Remember
that old rhyme from Hansel and Gretel? I hadn’t thought of it in years until
yesterday when Mike, Nellie, and I were at the farmhouse.
We made an afternoon run to the farm to check on the house and grounds,
turn on the water and the refrigerator, leave a few things, take a few things,
etc. It was a lovely afternoon at 62 degrees but overcast.
“What’s
this white powdery stuff on this stair?” Mike demanded to know. That’s when I
saw the hole in the sheetrock where it met the stair framing above.
“What
could have done this?” we wondered. Ever our first thought – MICE! And sure
enough! Looking closely at the white stuff, we could see mouse sign. I don’t
know what they were doing or why, but that particular situation will be
corrected – hopefully for good.
Explaining
to Hallie on the phone last night that the mice are under the house and in the
walls, she was grossed out to think that this pestilence, especially the accumulation of droppings, will eventually impact air quality. We all had to come back from that to
(hopefully) saner thinking. This is life in the country. We must try to
control. We will never win.
Moving
on -- I cleaned the refrigerator and turned it on. Then I toured the yard. The
raspberries are just beginning to leaf out. The little cherry tree is looking
oh so sincere. The bramble patch, like the raspberries, is showing signs of
life. 
But
spring’s first beauty – the bulbs – are in stages of bloom. I saw a tiny
snowdrop in the lawn. And for the first time ever, I saw my crocus in bloom. Daffodils
and Crown Frittalaria are blooming or budding out.
And
the lilacs are waking up, too.
It was looking stormy by the time we left the farm. We
congratulated ourselves for having made the trip yesterday. It rained in the night
and could rain again today. It’s pleasantly spring-like. Just kinda unsettled. KW
6 comments:
Those little mice know when you're not there. That's when they think they're in charge. I suppose you'll always have a sort of "cold war" with the farm critters.
A few years ago, my son set a trap for the mouse that he saw running through the living room when we were playing a board game. He had to set the trap several times for several days. Then he realized that the tiny mouse didn't weigh enough to set off the trap, but was sharp enough to eat the peanut butter & run away.
So happy to see signs of spring on the farm. Thanks for the photos.
Leah: How did you or Brian finally eliminate the mouse?
Mom: It all looks wonderful even against the dreary grey-sky backdrop! Yes, I think I could have been even more extreme with the rose pruning. It looks so silly!
So true! "When the cat's away, the mice will play." We're getting a little smarter as we put our minds to it. This year we left the hide-a-bed open. We also left the oven door open. And yes, some of the mice are adept at stealing the bait. Some traps are better than others.
Hallie, you really cut a lot off and it was a trial because of the thorns. It was a tremendous feat. Maybe this year we'll just whittle a little more.
Hallie: The end of the mouse tale (pun intended) was that the mouse kept eating & Brian kept trying different bait on the trap. He realized that the tiny thing was just too light to set off the trap. Brian even said, "What do California mice eat?" He tried peanut butter, cheese & I can't remember what else. He pressed the food very tightly on the trap. After a few days, it was over. The little critter evidently gained some weight.
How I got a mouse in the house was probably my fault. I leave the front door open a lot in the fall when the weather is so warm. Guess that's not a good idea (no screen).
I hates them meeces to pieces!!
Sorry to hear about the mouse - good to hear that you are "back on the farm"!
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