Posts Categorized: Uncategorized

This week I have one of those “you won’t believe how they treat small business owners” stories that is all too common in today’s world. Just another day in paradise. Every year a county inspector comes to our office and performs a thorough inspection of our operations. This year a rookie showed up and you… Read more »

Today I have a story about my recent showdown with a creature that sends chills down many people’s spines. If you’re squeamish, you had better stop reading now. For everyone else, proceed with caution and have some smelling salts close at hand. I was squirming through a cobweb-infested crawl space yesterday when I felt the… Read more »

I give up. After thirty-five years of pleading with homeowners to block rodents out of their cabins, I’m throwing in the towel. No, I’m not retiring from pest management—I’ll battle pests til I drop dead—I’m just giving up my role as “adviser-in-chief.” Why? Because—other than the houses us Home Defenders have professionally sealed—almost every mountain… Read more »

Get ready for a shock, because, after weighing the pros and cons, I am determined to go ahead with my annual vacation in India this January. (If travel restrictions are lifted.) Sure, flying across the planet while travel rules are changing day by day is risky, but, what’s wrong with doing something a little brainless… Read more »

Today I want to showcase my two favorite things in life. One is arrived at through years of blood, sweat, and tears. The other, like so many of the best things in life, is absolutely free. These two things might seem contradictory, but I don’t think they are. One leads to the other. First, I… Read more »

What is happening on this mountain? Are bugs still invading homes? Are rodents still running rampant? Or have we done something to offend all critters? Like the nutty old guy in the original Dracula movie says: “If this is true, it’s the most fantastic thing in the world!”  But, no, it’s not true—pests are running all… Read more »

I recently completed a one-month personal experiment where I avoided forms of entertainment that were created after 1945—that benchmark year when our nervous, frenetic world was born in a mushroom cloud. I came up with the idea after reading a 1950s essay by E.B. White (Stuart Little) decrying modern media and entertainment. (Ironically, Sid Vicious… Read more »

“Do you guys treat bed bugs?” An Airbnb owner called me recently, saying one of his tenants had woken in the morning with itchy red marks on her arms and legs. She blamed bed bugs. Many people think the blood-sucking insects don’t live on the mountain, but we do see them every so often. I… Read more »

It’s spring and that means it’s time for my annual “You might be getting old” test. Ready? So, you might just be getting old if…  >> … your favorite part of the day is that glorious after lunch nap. (My score: Fail. I’m grumpy if I don’t get my nap.) >> … you eat a… Read more »