It is no big surprise that there are mice living here. It is a farm, we have a barn, a milk house, a garage and a house. All of these buildings are packed with "crap" that has accumulated over the years. The barn is empty except for the straw on the floor and a pen or two for sheep. (The sheep have been long gone from this residence but their memory remains.) The barn is dark so a great number of creatures have taken up residence there. The milk house has 2 large garbage cans filled with the corn we feed to the deer, a large bag of bird seed for the bird feeders and a large bag of sunflower seeds that are fed to the turkeys. The garage is jam packed with junk and furniture, all of which are perfect places for small critters to make them selves comfortable. As for the house . . . well you got to read about the red squirrel incident a few months ago so you know all the other critters are looking for a nice warm place to call home. The 3 bird feeders right outside the back door are an all you can eat buffet for anything that flies or walks. Because birds do not have very good manners they spill more seeds on the ground than they get into their bellies. As a result this "Golden Coral" style buffet we have attracted 2 chipmunks, a ground squirrel, (which looks like a chipmunk but has different stripes), 4 rabbits and the 6 turkeys who will come right up onto the steps outside the sliding glass door.
So is it any surprise that we have mice ?
The Man hates mice !! Every summer he starts out with a plan to kill all the mice. I personally have only seen about 2 mice since I have been coming up here the past 7 years. To me that is not a panic situation but in The Man's head it is armageddon. Man the life boats and batten down the hatches, there are mice in the neighborhood. He has traps, poison, sticky paper and anything else he can think of. He is armed and ready to go to war.
We have seen NO mice all summer ! Not even one little one. Nada, None !!!!!
Until yesterday . . . As is my routine after dinner, I went out into my favorite room, aka the parlor, aka the living room. I am the only person who takes advantage of this large cozy room. I have my crafts out there, my books and my newspaper puzzles. Each evening I leave The Man sitting at the kitchen table watching the news and I escape to my inner sanctum. Last night I was reading in the big blue armchair when You Know Who popped in to say he was going to shower and then head for bed. We chatted for a few seconds when he said, "Do you have a rag? Or something??" I had no idea why he needed a rag and I did not have one anyway. He is now getting rather agitated and once again tells me he needs a rag. I realize something is going on so I put down my book, get out of the chair and walk across the room to where he is standing. By now he is practically dancing up and down but can't go further into the room because he is at the end of his oxygen hose. He is now yelling about get a rag, get a rag !! As he is pointing toward the far wall. I look over and see the smallest mouse I have ever seen just sitting there. I swear this mouse was as small as a new born babies fist. It was ADORABLE !!! (At least I thought it was). I turned back to The Man and asked him what he wanted me to do. "Throw something over it" he says. I walked toward the mouse and it started to walk, not run, along the base of the wall toward a. large pile of crap that is piled in the corner. All the The Man can say is, "Get it! Get it !! Don't let it get away!" As if this tiny little thing is going to go anywhere or do anything. From the panic in The Man's voice you would think we were dealing with a 300 pound wombat ! (I'm not sure what a wombat is but I like the way it sounds.)
I carefully unload the corner and there is the little mouse curled up in the corner hoping no one will see him. I reached down and picked him up by his tail and took him outside where I left him in some tall grass so he wouldn't become a snack for an eagle. I honestly doubt an eagle would even be able to see the little guy, he was tiny. When I returned into the house The Man wanted to know what I did with the mouse so I told him it was out in the woods.
Fast forward to this morning when guess who was up on our patio steps looking for food. Yup, Little mouse, even more adorable than he was last night. We had to go out for the morning so mouse was put on hold and was soon forgotten by Mouse Killer. After we returned home The Man went in for his afternoon nap and I went out into the garden to tie up some tomato plants and water everything. I had left the hose lying on the ground so as I bent down to pick it up guess who was all curled up between the layers of hose? Poor little thing ! He looked scared and hungry and I really just wanted to pick him up again and bring him in the house to I could take care of him. But I know better. So I did the next best thing. I put a large open glass jar on the ground up against the house in back of a tomato plant. I put some corn in the jar and left it right where little mouse had run to after being evicted from the hose.
I have no idea if the little guy will make it but at least I know I tried. Of course if he does make it and grow to be a big mouse The Man will only end up hunting and killing him. Poor little mouse !!!
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