Sunday, October 12, 2008

Yuck! Mice & Bugs

First off all let me say I have a fantastic house. I love it. Every once in a while I'll get the urge to build or get something "new" and then I realize I'd have to double my inexpensive house payment and reality sets in. But I have to fight discontent a lot. I have no idea why.

But my house is old and has little things wrong that drive me insane. Also we get mice. Sigh! I haven't seen one since Spring when Jessica (Salem's cat that died) killed it and brought it to me as a present. Oh Jessica.....

I feel the same way about bugs. We have our house sprayed quarterly for bugs and mice. I just can't deal with it. And because we spray quarterly if I see anything in those 3 months they come back and spray for free.

So back to the present - we were due to be resprayed in late September. I had been sick, was handling Salem's birthday party and then had MOPS Convention. Then Brian left for Brazil on Tuesday.

Wednesday I saw a waterbug. Nasty. I will kill them but I hate it and I went after it and it got away in my bedroom.

So now we've been sleeping on the couch with my bedroom door shut (yes as if that will keep the nasty creature inside). And yes sleeping on the couch. My 40 year old body hates it.

So fast forward to yesterday. I hear a rustling in the kitchen. I assume Troy or Lily are getting into something. I go look - they are asleep at the back door. I know what I am hearing at this point but I refuse to think about it. It can't be a mouse. It just can't.

I hear it again. In my foot cabinet. Not the one with the can goods but of course the one with the rice and such in boxes that those nasty creatures can eat through.

So I get brave and open the door. I see nothing. HUGE sigh of relief. I must be losing my mind.

I shut the cabinet and turn to walk away and I hear it again. A huge ball of dread builds in my belly. I turn back and open the cabinet again and there the mouse is. Tiny but ferocious - yes all mice are ferocious. It eeks and I scream and slam the door shut.

Salem comes running...mommy what is it? Nothing dear...mommy you screamed...nothing honey...is it a mouse?

Sigh...

How did the mice and bugs know I went 2 weeks past the day to spray to keep them away? It's like they're at some invisible barrier and the barrier instantly drops at 90 days and it's safe for them to cross. And I have 2 cats and they surely haven't keep the mouse away.

So yes Julia and Brenda Ann have fought more intense battles with rattle snakes (I would surely die) but I am now scared to go in my kitchen and clean and cook. What if that mouse eeks at me again?

I have to call American Allied on Monday! Brad to the rescue.

But for now we need to go get pizza. Even though I have an entire cabinet full of food. I just can't deal with it. What if it comes out? What if it bites me? What if I get rabies and die? What if the girls get bit?

Yes I know that's over the top but yeah it's the way I think.

2 comments:

The Lipsius Family said...

The best mice catcher we have found is a metal box. You put bait inside them. We place the box along the wall in our garage and they run into it and can't get out. Mice like to run along walls. You can get them at ace hardware!

Gwen said...

Oh my gosh, Leah! You crack me up!

We've been lucky so far in this house about bugs. We get those huge black crickets in the fall and that's about it. I can deal with those though. That's what shoes and Viva paper towels are for. I hate to waste an expensive paper towel on those mugs, but hey, the thickness comes in handy.

And we had mice in the basement a few weeks ago. I just went to Dollar General, bought some old fashioned traps and took care of two of them. I'm not a live release kinda girl. Yes, I felt bad, but hey, they crossed the threshold of my doorway, they were at my mercy.

Be brave - wear shoes nto the bedroom and sleep in your own bed!