Our
story so far: yesterday afternoon I discovered a mouse hanging out in my sewing
room at the town house. Nellie couldn’t scent the mouse, so Mike and I
discussed trapping options.
The
story continues:
I
closed the door on my sewing room and stuffed a wadded towel under the door to
confine the mouse to the room. I wasn’t sure that would work. The doors in a
modular home don’t fit well.
Mike
returned to watching football, and sensing that she had somehow disappointed
him, Nellie cuddled up near him. But suddenly she came to life, her tail
indicating a quarry. She sniffed behind the tv set, the woodbox, under the
sofa, back to the woodbox, behind the woodstove. Eventually she was all over
the house but gave a lot of attention to Mike’s office. I let her into the
sewing room where she sniffed briefly and seemed to conclude that there was no
mouse in the room. She looked me in the eye as if to say, “We both know you’re
a little paranoid.”
But
frankly, Nellie’s sudden interest upset me even more. The mouse was supposed to
be confined to the sewing room. Had it gotten out? Or were there two -- or, God
forbid -- even more?
When
the game was over (SMU won), Mike went to buy traps. To save time and distance,
he stopped at what I call “the little store,” a neighborhood market where he
bought their last pack of traps – two plastic units. He baited the traps with
some peanut butter we tried and didn’t like -- Planter’s NUT-rition “Cinnamon
Raisin Granola Nut Energy Mix” (what were they thinking when they concocted
this recipe?) and set them in the sewing room. But Nellie continued to be most
interested in the office.
Then
– about 4:30 – we left Nellie in the house for half an hour and went to the
boat parade. Not like the old days, we reminisced. No excitement in the air. We
were literally alone as we watched from Beachview Park above the Snake River. Lights
are beautiful reflected on the water, but ten boats don’t make much of a
showing. I took a lot of pictures -- not very successfully.
The
evening wore on as Mike watched football, and we had reason to wonder if Nellie
had caught a mouse while we were out and swallowed it. If so, was it the
mouse? Nellie wasn’t talking – just a source of bad odor -- so we could only
surmise what might have happened in our absence. 
Before
bed, Mike announced that the sewing room mouse had been caught. He re-set the
trap behind the woodbox in the living room, and this morning – yes! – we had
another. I hope that’s the end of this mouse saga, but we’ll remain alert. The
work on the hillside continues, and it’s been my experience that when ground is
disturbed, the rodent population is displaced. Perhaps that has something to do
with this invasion.
So,
today’s chore is to clean the sewing room closet and otherwise straighten the
room. KW
7 comments:
Doesn't take much to get mousie's out. I've been having a bad time with them in my chicken house - it's hard to set traps when you've chickies in there, I've caught some outside by settign traps near possible holes. I 'rigged' up a box with holes in it that I cover traps place inside the chicken house & caught some, but there seems to be a never ending supply! I hope yours are all gone.
To funny regarding Nellie. Too bad she can't confess (or not). Sounds like a successful hunt and I hope all are now accounted for.
In a setting like a chicken house, it would be difficult all right. Of course, at our homesteads we're going to have mice, especially in the outbuildings. But -- rodents can show up anywhere.
I have spent most of the day cleaning the closet. It's stressful coming face to face with stuff that's stashed because I didn't know what to do with it in the first place. But -- I made a few decisions and some trips to the trash. And the closet is neater -- and clean.
Sometimes it is too bad that Nellie doesn't talk. Sometimes it's just as well. I'm pretty good at catching her drift.
Mike liked the PIC traps he bought out of necessity. It's really easy to work with them. We'll likely get some more.
Have you found evidence of mice in your closet?
Were there only four boats in the parade? They just need a few good sponsors, some marketing, and an enticing award for the winner. It's a real shame it's not like it used to be. We used to have to fight for parking, walk a good way to get our viewing, and then put up with the crowd. Not a great date for the parade--it should be next weekend.
Hallie -- There was a good article in yesterday's Trib (11-25) about the boat parade and it's history. There were nine boats -- six jet boats and three sailboats. Hells Canyon Boat Club is behind the parade now but finding it a tough sell. I think you're right -- a corporate sponsor offering some marketing know-how and prizes might make a difference.
I saw just a few "mouse sign" in the closet. Yarn projects in grocery bags appeared undefiled, but I removed them to more compact plastic zip bags -- the kind bedding comes in -- which will keep them cleaner and more visible plus neater.
Wondering: did the helicopter with Santa and his reindeer fly during the boat parade? That was always really neat. I remember being so happy to spot him.
Yes, the Santa helicopter flew over during the parade. That was an incentive to find a place on the levee.
I agree that this year's parade seemed to be one weekend too early -- probably because Thanksgiving was early. The present thinking is that people are in town for TG, also shopping, and that the parade would be a draw to keep them in town. Indications are that this isn't working.
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