I think I saw a mouse in the kitchen. I'm going to cry. I've been feeling overwhelmed to begin with; now I'm overwhelmed and nauseated.
My phobia of rodents makes it hard for me to function. The only way I was able to return to the location of the peripheral mouse sighting (I can't be sure it was a mouse and not a figment of my imagination, but let's be real--it's five degrees outside, while in here it's a balmy 62, and crumbs abound) was to have my dog, Roxie, go in ahead of me to sniff things out. She didn't appear to sense anything, so I bit the bullet. The dog tried to leave as soon as I joined her. "Get back here!" I shrieked, not only to get the dog's attention, but to make a general noisy situation that would not appeal to vermin.
I quickly made my sandwich. Roxie stayed semi-loyally by my side. I made sure to look only where I absolutely needed to. I've known for awhile that we have mice, but the knowledge alone is not the problem. Witnessing the low-lying scurry is what freaks me the fuck out. I was proud of my record in our previous home of never having attuned to a mouse. It wasn't that we didn't have any (the house was built in 1790 with a foundation like swiss cheese); it was that I made sure to avoid looking too closely at dark recesses and never snuck unannounced into a room.
It appears my luck, or calculated obliviousness, has run out. It's time for The Partner to don his exterminator's hat again while I begin the deep clean.
Or I can just keep sitting here and blogging about it in hopes that the situation will resolve itself.
Friday, January 16, 2009
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8 comments:
I lost a pet hampster in the house once. Never found her again. I love mice so it's hard for me to understand where you're coming from. But I did make a mental note to try to stray away from buying you a pet mouse for your birthday. Aaaand the only reason you "think" you saw a mouse is because we were talking about them together and now you're imagining them. If there is a mouse, take your shoe, and hit it til it's black and blue.
This can only mean one thing: Our house is getting it's annual vacuuming and mopping! Yippeee!
We had them too, in the house we are selling. Traps worked pretty well for us. My daughter actually caught one and threw it out in the woods, it had been squeaking under our recliner she was sitting in!
I don't like the anticipation of an unexpected thing darting quickly past my field of vision. I think the mice themselves are rather cute, albeit dirty.
I hear and feel your pain. I hate mice and I got my fair share in our current house. Last spring (somehow we didn't get them during the winter) I found mouse droppings in the girl's playpen and toy baskets. I went crazy. Really. I lost it! We called the exterminator and learned (after paying $280) that the trick is to leave traps with poison and seal any possible holes with steel wool (check for holes underneath the kitchen sink where the pipes go down into the basement, etc.). I think our problem is mostly fixed, but every now and then I still find a single dropping here and there. Lets see what happens next spring!
Icky icky!
Ok, so I have a post somewhere on my blog about this subject and where my husband put on his exterminator hat. I'm having problems locating the post but it is a must see...not necessarily read but a definite see...I can't find it right now, but when I do...I'll be back at you.....
my exterminator hat wearing husband prefers to catch the darn things in empty trash can (don't ask me how, he is a freakin genius but this making of gadgets is ridiculous, just use the good ol' fashion traps) and then put the trap in the empty trash can with the little critter and then dispose of it...and then...then he wants to dispose of it by putting the darn thing in with the regular trash....
You have never seen a 200 pound woman become more obsessed, just trust me on this one...I came unglued! I have no dog to go before me but I did let my aunts cat live under our house for a little while!
I feel the same way about roaches.
Where I live (Northwest Florida) the roaches are massive! And one reason I have so many is that my lawn, front and back, is full of live oaks--the trees roaches love most! I used to be afraid of roaches, but over time I've learned to turn that fear into aggression. In other words, I used to run from roaches; now I go out of my way to kill them!
As with your feelings toward mice, it doesn't bother me to know there are dead roaches in remote corners of my house. But if I encounter a live one, its nights are over!
Confronting your fears, head-on, is very difficult. And there are still many fearful things I've yet to confront. But I've learned that if you can confront it, just one time, you may never fear it again!
seriously, tell your husband to turn the heat on. 62???
btw it was 75 here today. you should come visit...
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