Lest I have presented our life in the Lapp RiverHouse as an uninterrupted idyll, let me share about some experiences with pests this month:
One morning we witnessed bats (hundreds of them) swirling around the front door. One by one they latched onto the edge of the pop-out and shimmying their way into the tuck of metal trim. That explains the streaky trails of pee on the front windows and in the project room (temporarily renamed “the bat cave”).
Rats ate just about everything under the hood of the truck while we were away. The mechanic says it will cost about two-grand to replace everything from hoses to radiator to battery.
Wild pigs ate all of Greg’s wine grapes and all the neighbors’ petite syrah (180 vines total), and foxes killed all the chickens except the survivor, Kimpossible.

For the rats and the bats, we have had success with sonar (by Yard Gard). We elevated and moved the coop for the safety of the hen(s). And, although we’ve entertained dreams of chorizo and lavish pig-in-the-ground luaus, a few gunshots into the ground seems to have scared them off (for now). A new puppy has been assigned to assist the old dog in hog patrol if they return. A neighbor has donated syrah grapes to assuage Greg’s depression. This year’s label may be Hog Heaven Syrah^^.