Mouse Wars - the Sequel

Guess what! Mouse number 9 drowned in the pit sometime in the last two days! Amazing. I heard the little fiend on Saturday morning so I made sure the traps were set...didn't think to check until last night and found one trap missing. Grabbed my flashlight and sure enough, there he was in the pit. Poor little guy. I'm not sure if it was a dream or not, but I think I heard another mouse in the ceiling last night, so I'll be sure to check traps again tonight.

On a brighter note - the sun is shining! Life has been good and I've been busy with all kinds of work. Church work kept me busy all day Saturday - on Sunday I watched No Country for Old Men with Emma, DeAnn, Steph and Jen...we gave the movie a 1 out of 5 stars. Icky movie - read the book instead.

Election, schmelection

I am so incredibly impressed. My parents have just this week become public endorsers of candidates.

We have Tim Hafvenstein and McCain/Palin at the end of the driveway! I just had someone comment on the radio about the same time I realized it, that this is the first time that a presidential election has the vice-president's first name as an advertiser. Pretty wild, no?

And - as I drove from Moose Lake to Mahtowa on Highway 61 this morning I couldn't help but count the signs in the 10-14 mile stretch. If the election were based solely on signs at the end of the driveway on that small stretch of highway, the Republicans would win 6-5 over the Democrats...however, one family (and mom suspects it's the matriarch who instigated this) has this view at the end of their driveway.

Hee hee - nearly didn't know how to count this one! :) It's a push!

Once again - Saturday!

Oh wow! It's a glorious Saturday! I've just come in from mowing the lawn (well, I took a shower between then and now but you get the idea) and is it wonderful outside! A bit windy, glad I had my stocking cap on, but the sun is shining, the temp is perfect and the planes are out "making clouds." Excellent! Thank you God for this beautiful day.



I had all kinds of work planned for today and when I woke up I didn't want to do any of it! I sat in bed for an hour or so, finished Voyager (jamie and Claire are in Georgia now - am looking forward to Drums next!), and decided "that's it, up and at 'em." Poor Russell - he's on afternoons and sleeps until 2 or 3. I cleaned up down here, got rid of some bins, the recycling, and just as I was about to start vacuuming, his alarm started going off! Excellent timing. That was noon, it's 2.21 right now and his alarm is still going off! :) Oh dear. Anyway - ran to town and did my banking, brought the recycling in, stopped at church and got another photo of it in the sun, and came home to mow the lawn.



I'm listening now to Amy Winehouse's CD - it's surprising good - it's too bad she has such a strange character. Not sure to pity her or want to slap her. Hm...



So - I said I'd let you know about the cool little animals booth but that it would ruin the surprise for Christmas presents, aw well...here's his website - http://home.earthlink.net/~stomashek/ - Steve Tomashek's Miniature Menagerie. I know - you just ruined your Christmas surprise! but I know at least one person who hates not knowing what she's getting, so maybe it'll be a birthday present instead! :)

(Omigoodness - Russell has just emerged! (2.29pm))

Political musings to follow...

Saturday

So it's not really "tomorrow" as I stated on Sunday, but better late than never?

Anyway - on Saturday DeAnn and I went to Red Wing for their Fall Festival which they've been doing for 42 years apparently. I'd never heard of it until an artisan gave us a postcard at Renaissance Festival. It was so much fun! We had a perfect day for it, it was even a little warm to be outside - amazing for October, no? There were paintings and pottery, textiles and tummy-pleasers, even woodworkers and widget makers. Omigoodness, I'm starting to get to alliterative (is that a word)? It was excellent. We toured around the tents and then found the "Uffda Shop" on the street corner and had to go in. All kinds of scandinavian treats. We got to sample almond cake with lingonberry jam and whipped cream - yummy. There was a super cute bag that I "had" to have but I couldn't find one close enough to buy so it stayed on the wall. DeAnn found a really cool birchbark moose that she thought a family member would like but, like me, let it stay on the shelf. I found an excellent little booth with the coolest little animals - once my Christmas gifts are distributed, I'll post a photo of the cool art he does. Okay - maybe not that late, but I'll get some posted as I can.

After perusing the art, we wandered through a small farmers market, stopped by an ice cream shop and got turtle ice cream cones and then headed out of town. As we were driving north on 61 DeAnn saw a cute little series of shops and right after it was the big brick building with shops that I had wanted to see last fall (but didn't have the time), so I whipped right at the light and we shopped some more! The store we went to first looked like a strip mall but all the shops were connected within, with very few barriers. I wondered aloud to DeAnn about the building being owned by the same person and all the items being purchased at any cash wrap, but I never found the answer. Cool knick-knacks, plates, kitchenware, gardening mumble-jumble, t-shirts and the like were stretched for the length of a football field...worth the stop just to see the fun stuff. I found a cute little elf with a spot to count down the days to Christmas on his belly. Thought it'd be fun for Janna cuz she's working on her numbers and letters.

Then we stopped at the brick building. Woohoo! Antique Heaven! We went in the first shop, wandered a bit and as I turned the corner there was Annie the Cromwell Postmaster and her husband! Wow!!!! Small world, eh?! They go down every fall to visit family, didn't know about the art festival. Anyway - cool, no? DeAnn found all kinds of Schmitty's stuff for Gabe - lucky guy. I didn't find anything I couldn't live without but I need to do more research on coins. I think I could've made a haul on pre-'65 silver...oh well...next time.

We stopped at Treasure Island on the way home - gave a little more money to the Indians (you're welcome) and then headed home...a very good day, even though I spent more money at Target in Vadnais Heights that anywhere else! :)

Important Notice

Important Notice:

DUE TO RECENT BUDGET CUTS, AND THE RISING COST OF ELECTRICITY, GAS AND OIL,

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL HAS BEEN TURNED OFF.

WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE

Sincerely,The Government

Mouse Wars Part IV

Yes!!!!! Number 8 was found in the trap this afternoon. Poor thing, died last night sometime, ew.

On a brighter note - the vacuum cleaner died (not really bright, but it gets better, I promise). I brought it back to Sam's Club and they took it back, refunded my money, and all with zero questions - awesome! I got a new cleaner at Target - a Dirt Devil this time. We're making sure we keep the box at least a month in case this one dies too. I told mom that I'm going straight to Electrolux if this el cheapo dies tho. Crazy vacuum cleaners. I was looking at the cool Dyson roller ball cleaners at Target but decided the coolness just wasn't quite worth $499 yet. Not trying to keep up with the Jones' that bad yet.

I had a very successfull return/shopping trip today. Stopped at Sam's (you already heard about that), then to CJ Banks - returned a super cute top but I already look p.g., can't allow my clothes to make me look it even worse. Next stop Target where I found the vacuum cleaner, a stool for church, a new belt (cuz my last two have broken in the past two weeks - who makes belts with pasteboard anyway?), and a super cute pair of jeans for Janna. Then off to Kohl's where I returned some plaques I decided not to use at church. At Kohl's I found some super cute table decorations for my Christmas Brunch table. They'll go with everything. Mom's already commandeered them for her table :). Last stop was Walmart - I had two items to return there and then got a new headlight lamp for my car. Amazing how long you can wait in line for returns at Walmart and how incredibly rude people can be. There's clearly a line for returns and yet people were still barging ahead. Fortunately (and I'll give this to the employees as being impressive), there was one employee in particular that made sure budgers knew that there was a line and they weren't following it! :) As far as the headlight goes - good grief, it cost $19.24! Crazy!

Got home and unloaded the car - realized that I only spent $80 today! (With all the returns of course) Changed the wiper blades and found out I have no clue how to change a headlight lamp. Oh dear - I guess I'm not quite self sufficient--will have to wait for dad to get home.

Oh my - I haven't even told you about my Saturday yet! Will have to save that for tomorrow. Jamie and Claire await me - I'm just to where Claire finds Jamie in Edinburgh about 1/4 way through Voyager. Gotta love those two, no?

Mouse Wars Part III

YES!

Mouses number 6 and 7 were caught last night!

Number 6 was an unfortunate drowing-in-the-pit victim and number 7 was just as stupid as number 3! :) He walked right over the trap. I was in bed last night and heard a bit of scrabbling and thought "hm!" I ran out of my room, hollering "I think there's another mouse" to which Russell replied "Anne, the great mouse hunter." Sho'nuff - a little mousie in the trap!

He was drowned in regal style via the throne.

I do feel a little nauseous when I'm flushing these little guys. Please don't think I'm made of stone. It's icky to have to do - really.

However - on a more mouse-positive note - I heard no mice in the walls last night!

Mouse Wars Part II

So...I awake Saturday morning and run to my "trap lines." Nada - bummer. Looked like something got into one but pulled itself loose. Crap. Ooo - Mom said a trap was out in the middle of the living room floor with glue around it and tracks on the rug - ew! Anyway, it isn't until that afternoon when Dad comes home that we find out we were successful with one of the traps. Dead - flushed mouse #1. So that makes us Mice 0, Us 2. Woohoo!

Saturday afternoon I hear scrabbling in the wall so I move a few traps into the utility room - right next to my bedroom (which should have been my obvious first choice, but sometimes my brain doesn't quite function properly). Sure enough - within hours I have my first victim! YES! This one has just been trapped so he's still alive and trying to get loose. I found a stick and picked up the trap while holding the mouse down so he won't jump off at me. Straight to the toilet and whaddya know? It only takes about 50 seconds to drown a mouse. And - they even flush quite nicely. Mice O, Us 3.

This type of behavior continued all week - me checking my trap lines, flushing yet another mouse. We're up to Mice O, Us 4!

So just last night I realized I hadn't checked the traps in a few days so I go to the utility room (where all of the traps are now) and looky what I found! (if you're squeamish, you might not want to look)

Dead mouse number 5!!!!!! Poor sucker. We took the lid off the pit in the utility room thinking this might happen and sure enough. The little bugger had run into this trap and I'm assuming while he was trying to drag himself loose he ended up pulling himself into the pit. I was able to pick the trap up out of the water (the water's clean, not sewer water or anything icky like that). Unfortunately, the mouse fell off the trap, he wasn't stuck to it very well. Fortunately however, he fell back into the pit and not onto the carpet or my shoe or something gross like that. EWWWWW...Now I have to get tissues and pick him up out of the pit. Grabbing him by the tail I bee-line to the bathroom to flush him. And sure enough, he starts slipping from my grasp! Running faster, I made it into the bathroom. Dropped the nasty rodent into the bowl and away he goes!

I know, I know - I'm a cruel, heartless bitch. I admit it. When it comes to me losing sleep or caring for tiny helpless creatures - I pick sleep most of the time. Especially when those "tiny helpless creatures" are eating at the sheetrock and destroying insulation and potentially eating through wires in the walls!

Hm - maybe I should chronicle my Squirrel Wars last year? Me with a .22! :) Maybe some other day.

Creepy Patient of the Day

EDITOR'S NOTE: Update on creepy staring lady - she's in the middle of a nervous breakdown/psychotic break/whatever PC thing they're calling it nowadays. Poor thing. She's a perfect example of the economic meltdown we're having - he's lost three jobs in a year, she lost her job of 20 years, they've moved three times in the last year and now she's just not coping. Poor woman - needs prayer and psychiatric help.



Oh dear - it's happening - I'm being stared at. A lady is in here with her sunglasses on INSIDE the building. While I type away, answer phones and work...and she's staring at me. I'm starting to get a bit creeped out. She's staring...and she changes position every now and again, just to see if I'll react I think. Oooo - lucky Sarah (the nurse), she gets to deal with her now. Yuk - creepy.

I wonder if she could read my mind? Did she know I was calling her the creepy patient of the day? Maybe she knew I was playing Ranch Rush instead of looking busy doing other things? Don't you ever wonder if sometimes people can read your mind? Maybe it's just my paranoid tendencies...or maybe not...

Mouse Wars

Finally tired of listening to the scurrying feet in the walls, I decided it was time to declare war on the mice in our house. Once I tell everyone in the house what I'm about to do, that's when I find out my brother had an unfortunate awakening a week prior by a mouse running over his head while he was sleeping! EW! And sure enough, I come home from work on a Wednesday to my mother saying "Russell says there's a mouse in the bathroom - he shut the door to try to keep it trapped." As I start walking down the stairs - there's that mouse! On the landing!!!! Cute little bugger - amazing this is what's been keeping me awake. He should be singing "It's a Small World" instead of reaking havoc on my sleeping. Long story short - we were able to trap the little sucker in a gift bag (sorry Jane!) just by chance. Dad ended up stunning and killing the rodent in the front yard. So Wednesday marked the start of Mouse Wars.

I decided first that the house needs a complete cleaning - since our vacuum cleaner has been on the fritz for many years and our cleaning lady (who would bring her own vacuum cleaner) was let go, I bought a new vacuum cleaner. Woohoo - very niiice! So - clean my room by taking every piece of furniture from the walls, dust every inch of the place and rearrange the room (love that bonus piece when you clean - there's nothing quite like a re-arranged bedroom to make you sleep better at night). So - I'm working at my computer and what do I see out of the corner of my eye? A mouse! Running right past my bedroom door in full view! Amazing the gall of these nasty rodents! Shocking! I attempt to find the mouse in the family room to no avail...this happens (seriously!) three more times before I finally go to bed.

Now that I'm freaking out at every noise I hear, I'm turning on the light every 3-4 minutes and...bam! Damn mouse - just 2 feet from my nose, sitting on my desk chair! OMG! Again - can't catch the bugger.

The next day (Friday) I cleaned the basement bathroom, David's room, and Russell started in on his pigsty/bedroom. I'd come home with glue traps (sorry PETA).


Loooove Peters Hardware (great store!). Kelly recommended them and they come four to a pack for only $.99 - a bargain at half the price! (side a: english - side b: not english - look at the funny mouse!) Once the cleaning is done for the day. I set the traps. I had found traces of mouse life in several rooms in the house, so I put traps in mom and dad's bathroom, David's room, the living room and my room. I anxiously go to sleep that night, hoping to find a little mousie in the glue come morning.

enabled trap- Kix will help attract mice


evidence of wee mousies in the utility/storage room



the saga continues....