Forget the twice mice, it’s all about the poo.
Monday, November 30th, 2009That last post, written a few short hours ago, feels way to light-hearted after what we’ve just discovered.
Poop. In the cutlery drawer.
I called Marc in tears, asking him to come home because I did not have the emotional stability to think about tackling the rest of the mess in the kitchen plus carefully cleaning out mouse poop and sanitizing everything in that drawer.
Except it wasn’t just in that drawer. It’s in every, single drawer on one side of the kitchen — six drawers in total: our cutlery drawer, the “baking” drawer (measuring cups, cheese grater, etc), the drawer with the kids’ cutlery and serving cutlery, the drawer with the tin foil and ziploc bag things, the drawer with the plastic containers for Madeline’s lunch and leftovers, and the “misc” drawer. We’ve emptied and sterilized two drawers (because Marc came home immediately) and have two sinks full of dishes. It’s going to be a long, painful process. (Found some in the pot drawer under the stove, too.)
I was on the phone with my mom when I found the poop. I told her I could pick her up at the airport in Winnipeg tomorrow. I wish! Everything just feels so gross and it kind of felt like, for awhile, that if I could just see my mom and she brought her rubber gloves, that everything would be okay. You know, just to know the comforts of home.
Yesterday morning after Marc had caught the first mouse, I told him that “If Grandpa was here, he’d catch all the mice for us.” Grandpa had no fear with that kind of stuff. Although my mom did point out that if Grandpa was here, he’d be putting out warfarin to kill the suckers dead. (Apparently Grandpa’s doctor had told Grandpa to go on warfarin to thin his blood earlier this year and Grandpa refused — probably because he’d killed so many things with the same stuff!)
Then I remembered the story of Grandpa’s dad who brought home a dead mouse in his shirt pocket every day after work and their cat would jump on Great Grandpa Stanley’s shoulder and get the mouse out. I guess that makes Marc and I just about the biggest chickens around because we are just so squeamish about all of this. And, Marc said today that his dad always says, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” So, once we know we won’t be killed by the Hantavirus, I think we’ll be okay.
In the meantime, I’m taking a roast over to our neighbour’s this afternoon. We’ll cook it there with some vegetables, our kids can play, and I don’t have to worry about eating in this contaminated kitchen. And I’ll just clean my little butt off in the meantime. And, yes, we may go and get a cat this week.
Going for the cat approach. Going to get a mouser. I guess if all else fails, get a cat.
Oh, Dixie, I just feel so bad for you…..that’s awful. I can totally understand wanting your Mom there to help. I know the yucky feeling, feeling violated and disgusting and overwhelmed….awful! mice are creepy, not that they’re huge and strong, they’re just gross!! I don’t blame you guys for being “squeamish”……good luck with it all. And I am a cat-hater, but if it’s good a catching mice, I’d darn well be getting a cat too! good luck, Dixie….
I’m sorry Dixie, mice make me feel all skin crawly and I don’t have any in my house. I saw one climbing on our sliding screen door and it freaked me so much I called my hubby at work (he works 30 minutes away, so really couldn’t do anything then.) We put out traps (outside on the deck) and killed 3 or 4 in a day. Seems they liked our garbage can.
My cousins had mice in their place once and their daughter who was 2 at the time didn’t even like Mickey Mouse for years.
Do you know where they are coming in - because until you know that, it’s going to continue.
I put this on Marc’s Facebook too, but seriously, try the plug in rodent deterants. They work! We use them at camp and in our rental property (which used to have a bad mouse problem). Now there’s nothing. Although, maybe your kids would really enjoy having a cat!
yeah but cats can also bring you other dead vermin. My sisters cats bring her dead birds all the time. Just lays them at her feet. And not all cats are good mousers. Steve’s step-dad was in pest control and he gave us this stuff called Wilson bait blocks. You can buy them at Peavey Mart. And it was like food that they carried back to their nests. It worked like a charm.
oh yeah and I LOVE the picture of your Great Grandpa!
!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve been there friend, had mice when I lived in Calgary. I’m paranoid for life:
http://jannymarie.blogspot.com/2006/08/murisophobia.html
http://jannymarie.blogspot.com/2007/01/fall-of-hippolyta.html
http://jannymarie.blogspot.com/2007/04/demise-of-stuart-little-aka-one-crappy.html
http://jannymarie.blogspot.com/2007/09/another-couple-years-taken-off-my-life.html
Good luck Dixie, my mom had mice in her condo last year and it was a big job to get rid of them and sterlize EVERYTHING else. Sleep with socks on, it will make you feel better!!
First, Dixie, have a (((hug))).
Second - don’t get a cat. They’re inclined to vomit everywhere, drop hairs and flea dirt (no matter how much you treat them) and you can’t leave them for holidays. Cats are a bad idea unless you *want* a pet for the kids.
I know mice are a bit icky if you’re inclined that way, but Hantavirus isn’t all that infectious - the stats you gave (or was it Marc?) suggest a very low rate of infection. Just cook food well, wash stuff as normal in very hot water and carry on living as before. The traps will clear them for you.
Ok, that picture of your great grandpa is frickin hilarious.
Get a cat, get a cat, get a cat. Cat hair is better than knowing there are mice crawling and crapping over everything in your home, including, possibly your bed. Happened to my mother, so I’m not just being dramatic for effect. She was in bed and it ran across her legs while she read her book. This explains why within a year we had a gazillion cats.
There is also a plug in thingie that emits a noise that drives them away that is barely audible to us. A few years back, the whole mouse thing was pretty much under control when suddenly they found themselves invaded by the little buggers. When they asked their neighbours if they were having a similar problem, they said no, not since we bought these little machines. They had driven them to my folks’ place. Since they got these plug ins, they rarely see mice. You can get them at wlmart or pv mart, can tire.
So let me amend to get a cat or a plug in.
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