those other creatures… in da house..!

This morning I woke up and went to the kitchen to get a drink. The things I had to do for work today were on my mind. I was not really paying attention, however I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Something furry and small scurry into the pantry.

I stood at the counter and took a sip. It took about half a minute for it to register. And another half a minute to reach for the broom and dustpan.

The first time I had seen a real live mouse in the house, I must have been ten or so. I had gone down into the basement for some play time when I saw the thing. There was a small rodent laying on its stomach in the middle of the carpet. It was just a field mouse, very small. I remember being a little disappointed at seeing it – I thought mice were supposed to be much bigger. Its eyes were closed and the thing itself did not move a muscle. Dad discarded the mouse not long after. Soon my brothers and I saw mouse traps all over the house. For a few weeks, it was kinda fun to check the traps to see if anything was caught. And yes, the bait was a hunk of swiss cheese. Not surprisingly, we caught a few mice this way. Then eventually the mouse sightings disappeared.

My brother AA liked to tell the story of how he found a mouse in his condo. He was washing dishes in the kitchen one night. J and T were out that day, so he was all alone. As AA washed the dishes, he idly glanced along the kitchen counter. Sitting there in the middle of the counter, a tiny field mouse looked up at him. “No freakin’ way!” AA shouted. The mouse was trembling and too frightened to move. AA snatched a wooden stirring spoon from somewhere and hit the thing on the noggin. The rodent looked dazed, so AA quickly scooped it into the sink. He grabbed the nearest pot, cupped it over the mouse, and shook the pot vigorously. Then he flipped on the garbage disposal. The way he tells it is hilarious, however thinking about it now… it is kinda gross. I hope no one reads this near meal time. They threw the wooden spoon away. And knowing J, I suspect they got rid of the pot too.

The last time I saw a mouse, it was another one of those field mice. I was in the basement, moving some boxes, when I noticed something peculiar on the ground where I had just lifted up a box. Yeah, it was the remains of a small mouse that somehow got squashed under the box. The thing was, it looked kinda fresh. So with dustpan, gloves, and some cardboard, I scooped up the carcass and the guts as best I could and dumped the thing somewhere in the woods in the back yard.

Back to this morning. I’m not sure if my eyes deceived me, but if they were correct, this was the biggest mouse I had ever seen. I think maybe about half the size of my palm. Honestly, I did not feel like chasing the thing to whatever hole it came from, but I suppose I had to check. I got down on my hands and knees, broom and dustpan in each hand. I felt a little silly – I wasn’t quite sure what I’d do if I saw it. However, it had disappeared to wherever it went.

I think I should get one of those high frequency emitters – the kind that annoys them enough so they leave. Although it might mean I’d drive my friend the raccoon away. Maybe I’ll get a few. One would definitely go in my room.