Saturday, January 26, 2008

There's A Mouse In The House


Yes, we have another visitor. An unwelcome one, who will soon know just how unwelcome he is.

We've christened him Joe. He is the original cordless mouse.

Joe follows in the footsteps of his ancestor Hercules. Hercules was with us for no less than six months before he was dispatched to that Great Hunk O' Cheese In The Sky. That varmint outsmarted our best attempts at capture and/or termination, and will live in infamy as The Little Mouse That Could.

And what he COULD was also infamous.

He left little calling cards all over the carpet. He scared the dog. He chewed a hole in one of the Lazy Boy chairs, and tried to nest in it. He ate all the bait from the traps. He evaded every attempt of capture and/or certain death.

Then I left with the kids for a three-day trip out of town. Before leaving, I put down a couple of glue traps. When I got back in town and opened the door of the house, I was met with a stench like no other.

"Uh, dear? Did you check the traps?"

"Why?"

It seems that if you actually LIVE with the smell, you don't notice it as much. I checked the trap in the bathroom, and found Hercules had met his Waterloo.

Or something like that.

And so we come to the life and times of Joe.

Hubster first met Joe as he was reclining on the couch in the basement, watching football. Joe introduced himself by running along Hubster's back before disappearing into the recesses of the dark. Hubster warned us to keep the door to the garage firmly shut at all times to keep our newest visitor out, but the children didn't heed his warning. Hence, Joe made it up to the office/kitchen/living room level.

The Girl saw him first, running across the office area. And today, just before I started this little post, he was kind enough to introduce himself to me by running from somewhere in the office to under the buffet in the dining room and then back under a chair in the office. Knowing how I feel about mice it really is a wonder I didn't scream.

So today I'll make a trip to the local hardware store and purchase more of those wonderful traps. We'll check them daily to make sure the house doesn't get that telltale odor. If we're lucky, Joe will be history in a day or so. If not, we'll just have to get Mom, The Mighty Mouse Hunter over here to do her thing.

Because I'm not sacrificing another Lazy Boy to the Rodent Gods any time soon if I can help it.

5 comments:

HeyJules said...

Ewwww...how I hate meeses to pieces!

Named him Joe did ya? I dated a Joe once. You are pretty much right on the money as far as I'm concerned...

Linds said...

Rodents and I do not get along either. I saw a tiny fieldmouse ion the corner of my kitchen 3 days before Christmas, and fortunately managed to help it exit with speed into the garden. I contemplated getting a cat for all of 1 minute. I hope Joe is history soon!

groovyoldlady said...

I love 'em as pets, hate them as wild invaders. I do hate killing them though; They have such sweet little faces.

Dorcas (aka SingingOwl) said...

This made me LOL! Thanks.

I thought you were going to write about a computer mouse, since I am on my third one in three months. I have given up on the cordless variety...but it didn't take me long to get the drift. Hee hee...I had one in my office a while back that someone named Nanette. I said, "NO naming it!"

A church mouse...heh heh...which also met its Waterlool

Girl Raised in the South said...

I'm weird - I don't think they scare me like they used to. However the little presents they leave everywhere and the germs those carry - that scares me much more than it did ten years ago. I don't think we've ever had a mouse and I'm sure it's no thanks to the cat who lives with us either - maybe the dog smell that covers everything keeps them at bay. Hope yours gets caught promptly! Have you tried lacing whatever you put on the trap with peanut butter?