again...

9 October 2010-  still with the ranting.  This time I have a fever blister.  Again with the tiny $20 tube of cure.  Cost me 3 euros last year, and 6 British pounds the year before.  Who says this healthcare system isn't broken? 
Roof guy was called in a urgent yesterday.  Turns out the cooktop vent was once again a potential residence for the birds in the neighborhood.  I was rolling out my puff pastry (ultimate cheapo) and distinctly heard a chirp.  Junior of course lost his mind.  A bird in his house, sacre bleu!  I opened the vent pipe cabinet and knocked on it a few times getting more chirps and calls out of this thing.  Holy crud.  Just what I need.  To refresh go to the blog's July 1 entry and look for the mess the previous owners left us with.  Well it wasn't just them, these darn birds.  I swear they are good with tools with how much debris they got down the pipe previously.  The roofer was astounded.  He had never seen anything like it.  The outside vent is even a louvered vent so how in the world?  Only when it is blowing full blast can you see the louvers wide open.
But then this morning, I was out accompanying the dog in his morning toilette in the dog run.  And what do you suppose I saw, the birds trying to get in.  One was perched on the vent a bit cockeyed and was reaching down to hold the "door open" for his lady friend.  OH NO.  The big giant old man dog and I did the our best to scare the birds away.  Then I put the vent on high until the roofer returned today to put a layer of screen under the louvers.  Take that birds!
Roofer also checked on the roof for any paths of egress to my attic (still no sign of the critter) and saw nothing that a squirrel might fit into.  All vents were resealed, several gutter joints resealed and a general inspection took place.  The three story ladder was the bulk of the expense since it takes 3 people to operate it safely.  The joys of homeownership!
We went to the local Whole Foods Oktoberfest "celebration.  Yeah, whooppee!  It just meant I got to walk around the store with a beer.  Lame.  May have to check in on the Greekfest tomorrow.  It shouldn't be that lame.