Chimney Based Archeology

After moving into our new house this spring, we discovered a lot of idiosyncrasies of the previous owners. A bizarre refusal to clean their carpets, judging from the fact that I had to vacuum each carpet three times, emptying the canister ever 50 square feet or so, before the vacuum stopped filling up. A do-it-yourself attitude towards wiring that makes no sense at all. Painted over wallpaper. A lack of cap on the chimney.

Now, the previous owners, having installed gas logs into a beautiful wood burning fireplace, which they subsequently painted white  for no good reason, apparently never used the fireplace, or did so without opening the flue. Because they were unbothered by the debris falling down the chimney due to said lack of cap. We became aware of this lack of basic chimney hygiene when some birds moved into our chimney.

There was fluttering and squawking of baby birds. And occasionally the sound of battle as a squirrel would try to raid the nest and the parents reacted. We could hear it all through the chimney, and I had witnessed the squirrel go in from the outside.

Today, our chimney was being swept. Out came the nest and the bird poop and lots of leaves.

And one very dead, mummified squirrel.

I guess we know who won the war.

~AMPH