Ha! And they say curiosity killed the CAT.

Reading all of your experiences I'd just like to share some of mine with pest problems. I've had an ongoing problem with mice and in the summer ants. We used to get roaches, but I think a conscious effort to only eat up to the kitchen table helped keep them away. For all who have problems with mice. My mom used to stay on me about killing the MOUSE in the house, but I read in a rodent book mice live in colonies, so killing on is like winning the battle, not the war. I find that the old fashion snap traps are the most effective, a bit brutal to the rodent, and often disgusting, but very effective if you know how to set them right. As the StripedOne said peanut butter works very well. But you can also use a piece of fat back or salt pork. Take a needle and thread/ dental floss and actually tie it in to the bait panel of the trap so the rodent can't make off with it without setting off the trap. Set it and put it in a hidden area, the critter will feel like its sneaking which will make it more likely to try and actually devour all of the bait. Then the next morning you should have a dead mouse to dispose of. The meat should still be there so you can reset the trap a few more times without having to apply more bait, like you would with peanut butter. Once after killing like 7 mice ine one night. I had my girlfriend over, and she saw one run out from behind the refrigerator, talk about embarrassing, she freaked out. I know how to catch mice, my problem is I dont want to be able to catch them cuz I dont want them in the house at all. Which is why I had hoped the Riddex things would successfully ward them off, and end my battles against pest for good. But judging from most of your tesimonies it would be a pointless endeavor to try them. Also, a bit off subject, I found a spider in a bunch of grapes I had bought today. It had started to weave a web at the center and also deposited a few eggs. I was pissed because I had already ate some of the grapes. So you guys check your fruits good before you by them.

I love that site too... although, I get serious house-envy. We're restoring an 1890 Victorian, but it's small and plain compared to some of those real showpieces... we couldn't afford one here in Philadelphia, but I just saw this one in Iowa... pretty much my dream home! This is hgtv site, but if you like it, also click thru to the Zillow listing. http://www.frontdoor.com/photos/exterior-iconic-mansion-in-davenport-iowa Here is a link that might be useful: Our Victorian house.

I like the ones where they didn't paint all the woodwork white the best. I love all that old woodwork! There was a weird sameness about some of them, but that might be partly from the angles and photography. Great ideas for me with some wall color stuff. SO and I will be painting (walls) and he loves wood furniture, every color grain imaginable. Really debating on painting some of our woodwork, it is just pukey orange oak with no special details. I'm not a fan of the orange spectrum of wood. That's why some of that old wood is so amazing--maple, cherry, walnut, hickory, ash, even chestnut. You just can't get that kind of wood anymore. The wood is available but the quality just isn't there/