So, the other night I woke up to scratching and knocking noises. I shined the flashlight around the room, as Tim & Bijou both continued blissfully sleeping. Nothing. I went back to sleep, only to waken again to the same sounds. I shined the flashlight around again. This time Tim roused a little. Then I heard "water noises" in the hallway/bathroom area. I said, "oh great, I think water is overflowing somewhere!" I made Tim get up this time to go investigate. I heard him say something - I'm not sure what it was. He came back in the room and said there was a rat swimming in the mop bucket I had left in the hallway. Apparently, the rat ran out of our room when I shined the flashlight. Obviously he wasn't watching carefully where he was going. Tim made him stay in the bucket all night long, figuring he would drown and we could throw him out. Well the little sucker was treading water when I got up the next morning. Tim sat the bucket out on the balcony for him to die. A few hours later he was still treading water. He'd just float there with only his nose above water. It was not nice. I told Tim to put an end to it - just throw him out the gate! But Tim said, "Do you want him to come back?" Well, of course I didn't want that so I said, "just get rid of it."

So, my mild-mannered, loving husband got the cholorx and poured some in the bucket. Then he took a stick and held the litttle rat by the throat and held his little rodent head under water until he died. I felt sick. But at the same time happy that this rat would not be back. We'll probably be haunted by it now.

Things are beginning to progress on the house. Here are our carpenters - Boss Riko and Boss Adan.