The counter in the kitchen serves as my sewing work table. It’s a pleasant area with lots of natural light. The view isn’t great – mainly the shed and our driveway.
As I looked up from my work one afternoon, something zipped in front of the shed door. I’m amazed I saw because it happened so fast. My first thought was of a leaf blowing in the wind, but when it zipped back I knew it wasn’t a leaf.
“I saw a mouse today,” I told Mike. His response was offhand. “That shouldn’t be a surprise since the woodpile is right there.”
I guess we both thought about it for a couple of days, during which time I saw the mouse again.
“I think we should set a trap,” Mike said. “After all, where there’s one, there are probably more, and they could get in the shed.” The shed? They could get in the house!!!
Mike is busy in tax prep now, so I took it upon myself to carry on the great rodent war alone. What an array of traps they show at WalMart! And it always begs the question – “Can they really build a better mousetrap?” I decided to experiment with a “pre-baited” sticky tray. At home, I carefully placed the trap behind the woodpile. Two days later I disposed of my quarry, trap and all.
Vignette II
We had gone to bed, and as we lay there, I could hear something rustling against the wall behind us – hopefully on the exterior of the house.
“What’s that noise?” I demanded of Mike. He’d had a hard day at work and wasn’t of a mind to investigate.
“Sounds like it’s over there . . . ,” he mumbled. Since “Dagwood” wasn’t going to get up and investigate -- and the dog wasn’t whining -- I went on to sleep.
“Sounds like it’s over there . . . ,” he mumbled. Since “Dagwood” wasn’t going to get up and investigate -- and the dog wasn’t whining -- I went on to sleep.
Awake again at 2:30, I could hear heavy footfalls on the gravel path outside the window as well as heavy breathing. Peeping tom? Not hardly! Mule deer came to mind. Peering through the blinds I found myself staring at the broadside of a cow not four feet away. She had a short rope around her neck. Her companion, a black cow, was standing at the edge of the driveway.
Well, what was I to do? I went back to bed.
When I got up at 6:00, I peeked out the front door into the morning darkness and saw the pair ambling slowly up the street – probably heading home. I wondered if their master would even know they had been out. Investigating the yard, I found they had munched the daylilies that adorn the east side of the house – that’s the rustling I had heard. Nellie’s pen is in that area, and they must have been there – or very close -- when Mike put her to bed. With all of the tramping around, Nellie never complained. But then – cows and horses are her friends.
Vignette III
The town house is located in a housing development on the outskirts of town. We live outside the city limits – what locals call “in the county.” The scenario – and the problems – are rural.
Nellie and I walk daily up the road that passes the county shop, storage units, and a substation. Traffic is minimal and the area affords some fields for Nell to explore.One day I noticed a strange contraption at the edge of the road near a culvert. Obviously of black plastic, I decided it must be an animal trap. I had never seen a trap like that, but I concluded it was state-of-the-art – a sophisticated model. Days went by and it was still there. Deciding to investigate, I crept up to it from what appeared to be its backside, being careful to avoid the spray of a captured skunk. Then I saw it – “S-O-N-Y” in large letters. Boy, did I feel stupid! It wasn’t a trap at all but an old-style tv set that someone dumped there.
That didn’t just happen, you know. Someone dumped a defunct tv set in my neighborhood just to get rid of it. Why there? They didn’t even bother to push it into the ditch with the child’s wading pool that blew in two years ago and the balls that roll down the hill. And who will move it away? My guess – no one. KW
Hmmm...the Warnocks might just have to adopt a street.
ReplyDeletePicking up trash -- bottles, cans, etc., is one thing. I think, though, the disposal of electronics can be problematic, which is probably why the tv set was dumped there in the first place.
ReplyDeleteOur local newspaper carried an article just this week about the trashing of public dump sites -- a costly problem.
Great vignettes! You are indeed brave to tackle the mouse issue. The cow story is amazing! And I absolutely love the TV story!! But how horrible of people to just dump. When Dan is in the woods he brings back all kinds of stuff he finds and disposes of it.
ReplyDeleteMe, I used to feel guilty if I threw an apple core out the window for the wildlife. I was always sure the police would come and fine me for littering!!
And now that the snow is gone, it's amazing what is showing up alongside the highways. Sure glad someone came up with the adopt-a-highway program. I'm thankful for those people who volunteer.
Loved the mouse story. I, too don't like the old style traps. Much prefer the sticky tray. The problem with the old style traps is that they can eat the food off the trigger and still get away. Happened to me!
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the cows will visit again if the owner hasn't repaired his fence/gate. What a happy ending to a scary tale.
The TV by the road was dumped by someone a long way from your neighborhood, I'll bet. People that litter don't want the junk they throw out to be near their house, as if they have morals! This abandoned TV could be a bigger problem if kids decide to use the screen for target practice with rocks. Then glass will be on the ground for Nellie or anyone walking around it. Maybe Mike can get a neighbor to help him lift it onto the truck and take it to a hazardous waste disposal co. We can't even put old TVs or computer monitors in our dumpsters. They have to be picked up by a special trash co.
Who said living in the "country" is boring never lived in the country.