SCORE! we have had a very elusive rat in our basement, chewing things and leaving its poo messes behind. last night we mounted a serious war; we set TWO Rat Zappers, TWO big Victor traps and a small sized Hav-a-hart trap down there, and about 9 pm we heard some major crashing and banging going on... found a big rat crammed into the Hav-a-hart trap. it was a roof rat with a very long tail and DH quickly drowned it still in the cage. we aren't kidding ourselves tho- that this was the only one because we have caught too many others around the place in the Zappers and in the snap traps. we have got to find that rat hole and stuff it tightly full of coarse steel wool. we have friends and neighbors who are hiring Very Expensive Exterminators who only do the same things we are doing. one neighbor spent $600 to get rid of two raccoons and a skunk only to have more of them show up. the secret is to close up any rat holes and continue to be as relentless in setting traps are as the rats are in getting into our houses, having babies and destroying things. min

Thanks everyone! I've been stuck at work for a few days and haven't had a chance to respond. To ease any concern (that I may be an unreasonable live & let live extremists), we do have poison in the house and should I ever find Any activity there, the culprits will be killed without hesitation (if the poison doesn't get them first). As for the outside pests, I have a hard time viewing them as pests, flat out, across the board. Like Dawn, I see rodents as just another part of the cycle. Of course, I don't want them growing in numbers near the house either, but within reason I'd rather just catch and relocate like I did the other day. (Don't worry Dawn, I wore gloves and actually held my breath for the bedding removal) I appreciate all animals, and know quite a bit about handling them. I knew rodents carry disease, parasites with disease, etc. What I don't anything about is pathogens. Reading Hantavirus is airborne was news to me. I thought one had to be bitten, or ingest excrement to become infected. I also wanted to know the "shelf life" of the virus since that rat possibly has been making "Hanta-pellets" in my compost or "plague deposits" for that matter. :) I know we have predatory birds, but I haven't seen any snakes yet (although they would be very welcome! I love reptiles!). Getting a cat is not an option at the moment. My 5 bulldogs wouldn't have it, I'm afraid :) But Tree, I'd love to rescue a few once I have an acreage with a barn. I actually did rescue fulltime for a few years, but mainly giant breed dogs. There are a ton of great cats out there too! Since I won't be able to move the compost, I've done the best I can with preventative measures. I filled the space between the house and the bin with a foot of rock, and packed it in around the sides, after filling in any openings/pathways under the bin. Wbonesteel, I completely agree! That is what started the mouse hunt in the first place. My hubby set some boxes out for me and a few pallets two weeks ago, but I hadn't gotten to them yet so I decided to get out there and get them up and away from the house. Once I finished that I tackled the compost bin :) No sense in griping about rodents if you built them a hotel, right? Mia, thanks for the link. And, yes, I have been called crazy many times for all the things I've caught just to identify and learn about. The rat is definitely not the craziest thing I've put in an aquarium so I could Google it lol When I was 9, I brought home a 20lb alligator snapping turtle rigged in a sling made of shoe laces and sticks.. my mom just about lost it! Lol I had no idea that thing could've probably bit through my arm let alone all my fingers! It sure was cool though, plus I learned a ton about turtles that week :) Helen, my next property will have all the compost far far away from the house lol My main compost is actually on the back fence line, but when we arrived here I thought the old banged up flower bed would make a fine little kitchen scrap bin. Clearly, I am very new at gardening/composting :) Oh, and I'm sorry about Puff, losing a pet is terrible. Miraje, I almost hate to admit this because I'm sure almost everyone will think I'm insane or a complete idiot, but.. that picture was taken inside my house! Now remember, I caught this thing in a box so I didn't actually know what it was until I emptied the box into a big aquarium I have. However, that all occurred outside so I knew exactly what I was bringing in, when I carried it into the house :) Here's why.. I wanted to watch it, Identify it, read about it, learn more about rodents, protect it from -5° tempts since I was holding it hostage, take a picture then relocate it. Crazy or not, it's a life, a beautiful fat, healthy rat. The prettiest rat I've ever seen actually. It looks like an obese mouse. I realize that all may sound strange to most, but animals are IT for me. Learning about the creatures around me, in depth, has been and will always be a hobby per se. Just by catching this one rat, I have increased my knowledge on rats, mice, voles, and mole exponentially. Not to mention, all I have learned on pathogens (who knew the CDC website was so interesting?) Oh, and I've learned more about composting! Long story short, I love nature and all that comes with it. I've been catching creatures and learning about them since I could outcrawl a sowbug :) Of course, I've grown out of putting any of my new "finds" in my mouth, but other than that not much has changed lol Crazy or not, I caught the little buggers, learned a ton, then let them go miles and miles from my house! :)

I ditto trying not to get overwhelmed and just toss stuff out randomly. Try to identify those things, or categories, or activities, that are no longer "you" and those will be the easiest starting points. Or, pull out all the items in a certain category and, if you're like a lot of collectors, some will represent the "early" you and some will be your more advanced tastes, or better quality, or something. So some combination of approaches like that can help you get started. Also, it's not unusual to weed out a few things at one level and then weeks or months later have the focus and confidence to go further. Give yourself time to make those discernments. Another good approach for some people is to take everything out of the shelf, or cabenet, and then put half (or less) back. In the meantime, you don't actually ahve to toss out what you've deleted, but maybe put it in a box. Then look at it later and see if you think you really still need those things. If the changes you're making include bringing fewer items into the house, you'll find that if you are patient and persistent, you'll make real progress and yet not feel like you might be throwing away something you really love. I actually started a thing-out, thing-in journal "list" so that I could see if I was sabotaging myself by acquiring new things as fast as I got rid of other things. It is helpful in keeping me honest about where my problems lie. I also find some of my most satisfying de-cluttering comes at the end of an "era" or phase of project, or life--such as, as kids grow and you finally realize that certain items are now too juvenile, or when I have the guts to admit that I'm not going to actually DO a certain project or that if I ever do, I can always get the things I need then, or maybe a cooking phase that now is too complicated, or clothing styles, or whatever. And you have to be able to realize that you may have just made some shopping mistakes, and keeping the things now out of guilt won't help you or anyone else. Forgive and move on!

Instead of moving the window, why not add another? That's what I did for Plan D, along with a few other tweaks. It's a blend of your Plan A and my Plan A, and a little bit of your Plan B. As always, aisle measurements are counter to counter, counter to appliance front or counter to wall. Starting at the pantry door: "a" is an 18" deep cabinet ala the inspiration pic I posted above [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/shannon-cabinetry-traditional-kitchen-toronto-phvw-vp~73826) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Youngstown General Contractors Shannon Cabinetry with frosted glass or antiqued mirror doors like these: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mill-valley-classic-cottage-victorian-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1357985) [Transitional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2112) by Sausalito Architects & Designers Heydt Designs Next up is a 30" oven installed under the counter. Yes, it's lower than a wall oven but it's higher than an oven in a range and it's one way to gain more counter and that sounded like it was more of a priority for you than oven height. Next to the oven is a 36" range. Not sure if these two appliances can be installed side by side or if you'll need to add a 6" pull-out cab between them. If so, that would be a great place to store spices. Between the range and the must-stay wall are two 26" wide drawer cabs. I evenly divided the space. You should determine cab widths based on your needs. The fridge is on the other side of the must-stay wall. "b" is closed or open storage ala this inspiration pic I posted above: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/victorian-resurrection-victorian-dining-room-portland-phvw-vp~3003779) [Transitional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2112) by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Vicki Simon Interior Design The island is 8' long and shifted slightly towards the window wall. There aren't any cabs opening into this aisle so a 39" aisle should be fine. The MW drawer is still across from the fridge. Not sure how you use your MW but if it's to reheat left-overs and such, this placement makes sense. I think there's enough room to have fridge doors and MW drawer open without hitting each other but if that's not the case and it's a concern, put the MW drawer in the range wall run next to the must-stay wall. I show an apron front sink in a 30" sink cab, gaining you a bit more cab and counter in the island. DW is where I showed it in my Plan A. Since the range has shifted towards the pantry (and back to being centered on the can light), these two appliances are no longer across from each other. You could still switch sink and DW placement but that will leave you with only 16.5" of counter next to the sink. I shifted the island 2" towards the DR, easing the pinch point you were concerned about by the fridge. This obviously reduces the aisle between island and DR wall but since you plan on enlarging the DR opening, this won't be an issue, IMO. Plus there are only 3 seats at the island, not 4, to avoid pinch points between island and DR wall. "d" is a 15" deep open shelving cabinet for cookbooks or display items like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/jordan-peterson-allied-member-asid-traditional-kitchen-omaha-phvw-vp~351956) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Omaha Architects & Designers jordan peterson interior design You could also angle the corner of the island to give you more room between island and back door. Additionally, you could probably increase the counter overhang an inch or two more, or even three inches, depending on how wide the new DR opening will be. The island is all one level, btw. Lastly, "c" is your Command Central housed in a hutch-style cabinet like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/inverness-lakeside-cottage-traditional-dining-room-grand-rapids-phvw-vp~444626) [Traditional Dining Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2107) by Grand Rapids Architects & Designers Visbeen Architects It will provide a nice view from the DR.