Eek! A Mouse!

And another and another! 

Three blind mice?  I don't think so.  I think at least one of these mice had super senses.  We are usually visited by a rodent or two over the course of the year, but last week's events were a bit out of the ordinary.

It all started while the children were watching their bedtime show.  I had just finished taking a shower when I heard meowing and banging in the kitchen.  Stripes the cat had cornered a mouse, and she was playing with it.  It was a gruesome battle.  I quickly tossed the dog outside, and pondered how to best get rid of Micky's relative.  Meanwhile, Sweetie decided that she needed to be in the kitchen.   Here is her version of what happened.  "Stripes got a mouse.  Blood.  It was yuck.  Stripes ate the mouse. (Chemist note:  Stripes ate part of the mouse.)  Don't touch the mouse.  It bleed.  It has germs.  Mama clean up with spray."

That about sums up mouse #1.  Shudder.

Of course if you see one mouse, there are probably more.   The Historian found a mouse trap and baited it with peanut butter and a Cheerio.  The next morning, mouse #2 had met his demise.   I felt that I had already done my mouse disposal duty and begged the Historian to remove the remains. 

The mouse trap was rebaited with peanut butter and a Cheerio.  The next morning the trap was empty.   Hmm....interesting.  Another Cheerio with peanut butter went into the trap.  The next morning the trap was once again empty.   Apparently, we had a very intelligent mouse living under the sink.   More drastic measures were needed.   The Historian wanted to give the Cheerio another shot, but I used a bit of moldy cheese instead.  The next morning the trap was not empty.  We had caught the fattest mouse I had ever seen.  The Historian thought that it should be my turn to remove the remains, but I acted like a girl and made him do it.   After all, the mouse I had to dispose of was no longer in one piece.

The mouse trap was baited once again, but there have been no more mice.