So, I tried again this morning to encourage the squirrel to leave, but no luck. I wasn’t able to be at home when Animal control was available, so instead I left the light on in the cupboard, and tossed in a radio to annoy the squirrel (which I suspect may be nesting.)

This led to some debate about whether Heavy Metal, pure static, or AM talk radio would be most effective in encouraging the squirrel to leave. Staticy AM Talk Radio with rock music won.

By the time I returned home this evening, all was quiet (except the Radio.) The spouse meanwhile had a chat with a friend who volunteers with an animal rescue group. A cat carrier baited with peanut butter was suggested to trap our new tenant and move her outside.

However, she seems to have vacated the cupboard already. Mind you, if I had to listen to certain local radio stations for 12 hours straight, I’d probably do the impossible to leave as well. 

The carrier remains in place, and I’ll check in the morning if we still have a squirrel in the cupboard.

No this isn’t a new fanfic, although who knows if it will end up as an anecdote in The Dragon’s Heart series. I really do have a rather shy squirrel who was managed to fall through the plumbing vent shaft, and end up in the cupboard near my computer.

This has happened before: a few years ago a squirrel managed to fall through the same shaft from the roof , past two stories and into the basement  then climbed the stairs, and stood glaring at me from about ten feet away, covered in dust and insulation (it’s a 90 year old house) with the most emphatic look of ‘Let Me Out Of Here!”  Which I did, the front door is nearby, and the room has two entrances, so I could open the door, then cross behind him and herd him out. 

The idiot did the same thing two days later, the morning of the day we’d arranged to get the roof fixed. Same squirrel. Same glare. I told him it was his own fault.

So the squirrels must have re-opened the hole, because I’ve spent the evening trying to lure out a different squirrel, possibly female, from the large storage cupboard. I think she’s gone to sleep, she was active earlier, but now she’s quiet. I’ll try one more time, then let her be for the night, and call animal control in the morning.

Animals are sometimes rabid here, so I can’t simply trap her for a pet. It’s not fair to her either.

More later.

Warning - SPOILERS - The Name of the Doctor

So, let’s take note of the implication in “The Name of the Doctor” that Jenny Flint - human, vulnerable,  Jenny Flint - is the glue that holds the Paternoster Gang together. She dies the first time, and Vastra and Strax are threatening and hitting each other within seconds of being in the same physical location. Getting Jenny back calms them both down. Same thing happens AGAIN when Jenny is wiped out later in the episode. Yes, Strax’s past has been changed, but wow that was a fast change for him.And again, when Jenny is back, Strax is apologizing to Vastra, he clearly remembers what he did, and regrets it.

Jenny Flint. The Heart of the Paternoster Gang.

And a damn good fighter too.

(And was that a sonic pistol that Vastra pulls on Strax in that second fight?)

So…

The Whispermen.

Who (excuse the pun) are the Whispermen?

What do they do?

I don’t know.

But I can guess….

What if the Whispermen,

Are the voices in your head,

That prey on your deepest fears?

Like the fear of being tricked, or trapped,

Or being betrayed,

Or dying,

Or hurting or killing the ones you love.

Or being hurt or killed by the one you love.

What if,

The Whispermen thrive,

On gossip and rumours and spoilers,

That you can’t prove or disprove,

At least for now?

Wouldn’t that be an amazing scary monster,

In an age when rumours on the internet,

Can take on a life of their own,

And anyone… anyone at all,

Can edit wikis, and post spoilers, and tweet rumours,

All in the blink of an eye?

How long would it take to drive good people mad?

A day? Two? Certainly less than a week.

And by the way….

What IS

“The Name of the Doctor?”

- GreyGhost101