BESS AND ME IN TOWN, DAY 2 ½ -- OR, THERE REALLY IS A MOUSE IN HERE

Thursday, Aug. 13
To go back two weeks, the evening before Mike left on his motocaching trip, we were watching tv when he said, “Did you see THAT? A mouse just raced from over there to behind the tv.” No, I didn’t see it, but I was dismayed. He called Bess, and she showed only mild interest. Mike decided he was seeing things, but the fact that Bess was willing to look made me think he really did see a mouse.

The next morning as I packed for the farm, I discovered Bess on alert and sniffing around the living room. This was disconcerting. I think not only of our pantry but also the closets in my sewing room full of yarn, fiberfill, and other textiles that mice love. Our traps are on the farm, so I set out a couple of those sticky trays. I caught nothing.

Visiting my pantry late Tuesday night, I heard a slight rustling. A mouse? Nah! I convinced myself that my robe just brushed against a box. “Yes, that’s it,” I reassured myself.  

Late Wednesday night, as I approached the kitchen sink, something dark darted along the wall behind the faucet. I let out a silent “EEEEEK!” Mustering my courage, I looked among the clutter on the counter, and there it was – a mouse! From there he darted into the corner. I immediately went to the cupboard for the sticky trays, returning just in time to see the mouse disappear behind the stove. I placed a tray in front of the stove and one in front of the pantry door and then went off for a night of uneasy rest. And yes, I did trap that mouse. Honestly, I hated to deal with disposal. A killer I am not, but you don’t want these critters in your house. Damage to foodstuffs and textiles aside, they aren’t clean.

I had planned a morning of cleaning prior to Mike’s return this afternoon, but whatever I planned to do was off the list now. Cleaning the pantry must take priority. I tossed packets of instant oatmeal that had been gnawed. He had invaded an open box of brown sugar Malt-o-Meal (Mike’s favorite and hard to find), so out it went. And he gnawed a hole in the plastic lid of a can of mixed nuts. I examined every box and I even considered just tossing them all, but if I saw no damage, I put them back.

The bright spot in this day (aside from Mike’s return, of course) was that the mail lady delivered my “Christmas Cookie Outfit,” from Tea Time Fabric Panels. That’s why we have gifts. They lift our spirits.

I picked Mike up at the airport at 1:00 and told him the saga of the mouse. Never mind that he’s returning from a visit with our children. The mouse debacle takes precedence.

The question remains as to how many mice we have and how long they’ve been cavorting in our house. We just don’t know. I plan to buy storage containers for our cereal and grain products, something I’ve never bothered to do. “They’re expensive,” I complained to Mike, but he agreed we should do it. KW