Three Unwelcome Visitors

I had some unexpected visitors last night. Some very unwelcome visitors in fact. It began as I started to step into the front room. There in the doorway was a mouse ... just sitting there waving his tail and looking at me. My immediate response was somewhere between a squeak and scream as I jumped back about 5 feet. I grabbed a mixing bowl off the counter and ran after him and taking a deep breath and forcing myself to step nearer I threw the bowl over him. Then I grabbed a nearby potted plant and stacked it on top of the bowl and jumped back before the mouse could explode up out of the bowl, and go for my throat.

With my heart pounding I walked into the kitchen trying to calm myself with something good to eat. As I turned around a mouse ran across the floor in front of me. Screaming I grabbed the dog's water bowl, poured the water out on the floor and dropped the bowl over the Mouse #2. As I tried to control my racing heart, I stacked a set of bowls on top to make sure that he would not get out and attack me when I was not looking.

Abandoning any thoughts of food or in fact of ever using the kitchen again, I decided to head to the family room to watch TV and take my mind off the mice under the bowls in the other end of the house. As I was about to step into the family room I saw the mouse ... right there on the area rug under my foot. Throwing myself backwards I stumbled back searching for something to throw over it. Grabbing the large porcelain bowl my kitchen towels were artfully displayed in, I dumped them out and shakily ran after mouse #3 and dropped the bowl over him.

As I stacked heavy objects on top of the bowl I looked around. There was a flood of water in the kitchen, a trail of crumpled towels interspersed with bowls of mice. For a moment I tried to talk myself into finding a way to dispose of the mice. But somehow I could not force myself to actually touch those bowls. Instead I wiped the water up while avoiding the bowl and the mouse and gave up and went to bed.

The problem with that plan became apparent when I woke up this morning. I now had three bowls with mice trapped under them scattered through the house. No matter how sternly I talked to myself I could not force myself to touch those bowls. 

With the feeling of being between a rock and a hard place I grabbed my computer and asked my facebook friends for suggestions. The suggestions poured in ... most of them not very helpful .... entertaining but not very helpful. They ranged from buying a cat to using my gun. But out of that plethora of suggestions was one brave woman who actually came over and disposed of all three mice. And managed to do it without laughing hysterically at me.

I personally think she deserves a medal. Especially for not laughing hysterically as she saw me vault over the bowl to try to let her in the door.

Now I just have to track down the rest of this invasion army ...

Just Connie (the photo is courtesy of my "friend" Ray)