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Wildlife… from Ottawa page 24
entry points to consider but wait until
mid-October when the second litter
of baby squirrels is mobile.
Squirrels and raccoons will
sometimes gain access through a
roof or gable vent — most are poorly
constructed and easy to chew
through — or a hole in the soffit,
around a dormer window or where
two roofs intersect and the flashing
hasn’t been properly applied. To
make sure animals have left before
repairs are undertaken, stuff the
hole loosely with paper towels. If it
remains undisturbed for several days,
you can proceed with the repair.
Remember to use heavy 16-guage
welded wire mesh affixed with long
screws and washers, as raccoons are
very strong. Unless you are comfortable
doing work on your roof, hire a
contractor but make sure he follows
the tips on the website
(www.wildlifeproblems.nef.ca) and
uses the right materials. To prevent
raccoons from denning in a chimney
or other animals and birds accidentally
getting in, have a spark arrestor
screen put on when the chimney is
being cleaned.
The final word is left for the little
field mice that virtually everyone
has enter their homes each fall.
Although you might not prevent
them from gaining access to your
attic, you can stop them getting into
your living quarters by applying
metal lath around plumbing fixtures,
such as under your kitchen sink.
All wildlife problems and their
solutions, including detailed photographs
and sketches, can be found at
www.wildlifeproblems.ncf.ca. Living
with wildlife is easy if you have the
right information.
Donna DuBreuil is president of the
Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre, a volunteer
organization with more than 20
years of experience in resolving
human–wildlife conflicts and in providing
education through schools and community
outreach programs on living in
harmony with nature.
Roommates
making togetherness work
BY IRIS WINSTON
She leaves her dirty dishes in the sink
every day. Forgotten plates of her leftover
food in the fridge have been there
so long that they are growing penicillin
cultures.
Her dirty clothes — including that
special blouse of yours that she borrowed
without permission — are scattered
on her bedroom floor.
She smokes while she works until 2
a.m. to finish a paper that she was
assigned more than a month ago.
She sleeps in until noon after partying
half the night. She has friends crashing
on the couch regularly and they all
help themselves to your groceries.
She runs up huge telephone bills
on the landline you share. She has to be
reminded that her rent is due every
month and then pouts when you are
angry at her reluctance to pay up.
And, of course she never helps
when it’s time to clean the apartment.
So how do you make sure that
you don’t end up with the roommate
from hell?
You could decide to share a place
with someone you’ve known for a while
— a friend from high school or a former
neighbour, for instance. That could
work out but, and it’s a big but, be aware
that living together is very different
from enjoying each other’s company
occasionally.
Your search for a compatible
roommate should begin by looking for
someone with a similar lifestyle. If you
are a night owl, you might not take
kindly to a very early riser. If you are
quiet and enjoy researching every project
to the nth degree, would you be
happy living with an extroverted, partyloving
jock? If you are the tidy type who
keeps her clothes and papers in good
order, would you be driven to distraction
by someone with sloppy habits
who leaves her possessions on every
available flat surface?
Perhaps you found someone with
similar study patterns, sleep habits and
values. You seem so well matched in
terms of lifestyle and sharing household
tasks that you expect a smooth ride on
the roommate express. But even the
most compatible of pairings can run
into problems at times. Somewhere
along the way, a minor disagreement
could escalate into a major quarrel. This
too will pass as long as communication
lines are open. Talk, listen, hear —the
watchwords for conflict resolution and
successful roommate relationships.
UNIVERSITY SUPPORT
PROGRAMS
At the University of Ottawa, students
have the opportunity to enroll in
a workshop on roommate relations.
Run by the Student Academic Success
Service (SASS), it focuses on such topics
as choosing a roommate, healthy communication,
controlling anger and getting
along with each other.
At Carleton University, roommate
contracts are available. They pinpoint
potential areas of conflict and make it
possible to set the ground rules before
conflicts arise. In this way, questions
about visitors, overnight guests, study
and sleeping times, borrowing, cooking,
cleaning, use of shared spaces and items
are dealt with right away.
Even if you decide not to sign on to
the roommate equivalent of a prenuptial
agreement or to enroll in the SASS
workshop, it is worth taking the time to
sort out your lifestyle preferences. Ask
yourself such questions as:
• How much sleep do you need?
• Are you early to bed and early to rise
or are you wide awake at midnight and
sleepy at noon?
• Do you prefer to study at home or at
the library?
• Do you work in silence or is background
music a must for you?
• Do you prefer to cook for yourself or
share meals with your roommate?
• Do you have any pets? How would you
feel if your roommate acquired a pet
after moving in with you?
• Are you a smoker/non-smoker?
Finally, be aware that even when
you and your carefully chosen roommate
have a good relationship, you
may still be in conflict occasionally.
This is the time to concentrate on
keeping communication lines wide
open and learning to compromise.
Talk to each other — the best way of
reassuring yourself that you are not living
with the roommate from hell.
Due West/Due East Magazine • Fall 2008 Ottawa Page 26