Of Mice and Me

Of Mice and Me

Not the famous novella written by John Steinbeck in 1937 that tells the story of two migrant workers who move from place to place looking for work during the Great Depression. No, this is the real life story of my battle with mice.

While digging through the plastic bins stored in our garage looking for winter clothes, Judy discovered that mice were there first. Apparently, all summer mice were moving in and out of our garage looking for a new home. Without our knowing they found a nice place in a storage bin with a loose cover.

What a mess. Mice poop all over the coats, sweaters, scarfs and jackets. How such small creatures can make such a big mess is beyond me. There wasn’t much that was salvageable. Judy was heartbroken that some of her fake fur vests were ruined. I lost a nice overcoat and my cherished safari jacket that I wore on my Africa trips.

I immediately declared war on the menacing mice. I went to the hardware store and bought old fashioned mouse traps. I set the bait with a small slice of Swiss cheese on each trap. I strategically placed three traps in the garage and another one under the patio deck. Then I waited.

It didn’t take long. Mice can be destructive, but they aren’t very smart. By the next morning I got two of them; one in the garage and one by the patio. I replaced the bait with Adams Peanut Butter and killed three more. As of this writing the battle continues. This is a war I plan to win.

Mice may look cute and cuddly but anyone who remembers the nursery rhyme knows that they can’t win. “Three blind mice. See how they run. They ran after the farmer’s wife who cut off their tails with a carving knife. Did you ever see such a sight in your life?”

So much for animal cruelty.