I have such a childish fear of the attic and the basement.
This has to be some sort of residue from my childhood.
As a small kid, my friend just had me convinced that my real parents were locked in the attic or the basement. The parents I saw everyday were simply robots. How in the world could something like that linger this long? Mostly, I hate the attic because I can’t go up there without bashing my head on a rafter. Plus, there is no HVAC up there so it’s either scalding hot or freezing depending on the time of the year. My visits up there are normally brief. But the other day, I went up there to find some boxes of my old stuff. While looking for them, I discovered a nest of what I can only imagine were mice. The nest was snuggled into the gap of one of the HVAC duct joints. I nearly freaked out when it dawned on me that the air I breathe goes through those HVAC air ducts. Hurriedly, I called the HVAC people for help. They told me to call the exterminator and they would set me up for a duct cleaning a few days later. I didn’t know what exactly to expect from the duct cleaning crew. But, I sure was happily surprised by their efforts and attitude. They had the HVAC ducts cleaned and resealed within a few hours. I never told my wife about the mouse. She would have freaked so, the duct cleaning was just a nice surprise I thought the house needed.