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The scourge of mankind I hate rats. Okay, I know they are part of the food chain and probably have a benefit somewhere. But I still hate `em. They've been the scourge of mankind from day one, carrying plague and disease throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, infesting the trenches in the First World War and now they play havoc in the slums of big cities around the world. They are pretty much a certainty in any barn-- which is where I'm going with this. My barn takes a significant number of animals to generate the enough body heat to keep the water pipes from freezing. Being proactive, I installed heat straps on all the water pipes in the barn, from the heated enclosure of the water pump, to the far end of the barn. They've worked like a charm. The last thing I want to find is a frozen pipe. The animals are thirsty and I'm pretty sure I'll be late for work. And also being safety conscious, I installed Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) receptacles, like those found in your bathroom, so I don't electrocute a sheep if a water bowl happens to overflow. Three weeks ago, I noticed one GFCI receptacle was tripped, so I investigated to see what was the problem. I reset it, and plugged in the heat strap-- snap, off it went. I checked all the connections and found no reason, so I tried again. It stayed on. I figured it had to be a fluke of some sort as that GFCI remained on. Fast forward to New Year's Eve. After doing the chores, I decided to set Join us on January 19 for our Celebrity Celebration Open House. Special Extended Hours 9AM - 8PM 7 The IFP · Halton Hills, Thursday, January 5, 2012 Ted Brown up the heater in the water pump enclosure, just in case it turned cold. (I bought a new heater this year as the old one had the insulation chewed off the power cord-- yup, you guessed it, rats.) I set it up and swept out the area under the pump. Looking down, I saw where one heat strap entered the enclosure, and knew why the GFCI tripped earlier. Seems rats had chewed three feet of heat strap, to the point where it shorted out. I then found a second heat strap was also ruined by rats. I guess when I was resetting the GFCI, the rat chewing on that cable was getting a tingle as I flipped the reset on and off. Total damage was $160 for heat straps, not to mention the time and effort to re-install them. So, I hate rats, plain and simple. I've contemplated how to deal with future `freezing' problems. Seems I have two options: I can add more cats to kill the rats, or add more sheep to heat the barn. I think I'll just add more sheep. With The Sidekick around, the cats are waaay too well fed to hunt rats. CELEBRITY CRUISE SALE JAN. 16-30 OUR DOWN UNDER EVENT ... 2012/2013 Australia, New Zealand & Asia voyages on Sale VËUS $100 Onboard Credit per cabin & FREE Pre-paid Gratuities The Down Under not for you? Don't worry, we have the rest of Celebrity's cruise world on sale! Book one of our selected sailings during our cruise sale and receive up to $100 OBC per cabin, Reduced Deposit & Onboard Coupon Booklet Georgetown Cruise Sale amenities valid on select sailings only. New bookings only and based on availability. Offer valid for bookings deposited between January 16 - 30, 2012. 905-873-2000 328 Guelph St. Georgetown, ON TICO Reg #50018501 Open Saturdays 9am - 4pm w w w. v i s i o n 2 0 0 0 t r a v e l . c o m CHECK OUT THESE SPECIALS: $ EVERY THURSDAY: 2,000 ROLLOVER JACKPOT MUST GO 10 PM OVER $ EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 10 @ $1,000 GAMES 7 PM & 10 PM EVERY SUNDAY: 7 @ $1,000 GAMES 7 PM SESSION $ 1 MILLION Meadowvale Sponsors Assoc. Lic. #36-004 & M507567 IN CASH PRIZES EVERY MONTH SUNDAY JANUARY 15TH: 20,000 SUPER SESSION 4 PM www.meadowvalebingo.com Jackpot Hotline: 905 821-7883 2295 Battleford Road, Mississauga, ON Your Non-Profit Community Organization A Member of the PHSA and Sanctioned by the OSA INDOOR SOCCER ON TURF (held at the Milton Soccer Centre at 821 Main Street East - across the Superstore Plaza) Come relax this winter, in Halton's most up-lifting Spa... Tan in all Beds Tan-It Relax-It Spa 1 Month Unlimited Spa ADULTS & YOUTH LEAGUES SKILLS DEVELOPMENT STARTS JANUARY - 16 WEEKS NEW: Bocce & Lawn Bowling Leagues NEW: Soccer Mom Fitness Bootcamp $ ) (minute packages also available 1 Month Unlimited 65 $ includes Infrared Sauna, Shiatsu Massage Chair, Oxygen Bar 99 Detox, Lose Weight & Tone-Up Body Wraps (Includes 20 min. Sauna session with each wrap) Book a Manicure & Pedicure with Natashia and receive a Buy 2 Get 1 FREE FREE Gift New Clients FREE Tans 3 (some restrictions may apply) CALL TODAY! Best Price ntee www.relax-it.ca Guara ay Check us out and join us on Facebook Why P More? www.miltonsoccer.com 905.878.0209 118 Guelph St., Georgetown 905-702-7740 Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am to 10pm, Fri 10am - 8 pm, Sat 10am- 6pm, Sun 12pm-4pm