So there are a few specific events that I have avoided blogging about because I find them too stressful, or embarrassing, however, I have come to realize that these "unspeakable things" are things that I would like to remember in the future. So I've decided to share a few. Of coarse these are events that have happened quite a while ago so I am a little bit over them now so it is not so painful. ; )
We'll start with a little background: we live in the 'country.' we are surrounded by dairy farms and fields. we live in an old house that is no longer sealed off very well. You are probably wondering what all of this is adding up to, and some of you have probably already figured it out. MICE!!!! Now, I may not be the best house keeper, but although I may not always have things picked up, my house is Clean! And I have come to accept that certain things are just unchangeable about where I live- I think.
Anyways, here goes for a few of my stories.... The first incident happened at the beginning of last winter, I came home from work, turned on the kitchen light, dropped my purse and hung up my keys when something caught my eye on the stove, Yep sure enough there was a little mouse sitting on my stove top, even after I had been in the house for approximately 30 seconds. SQUEAL! And where does it run, INTO my stove! Like under my little timer and temp display there are little slots for who knows what or where they go, and in runs the little mouse! Gross! I freak out call Braden, we set traps. Catch a couple mice.
Time passes, I am not quite so worried about finding them. I am home making dinner, standing at the counter when out of the corner of my eye I see something scurry across the kitchen floor from the stove into the laundry room.(I have the creeps right now as I am remembering this!) I panic! I call Braden at work, very upset there is a mouse! I watch it run into the vent in the laundry room, but it is shut so it is just sitting on top of the flaps just under the little slot things staring up at me. He tells me to "Get a Shoe and Smash it when it comes out!" WHAT??!!! He finally hangs up and tells me he'll be home in less than an hour but has to get back to work. (He absolutely Cannot Stand when I call him freaking out about stuff!) For some reason it really upsets him. But 'hello!' I am the one upset! I am the one who has seen TWO live mice now. Anyways I get a shoe but my mind is wondering if there really is any way that I am really going to smash that nasty little thing. It runs back behind the dryer. I stand guard for a little while, it pokes its head out every so often just to see me standing there and retreat back into the safety of the darkness. I have what I think is a brilliant idea! Braden will be home in 15 min now, I'll just get the vacuum, turn it on and leave it in front of the dryer, the little guy will be too scared to come out, I can finish making dinner and Braden can get him when he comes home! Well it lasted only a couple minutes before I see him run back into the kitchen, under the stove! We set more traps. We catch more mice! Not catching any more mice, hopefully that means they are not coming in any more. Leave what traps I haven't accidentally set off, set all winter. End of winter, we go to Yellowstone for the weekend. Maren is coming to take care of the dog and is more than welcome to just chill here if she would like. Three days we were gone. Come home, its cold. Want to heat up the corn heat pad to get my feet warm. Braden used it THE night before we left for Yellowstone and left it on the foot stool. Heat pad has hole CHEWED though it, corn falling out. Braden regrets to inform me it is a Mouse. Sad face! Not more. The next day I begin my excursion of re-cleaning EVERYTHING!! Give them NO reason to STAY!! Edge vacuum, dust, vacuum under couch cushions. I remove one cushion and find a rather large pile of corn and mouse poop. I almost start crying! They are living in my couch! Take a pic on my phone and send it to Braden. He is at a dinner meeting for work, will be gone all night. Remove the other cushion, scan the area, more poop, more corn from the heat pad, then my eyes were drawn to this!
It is SQUISHED!!!!!
I scream, take picture and ask Braden why he had to be gone that night!? I keep it together pretty good, grab a grocery bag and dispose of the little corpse. As I realize what I just saw and did I began to BAWL!! ....I am not EVER sitting on that Couch AGAIN! They probably have a whole little colony living inside and there is no way to get them out. Why and How do these DAMN things keep getting in my house!! How the HELL do I get rid of them. We are MOVING. Why do I always have to be the one to find these NAsty things! And on and on...... Hours later Braden comes home. I have couch cushions everywhere, my whole face is swollen and he tells me he can't handle this! Excuse me, I am just sharing my house and apparently my couch with some unwanted creatures that my mother told me would give me hauntivirus. Despite my efforts to keep a clean and picked up house these things came back for a third or fourth or whatever time! I just had to pick up and dispose of a squished into my couch body! And I should not be upset right now??
Well lets just say the rest of that night was me trying to console and pity myself while at the same time trying to portray to my husband that I was in fact calmed down and that he need not stress about me being upset. And well, Braden talked me into being realistic and keeping the couches. But even after borrowing my mother in laws carpet cleaner and using it multiple times, it still took me about three weeks to sit on the couch.
So, after that majorly stressful and emotional event I made the decision, as much as I hated to, and got one of these!
Those who know me know how bad I hate cats! But unfortunately no matter how hard I try, the mice still come, so hopefully 'Tiger' will do his job and keep them away! He is not this little and cute anymore, he is actually super annoying, stupid, and frustrating to put up with so he'd better catch me some mice or he'll be looking for a new home.
