Earl Traveler and the Critter Repelant

What do you do when something starts chewing the wiring under your RV? If you're Earl, you head straight to the farm supply store, buy the strongest critter repellent you can find, and decide that if a little works, a whole lot must work even better!

 Join Earl and Pearl for another laugh-filled adventure as one well-intentioned repair turns their motorhome into the most avoided RV in the campground. Along the way, Miss Gypsy, Miles, and a few surprised neighbors discover that sometimes solving one problem creates another. 

 As always, the story ends with a practical lesson from God's Word reminding us that wisdom means thinking carefully before we act. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy another lighthearted episode of Travel With A Purpose.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hello, fellow Sojourners. I'm your host, Dave Leighton, and welcome to Travel with a Purpose, a podcast designed to keep Sojourners and friends informed, entertained, and inspired. Hello, fellow sojourners. I'm your host, Dave Leighton, and welcome to Travel with a Purpose, a podcast designed to keep Sojourners and friends informed, entertained, and inspired. In today's episode, we join Earl and Pearl as Earl deals with a problem at the RV. Well, as the day began, Earl had a problem. Well, technically the RV had a problem. A mysterious critter had apparently decided the wiring under the motor home tasted better than anything found in nature. Earl noticed it when a dashboard warning light flickered on and off like it was sending Morse code. It can't be. Something's chewing on my wires, Earl said. Jay nodded. Probably a squirrel, a chickmunk, a mouse, or something similar. Earl folded his arms. I've got a solution. Those words should have warned everyone. A trip to the farm supply store produced a can of industrial strength critter repellent. The label promised to discourage rodents, squirrels, rabbits, and apparently any living thing possessing a nose. Earl read the instructions. Then he read the testimonials. Then he read them again. This stuff must really work, he said. Earl glanced at the warning label. It says use sparingly. Earl smiled. Well, you know my philosophy. If a little is good, then more must be even better. Pearl just rolled her eyes. The next morning, Earl crawled under the RV and began spraying. And spraying and spraying. By the time he finished the entire engine compartment smelled like a combination of rotten onions, spoiled garlic, old gem sock, and something that had lost a fight with a skunk. Earl admired his work. That critter won't be back. He closed the compartment and climbed inside. About ten minutes later he was sitting in his recliner when he began to notice a faint odor. Five minutes after that it was stronger. Ten minutes after that, it had fully invaded the living area. Well Pearl walked in about that time. She had been out grocery shopping. She stopped, she sniffed, and she looked around suspiciously. Then she looked at Earl. What happened? Earl shrugged. Nothing. Pearl pointed around and looked at the air. The RV smells like a skunk opened a garlic factory. Well, I sprayed the critter repellent. How much? Earl thought carefully. The amount required. Pearl narrowed her eyes. That wasn't the question. Miss Gypsy, about that time, emerged from beneath the dinette. She froze. Her ears flattened. She sniffed once. She sniffed twice. Then she immediately crawled back under the table. Pearl laughed. Miss Gypsy looks ready to file a change of address form. Earl shook his head. She's just overreacting. Miss Gypsy responded by glaring at him in a way that only cats can. Myles, their little white poodle, wandered through the RV. He sniffed the air. He sniffed the floor. He sniffed Earl, and then he sniffed himself. His expression seemed to say I don't know what happened, but somehow I think Earl caused it. Myles finally sat in the middle of the floor looking completely confused. The smell grew stronger throughout the afternoon. Apparently Earl's generous application had seeped through every opening and vent imaginable. Even worse, the air conditioner was helping distribute it equally throughout the RV. Pearl opened windows, she turned on fans, s she lit a scented candle. The candle surrendered after about fifteen minutes. Nothing helped. Well that evening their neighbors stopped by. David Little climbed the RV steps and immediately stopped. Phew, he said. Behind him Sheila covered her nose. She looked at Earl and said, What died? Nothing died, Earl said proudly. I'm preventing wire damage. Sheila nodded. Well, judging by the smell, you also prevented human inhabitation. Earl laughed so hard she nearly spilled her teeth. The next morning the odor had improved slightly, very slightly. Miss Gypsy was finally willing to come from under the table for short visits. Myles had stopped investigating and simply accepted that reality was no longer making sense. Earl sat across from Earl drinking coffee. So what have we learned? Earl thought for a moment. When the directions say you sparingly, maybe there's a reason. Earl smiled. Progress, she said. Friends, that reminds me of Proverbs fourteen and fifteen. It says The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. Earl discovered that solving one problem can create another if we rush ahead without carefully considering the results. Wisdom often means taking an extra moment to think through the consequences before grabbing the spray can. Sometimes a little is enough, and sometimes extra becomes a story everyone remembers for years. As Earl learned, a little critter spray keeps the mice away. A whole can can keep everybody away. Well, thanks for listening to this podcast. I invite you to subscribe and share it with others. I'm your host, Dave Leighton. And remember we glorify God as together we travel with a purpose. Happy sojourning.