Living in the country is the best. Surrounded by nature, we are nourishing our souls every day. On every list of what’s good for us that I’ve ever read, spending time in nature always makes it near the top.

There is something restorative about seeing trees, greenery, and being around nature’s creatures.

Of course, not all of nature’s creatures are equally restorative, in my experience. Take, for instance, the simple field mouse. Though they may seem cute in cartoons, they can be a real annoyance when they take up residence in your residence.

And then, of course, the question is, how does one ensure that mice stay outside where they belong. The most “natural” solution, obviously, is to own a cat who is a good mouser. Second, I fear, is the old-fashioned snappy trap that makes short work of the little rascals.

Friends of mine had an even greater challenge: they had a squirrel infestation in their attic. They started by catching the critters in Hav-a-Heart traps and putting them back outside, but the problem persisted.

Then they tried trapping them and taking them miles away and releasing them. No dice. Finally, they caught the squirrels, marked them with some spray paint and took them far afield. The problem was eventually solved.

I think my father would have had an alternative way to dispatch the squirrels, but I digress.

My nephew in Florida has a real gnarly visit from bats in his attic. His daughter thought there was some kind of bug on her lampshade, but it turned out to be a bat. Not just one bat, but an entire infestation of those creepy guys in this attic that required lots of professional help to remedy.

Another bane of living in the country are the insects that want to come inside. Stink bugs, even the benign-looking ladybugs can take up residence in your home and make a mess.

But ants have to be one of the worst offenders. They come in all sizes: carpenter ants are those big black creatures who look for wet or rotten wood.

Then there are the tiny ants that make their way inside through the tiniest of cracks and look for your sugar bowl.

Frankly, I have no problem sharing this planet with any of these critters so long as they don’t try to invite themselves inside my house.

And I know that now that the days are getting shorter and the nights are colder, that is just what they are going to try to do.

Let this be the official notice: Casa Werner has No Vacancies.