing this noise in the wall. It would run, scratch, tap...EVERYTHING annoying. I told my dad, he looked for the spot and found a place where they got in. They had eaten the wood off the side of the house around some electrical wires and made their home...IN MY WALL!
Dad tried everything to get them out. He patched up the hole...they ate through it. He set a trap where they could get out and not get back in...they ate through it. He repaired the hole again...THEY ATE THROUGH IT!
One day I'm sitting in my bedroom and I smelled something...wasn't sure what it was, but it was just a funny smell. I went to the kitchen...nothing. So I went back to my room, but it started getting stronger, now with a hint of smoke...I opened my closet and BAM...smoke! I screamed for my dad to come and check it out. In the meantime, I'm getting all my favorite shoes and clothes out of my closet (...yes, I really did!) I gathered everything that meant something and loaded up my car. I thought...if I have time to get it out...I'm gonna! haha! My dad checked the the attic (in my closet) and there was smoke...LOTS of smoke. He couldn't get close enough to the hole they made to see what it was, so he went outside. When he got to the side of the house, there was nothing. He got a ladder, climbed to the hole and took the trap off...HOLY SMOKES!!! The smoke started billowing out of the side of the house! His eyes got pretty big, he turned to me and calmly said...yeah, let's call the Fire Department. I went into frantic mode...we called 911 and I finished gathering my things.
When the Fire Dept got there, they tore some of the wall off the house and stopped the fire. It took them about 30 minutes to wrap it up. I was so scared that in a split second, we were going to lose everything my parents had worked so hard for...it was a little traumatic for a moment, there. They informed us that the squirrel had chewed through an electrical wire and left it on the insulation. It then began to smolder, thus the smoke. For the next month, there was a HUGE hole that went from my bedroom/closet (a little on both sides) to the outside...just open. My dad put some plastic up, but I was scared that another squirrel would be able to get in (don't laugh, legit thought...they ate through the siding!!!) and eat my stuff, attack me, who knows! Not to mention, all the other critters that could get in! I was terrified!
Eventually, the hole got fixed, but it was an out-of-pocket expense for my dad, as the insurance company wouldn't cover squirrels. They said they couldn't because they "weren't a rodent!" Since then, I have been scared of squirrels and the damage they can cause!
Now, this leads into a current story...
A couple of weeks ago, Collin and I were sitting in the living room of the apartment. We started hearing this scratching noise...and the flashback began! I told him about the story of the squirrels at my parents, but he doesn't seem phased...WHAT?!?! I couldn't understand why he didn't understand my fear and frustrations...he just calmly said, "I'll call the apartment management." A few days later, they put a trap in the attic (again...in the closet) and the cycle begins again! We have heard them ever since. My fear is that the whole situation will happen a second time to me...I'm hearing them tap, scratch and run as I type! Lovely. Just lovely. We move in two weeks and for me...NOT SOON ENOUGH!!! ; )
How can I get over this fear?!?! Suggestions?!?!
