Gotcha!

An ordinary start to an ordinary week proved to be challenging.  Woman against mouse!

About once or twice a year this reporter goes through her food cabinets checking really long expired dates on food products.  Well, the pull-out kitchen cabinet shelves took a while but was not a problem.  I placed one 13-gallon tied trash bag by the garage door and began sorting through two more shelves.  The second bag I opened and folded down because I didn’t have too many items left such as old meal, old flour, old hushpuppy mix, etc.

Hubby came in and asked if I was through with the second bag.  I answered, “Yes,” and he began to tie it up but shouted, “There’s a mouse in the bag.” I thought that he was kidding because I had just opened this one.  Cautiously peering into the bag, sure enough, there was a tiny mouse!

Now, where did it come from?  Hubby said it had to have been in a box or bag that I had pulled out of the cabinet.  “No,” I said because I would have surely seen crumbs, a chewed hole, or mouse droppings!

I then opened another cabinet and what do you think I find? Mouse droppings were all around my cake pans and a few paper towels I had between the pans were in shreds. Oh, my goodness, how did that mouse get in this cabinet with no opening?

After discarding both trash bags at the convenience center, I decided to straighten up my large closet in the laundry room. As I opened the door, something gray near the back wall moved. I yelled and slammed the door.  Hubby didn’t see anything but noticed some “chewed on” items.

Anything in a cellophane bag had a little hole in the ends. Oh, no, I had to tackle another mouse! It really liked potato chips, chocolate chips, rice, oyster crackers, etc.  Mouse droppings were all around!

Mouse traps were set with the usual cheese and set in place.  After I shut that door, I stuffed a towel under it to keep the mouse inside because we didn’t see him.

As I carefully opened the laundry room door the next morning, there in plain view was a chewed-on sweet potato.  The traps didn’t work and didn’t go off! They “snapped” Hubby more than a mouse!

One son happened to call and suggested the use of peanut butter, of all things, to put on the traps.  It had worked for him when mice had gotten into his attic area.  That night, all traps had peanut butter.  Wonder of wonders, the next morning there the little gray creature lay, dead from a peanut butter trap.  Unbelievable! 

After vacuuming out the closet, there is no more evidence of mice.  We have determined that they entered our home as the door from the garage was left open.  REMINDER:  Always close the door even when going out for a minute!