Olivia Fowler

On The Way

By Olivia Fowler

If while traveling in a vehicle the interior becomes too hot for comfort, the air conditioner can be turned on. Under ordinary circumstances the vents can be adjusted for the desired air flow, and a cool comfortable trip is guaranteed.

Only cool air should stream from the vents. Under no circumstances should pieces of acorns shoot out. We take so much for granted in our high-tech world that when there is a hitch in the smooth operation of our machines we are appalled.

Now you may ponder the puzzle of how acorn shards have come to be in places they have no business being.

And, should a person open the glove compartment of the vehicle to consult the owner’s manual, that person might discover a nest inside, made of insulation and shredded carpet.

It is a bad situation.

Upon removal of the nest, other evidence may be discovered indicating the presence of wildlife.

After the acorn shards are painstakingly removed from the air vents (a pair of tweezers has been found to be effective) the hood may be popped open. Not surprisingly, piles of gnawed acorns may be seen on every available space.

Google advises mixing rosemary oil with mint oil and one other ingredient to spray under the hood and beneath the vehicle.

But some people go to Lowe’s and search for rodent repellant instead.

While in Lowe’s other people may be encountered in the aisle where fire ant and other pest control substances can be found.

When told of the need for rodent repellant and informed of the reason for this need, other people might ask questions, such as, “Where do you live? Way up in the mountains somewhere?”

This other person was very helpful however, in locating a spray bottle of repellant claiming to repel chipmunks, squirrels, rats, mice, possums, and a long list of undesirables.

This repellent was bought and taken home, the hood of the car was raised, and every exposed area beneath it was saturated with the spray. Also sprayed were areas above the tires and beneath the body of the car.

A quick trip to the grocery store was not a pleasant one, as when the air conditioner was turned on an odor vile to the point of causing nausea permeated the interior.

“Perhaps the scent will fade with time,” said one of the more hopeful occupants. And this did happen, although the more pessimistic passenger thought we could no longer detect the smell because our sense of smell had been destroyed.

After a week we kind of forgot about the whole thing, and no more acorns blew from the vents.

And then it was time to have the oil changed prior to a trip.

Fowler ran the car up to Xpress Lube and stood in the waiting room watching through the picture window as the technicians worked.

When they pulled the Buick inside, one of the technicians pushed up the hood, gasped and teetered backwards. He yelled to the other workers, “Come here. There’s something dead in this car.” The other members of the crew hurried over, took a whiff and fell back.

Fowler, watching the whole thing, was laughing so hard he could hardly speak. The attendant hurried into the waiting room and said, “Sir, there’s something dead under your hood.”

Although gasping for breath, Fowler was able to explain about the repellant. The young man said, “Well, I don’t know if it works on squirrels, but I can tell you it repels oil changers.”

Upon reading the fine print on the back of the spray bottle we learned the primary ingredient is dried blood. Absolutely no rosemary or mint oil in it. And it does work, which ultimately was the result we wanted. So, no complaints here. Taking all things into consideration we feel this project can be counted a success, and we recommend this product with no reservations.