MICE

Disclaimer: this post really has nothing at all to do with the dogs. Except to maybe make fun of them. This Fall/Winter, Tom and I have been dealing with a nasty case of mice in our house. We've been living here for 7+ years, and have caught ONE mouse for each of the past three years. Only one, and no more. No droppings, no other signs - so I totally didn't believe the saying that if you see one, you have a hundred. Until this year. This Fall I saw a mouse. We (ok, Tom) caught the mouse. But, it continued. We couldn't catch any more, but there were plenty of 'signs' that they were there. For over a month all of our utensils, tupperware, and mixing bowls resided in the guest bedroom as the mice laid claim to the kitchen. I finally gave in and called the exterminator. Somewhere in my head I figured that if a person calls an exterminator, the problem will be over. Not true. The guy threw down a few bags of poison, and told us that they would be gone in 30 days. 31 days later, I was back on the phone. The second time the exterminator came out he squirted some powder behind the stove and assured me that it was taken care of. That night the mice began mocking us. One darted under the end table as I turned out the light. Tom spotted one the next evening from the dinner table (eew!) and the following night, as the dogs slept on the couch and ottoman, a mouse ran into the living room, stopped to make eye contact with me, and scurried under the couch - where Tom was sitting reading his book. The exterminator comes back tomorrow... but I'll take my small victory, we caught that bugger today, and, I've had lots of fun looking for new (mouse-free) houses online! A pic of the dogs, because they're cute...