Of mice and…more mice
We are going on our last camping trip of the season soon. I am so excited and have been looking forward to this trip so much, that if someone were to ask me to work late on the evening before this trip, I would say, “I quit.” SERIOUSLY.
That said, this will be Shorty’s first camping trip and we are somewhat nervous as to how he will react. While I’m optimistically hoping to see him sleeping the days away while quietly snuggling his rawhide bone next to the campfire, I’m also afraid that he will be constantly whining and barking and jumping in order to alert us to the presence of OTHER PEOPLE! SQUIRRELS! RABBITS! OTHER DOGS! PEE! POOP! BIRDS! (Honestly, last week he spent his evening walk growling menacingly for 10 minutes at his shadow.)
The mole is back. People, I cannot stress to you enough how angry this makes us. We take pride in our lawn – we don’t need some damn rodent mucking up our precious ecosystem. Especially since we found a dead something-or-other next to our raspberry bush a few days ago (after we applied some mole-killing product) that strongly resembled a mole. There was great rejoicing. But then this weekend, two new molehills popped up in our front yard. DIE, MOLES. (Violently, preferably.)
Speaking of dead rodents, the mousetraps in our garage are the kind that snap a mouse’s neck. Sometimes. Sometimes you catch a live mole in them. And sometimes, you catch just a mouse head. Other times, you catch a mouse that is still alive as you open the garage door, almost stepping on it as it slowly inches its way toward you, trap firmly attached to its head. Perhaps your husband frees the trapped mouse and it returns three days later, dead and with its torn-off head a few feet away. Or, perhaps your mousetrap disappears forever, presumably worn by some mouse like a ghastly neck brace as it pilfers birdseed from other garages in the neighborhood. OK, you know what? I am officially DONE with rodents now.
And this entry.
But not before this: I spent my lunch hour at home gulping down a chicken fajita while reading about maggots and decomposition in the book Aftermath, Inc. Mmmmmm.
This post has extended the time which I will merrily rent by at least 2 years.
Comment by slynnro — September 8, 2008 @ 3:27 pm
Moles are destroying our lawn as well. Don’t use the sonic stakes(they don’t work). Put down some Gubex(moles feed off of them) and it should take away their food source
Comment by Michelle Flaherty — September 8, 2008 @ 3:59 pm
Damn moles! We had them in KC and now the new house has them as well. Little bastards.
BTW, if headless mice haunt my dreams tonight, I’m calling you at 3 AM. Just sayin’.
Comment by Shelly — September 8, 2008 @ 5:08 pm
I’ll have to ask my husband because he kills moles dead. At his last house, he plugged mole-holes with ground-up mole carcass. I think you can get it at home depot.
Comment by kirida — September 8, 2008 @ 5:36 pm
That you can talk about headless mice and mole carcasses while eating and reading about maggots all at the same time makes you my hero. You must have a stomach of steel!
Comment by Julie — September 8, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
Um, ew? Let’s not talk about the second half of this post. Let’s just say, yay camping! And hopefully there won’t be shadows on your trip.
Comment by Jess — September 9, 2008 @ 8:17 am
I don’t even…ew. EW. Moles and mice and carcasses and EW. Good luck with all that.
Comment by nonsoccermom — September 9, 2008 @ 9:58 am
We had mice in our garage last winter and it was gross! When investigating mouse traps on-line, I ran across this tip: put the trap at the end of an open paper lunch bag. The mouse will crawl in, meet his fate, then you can just pick up the bag, trap, dead mouse and all, and toss it. Of course, that won’t do a thing for your half-dead mouse problem.
Comment by LoriD — September 9, 2008 @ 10:04 am
Urgh. I think you may have just ruined MY lunch. However, I love LoriD’s suggestion.
Comment by Shelly — September 9, 2008 @ 11:00 am
yum! headless mice! the vision of that one mouse wandering around your neighborhood with his head still clamped in a trap is alternatingly hilarious and gruesome. slash awesome. slash alarming.
Comment by Alice — September 9, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
I’m thinking that you’re in the business of making some mouse ZOMBIES. You, or someone in your neighborhood.
Comment by Whimsy — September 10, 2008 @ 8:47 pm