sufficient

rodents

I hate them. A lot. I mean, A LOT. Which made last Friday night when I saw one run across my kitchen floor behind my refrigerator really distressing. I immediately jumped in the car and headed to Kroger for some traps. Curry came over and brought El Tigre (aka Teddy) to hunt the thing down. We let him run around the house for a good long time, but he came up with nothing. Before going to bed, I did some reading about preventing mice and found out that they are repelled by strong smells like from spices. So what did I do? Sprinkled oregano in important places around the kitchen, particularly the threshold between the kitchen and the hallway. A number of people (ahem, Carol) telling me that I did not have a mouse, I have mice, was not exactly comforting.

No sign of a mouse all week. (No signs of a mouse in the house in general, even.) Until this morning, when I got out of the shower and heard lots of squeaking. And then I began to realize that the squeaking was stationary. And I began to think that maybe glue traps were not the best idea. And I walked into the hall, where a glue trap was located behind a picture leaning against the wall, turned on the light, and found the mouse. I really, really, really wanted to be able to just deal with it, but I couldn't. After running and jumping on my bed, I called Laura for moral support. She tried so hard to help me- told me to put some gloves on, get the trashcan out, use a dustpan to pick it up. I tried, so hard, while standing there looking ridiculous in my green knit mittens, holding a dustpan, and just could not do it. She offered to come over and after about 15 minutes on the phone, I finally said yes, come!

By then, I'd moved the picture away from the wall and could see the mouse every time I looked in the hall and I just could not handle it. So I grabbed my cup of coffee and went outside to wait on Laura, in the rain. (NB: don't use glue traps.) Of course, the only neighbor I saw was Judy, who has her own fears of snakes/wasps/rodents. Anyone else, I would've asked for help. Finally, Laura arrived, donned the same green gloves and scooped the mouse up.

I wish that I had such fortitude, but I just don't. I've been shaky and traumatized all morning- the chipmunk we passed as we walked to class even freaked me out. Yes, I am that pathetic.

posted by CP @ 10:09 AM 2 thoughts