A Mouse in Our House

This is Gene’s story, I’m not having anything to do with a mouse.

We discovered telltale signs that a mouse was in our house. I immediately leaped from my couch to the truck and hence to Wal-mart. A quick review of baits and glue cards and I came home with the tools of war. Mrs. Mouse needed quick eradication before she gave birth. Aren't they always pregnant, even the males?

I spread most of the dozen bait blocks around outside areas, and in the basement storage. All the glue cards went inside. We had to be careful Peanut didn't get at the bait blocks.

No luck in the first 24 hours, but more evidence Mr. Mouse was active.

We went hiking with our friends Charlie and Jennifer who live nearby. Charlie stopped in at a local old-time hardware store. It was a wonderful place that had everything a person (flip flops, overalls, boots and a straw hat) or a home (oven heater elements, gorilla glue, copper rendering kettles) would need with the one exception of health insurance. Mr. Brown escorted me to the rodent eradication department. He assured me that when, from time to time, he and Mrs. Brown got the errant white-footed house mouse, she always brought home Victor brand traps. They apparently have never invented a better one despite all the talk over the years. Mr. Brown advised peanut butter or cheese.

We got home and the deed was done. I admit feeling slightly disappointed that 5 minutes passed and no sound came from under the sink where our traps lie in wait. We had reconciled ourselves that later, in the still of the night, we would hear the sound of success. Just then, success. Even Peanut who is hard of hearing went over to the cabinet to sniff around. We marveled at how modern technology failed when decades old technology was swift and efficient. Then the other trap sprang. Mr. Brown said that often was the case.

I will let you imagine the squeamish modern office worker’s attempt to improvise a haz-mat suit to dispose of the remains.

In the morning I reset the one Victor trap still operational. Too squeamish to bend the wires back in place on the other one. I'll just pick up a couple (clean) ones at Wal-mart today when I get my $4 prescription. If Wal-mart doesn't have them, I know a good hardware store in the area.