WAR REPORT -- RODENTS

I had a meeting in town yesterday afternoon, so we didn't leave for the farm until about 4:00. Let me preface this blog by saying it was lovely here with the rosy evening light reflecting off the shorn fields against the mottled gray sky. We unloaded the pick-up, performed our entry chores, and settled down to watch the presidential debate. I turned on the oven to warm leftover roast chicken and put a little heat in the house.

What's that smell? Oh-Oh. I forgot to check the oven before I turned it on. I was almost afraid to look and my angst was totally justified. There in the bottom of the oven was what looked like strands of stuffing out of our sofa (I've seen it before) and mouse sign. I turned off the oven, opened the window, and moved casually to the living room where the debate had begun. I could see that Mike was "gone," as it were, already into the debate, so I didn't bother him with my troublesome discovery. But I did lift the center sofa cushion – just to see – and there I found two pens, a crochet hook, AND 15 pieces of dog chow. ARRRGH! I removed the pens and crochet hook, deciding that the rest could wait till morning. I did clean out the oven and warm supper.

So, my first chore this morning was to clean the sofa. Armed with a hand broom, dustpan, and vacuum cleaner, I spent an hour at this task. When I was satisfied that it was reasonably clean, I tucked new Bounce sheets into the fold under the back cushions. I also put duct tape over the "pulled" places in the upholstery and packed plastic shopping bags behind the seat cushions to fill that area. I don't know if that will work, but it couldn't be worse.

I admit that I don't know when the mice put the dog chow in the sofa, but I know that they put the stuffing in the oven since we were here last week. Tonight we'll move the box traps and also set the old "snap traps." KW

[Above photos: My dad bought this sofa, a queen-size hide-a-bed, for his studio in the early '80s. We moved it to Mike's office on Broadview in 1991, and Mike, Hallie, and I moved it to the farm in 2002 or so. It's a chore to move because it's so heavy. Looking at the photo on the right, the mice love to cavort on a board that lies behind the back cushions, so I reached into that area with Bounce sheets and then packed plastic sacks between the board and the upholstery. In the last photo, the innocent-looking sofa seems in denial about its role in illicit activity.]