Mike and a friend left Friday (June 18) on a 5-day back roads motorcycle trip through what I’ll call central Oregon. Never mind them. This is about Bess and me and our staycation.
Old dog Nellie greeted staycations excitedly. “Oh boy!” she’d exclaim in canine body language, “Mike is gone and I’m here with Kathy. My favorite!” And we’d have a relaxed good time. Nellie loved to explore, so our walks became opportunities to boldly go where we hadn’t gone before. We had quality kitchen time, too, and when it was time to rest, I’d watch TV and she’d snooze on a favorite pillow.
But Bess isn’t that secure. While Nellie accepted her place in the family, Bess is Mike’s dog. Saturday morning, she ran to the bedroom to be sure Mike really wasn’t there. “Now what happens,” she exclaimed.
We
spent the first day (Friday) in town not doing anything much. Saturday, I packed
up and loaded the Jeep with Bess, laundry, and supplies, and we set off for the
farm. Once there, I tackled the mountain of laundry and watered. I was
surprised when Bess invited me on a walk down the lane and up Plank’s Pitch to
Pete’s Pond.
All
went well until it was time to feed Bess her supper. When I lifted the lid off
the storage barrel (Rubbermaid garbage can), my nostrils were assailed by a
noxious effluvium that nearly knocked me flat. Wow! It could only be one thing –
the mice had struck again. I do not know how this was missed heretofore because
I’m sure it didn’t just happen in the last four days. I lifted out the bag of
dog chow, and sure enough! – I could see an empty nest in the bottom of the
barrel. I had no choice but to feed Bess that kibble, and she didn’t seem to
mind. I texted Mike to ask if I should return to town, but he said dogs eat
nasty stuff all the time. True enough, I guess. Nevertheless, fresh kibble and a
new container to store it are in Bess’ future.
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| Pete's Pond |
We had no mice in the obvious traps, but it occurred to me that I needed to check the closet under the stairs. Mustering my courage, I turned on the light and opened the door. Sure enough! There was a mouse in one of the traps. It’s Mike’s job to take care of those, but in his absence, I performed this duty. KW
4 comments:
Boo to the mice! Did you throw away the mouse, trap and all? I would have!
That was very nice of Bess to agree to go on a proper walk. I can't imagine how the mice found their way into the rubbermaid bin for the dog food!
Hi Chris! That mouse was caught in one of our best traps, so no, I didn't throw the trap out with the mouse. I did, however, put on disposable latex gloves to handle it, and then I washed my hands.
Halliw, mice are notorious for their ability to gnaw, and they enlarged an existing crack in the lid. We should have been more alert to that crack as a potential problem.
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