Destruction!

With 40-mph winds today, I definitely had trouble walking. But I didn't anticipate coming home to this:

The tree to the right (covered in ivy) is super tall and apparently very brittle. It splintered and rained down upon our back porch. Here's a closer look:

Took me twenty minutes to clean it all up. And to top it all off, one of the monster branches broke one of the planks in the porch and I almost got stuck. If my feet were even slightly larger... Well, I wouldn't have to wear children's shoes if that were the case...

To seal the deal on a not-so-perfect day, the Orkin man cancelled on us and we have to wait another two days for him to come and find the rotting mouse (or rat - oh, I hope not!) trapped somewhere in our bathroom. I suspect it's under the under-the-sink cabinets and if I had a crow bar, I would have checked for myself. The smell is horrifying. Thank goodness my guests aren't coming until... oh, wait. They're coming tomorrow! Well, EmFace and Adam, I hope you like the smell of death! Welcome to DC!