When we got to the farm a week or so ago, Elder and Sister Leavitt told us about something getting into the home and really destroying some of the old artifacts. They took pictures of the damage and then reported it to Elder Butterfield. The summer kitchen had a broken barrel, animal droppings, chewed carpet. John's office was all messed up with tipped chair, part of the artifacts on the floor, the East parlor had the Book of Mormon open and pages flapping,the pantry had things scattered on the floor......All in all, it was a sorry sight to see.
When the Leavitts left and we took over, we could hear a banging noise like an animal trying to break out. I had a tour at that time so told the two visitors that if they saw anything to let me know. It was at the end of the tour, coming back down the stairs to the main floor when our visitor saw the varmint in the East Parlor. It ran around behind the china cupboard. In the meantime, Doyle had called the Leavitts to come back to help us try to get it out of the house. Now there were six of us!
I found an old broom, closed the door to the West Parlor and to the kitchen, opened the front door and took some of the boards from the destroyed barrel to try to block the stairway. Doyle took the broom handle and tried to poke it to force it out from behind the china cupboard. It took a lot of prodding.. Bro Hensley (one of our visitors) cautioned us that it could perhaps be rabid, especially if it entered a house. Here were, the six of us...me behind the kitchen door, Leavitt behind the front door, Doyle and Hensleys in the East Parlor and Sister Leavitt shooting pictures as fast as she could with her new camera!
All of the sudden it ran out from behind the cupboard and under the couch. A little more prodding and it bounded out the front door and ran into the field. It was a big ball of gray fur, a fuzzy tail with a black tip. Pretty good sized ground hog! That was pretty much the excitement for our time on the site that day. After cleaning up the mess all over the first floor, we finally left the farm an hour and half late.
