grrlTravels

he was clearly a bad seed and that is why I am happy he is gone

My loathing for the mouse has turned to hatred. I hate it. A few ounces of furry energy has driven me to the edge of fury.

There was a mouse before we left for vacation. I knew this. We were taking steps. And then it was time to go.

When we got home things were bad. The kids were whiny. I was bloody and tired. K. was stressed and busy. And the mouse had made himself at home.

The silverware drawer was what tipped the scale. There was mouse poop all over all of the silverware and utensils. I have watched enough epidemiologically-based tv to know that mouse turds can be bad, can cause death. Plus they are just creepy. And I had to wash everything in the drawer. And I was not in the mood. And it wasn't over.

A few days after we returned home E. said, "Mommy, there's something in the play room," in that voice that means I-N-S-E-C-T. I wasn't in the mood for insects. I am rarely in the mood for insects. Mostly I try to tag them/track them/save them for K. But surveying the situation is part of the job, so I trotted off to survey. I was not in a hurry.

It was the mouse. Upside down. <shudder> I attempted to move it but was unable to touch it. I closed the doors...well, barricaded them and ordered the children to stay out of the room. I spent the day feeling like the house held a terrible secret while wondering what had happened to him anyway.

We had 72 humane traps in the kitchen filled with peanut butter, cheese, all manner of rodent-like delicacies. [Not just for rodents either—a few days before vacation R. had wandered into the living room licking something big and round and black. But that is another story for another day.] And one old trap that we had completely forgotten about back under the stovetop filled with poison.

Yes, the cabinet under the stovetop was filled with the turds too. He seemed to be nibbling on the ginger. The complete list of nibbles is: ginger, hot chocolate packets, rice, marshmallows, granola bars, some plastic bags, and one oilcloth bag, which rankles.

I have finished up the scrubbing, but I still feel wrecked by the rodentia.

Posted by grrlTravels at May 22, 2008 9:23 PM