Home Address: Keebler Elf Tree

I've just had an email from someone who was reacting to my tale of the mouse-and-ant life in this house of mine.In it she said “not to make light of your column which I found cute BUT! Mice can be deadly. They poop and pee more than birds…  Also they can carry the deadly Hanta virus. They carry fleas and ticks (Lyme disease.)”She also referred me to a public health website and went on to quote from Wikipedia which says that a lady  mouse gives birth to litters of 6 to 8 babies on average, some five to ten times a year.Then she moved on to my ant problem, suggesting I get estimates from exterminators 'ASAP' to see if these black ants are carpenter ants. “Having them means having  wet, punky wood which also can mean termites." She said when they replaced the roof over their porch part of it was loaded with carpenter ants "scurrying up and down a bush that touched the roof."“TERRY, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT NO BUSHES OR TREE BRANCHES OR THEIR LEAVES OR ANYTHING THAT ANTS CAN GO UP EVER TOUCHES YOUR HOME!"Twice a month, you need to walk around your home and check under the eaves and other areas for insects nests, like the wasps. We now have an exterminator come four times a year and it has been so worth it."I wrote right back:“Wow, Janice, then I think we must be doomed because just look at the ivy that grows outside here!” And I included a picture.When she saw it she wrote me back immediately: “IS THAT IVY GROWING ON YOUR HOUSE?”By way of reply I  sent two more pictures, so now I will ask what you think:Is this stuff growing ON my house or IN my house?   And just how much trouble do you think I'm in here?