Friday, February 10, 2012

Two Weeks Off Your Feet And Building A Better Mousetrap

I was once told, when mapping out and planning your marathon training, to build in two weeks for absences from running where you will be off your feet for unexpected situations. This can be due to injury or illness, and isn't necessarily consecutive, but the premise being you are bound to get sick, injured, or hammered by life on the way and need to take unexpected time off running.
Well, I just used about about 10 days of my two weeks with a heinous sinus infection that has clawed its way deep into my mucus membranes. And it's not one of those "should I run or shouldn't I run" sicknesses, its been more like one of those "I can't ever imagine running again" ones. I tried the zinc, vitamin C route, tried the antibiotic route, and my next step is local exorcists. 

So, no running, not sharp enough to write, but some human experiences.  Man vs. Mouse.

I was pouring my favorite cereal dessert, Reeses Puffs, when a few yummy nuggets fell out of a slit in the side of the bag. Thinking nothing of it, I finished the cereal, and when I went to put the box away, noticed a nice little critter chewed a hole in the side of the box.

Oh no! I recognized the chewings from my Hamsters of yesteryear.  More investigation revealed multiple mouse droppings in the cabinet. We had a mouse, he was eating my reeses pieces, and this naked aggression would not stand.  Sure, i could have made him my little Mr. BoJangles, but not with his lack of respect.  I only imagine what was in that bowl of cereal.



So, I shopped for mousetraps, and found this cool plastic tunnel thing that snapps shut on the critter when they go inside and sends them to mouse heaven. I decided to use the very thing the mouse was attracted to for bait and stuffed Reeses Puffs into the mouse trap.

If only everything worked so well.  BAMN!  Snagged one on the first night.  Got Em. LIfe was back to normal.


But, not so fast, after scouring clean the cabinet of rat poop and other potential microscopic rodent fece material, I returned in the middle of the lite of day to find evidence of another mouse.    Back to get more rat traps, where this time I rubbed a little peanut butter on the resses puffs, and this fellow being a lot more gutsy or just less desirous to live without his friend, went for the bait five minutes after lights out that same night, and before I even fell asleep "SNAP!" got him.

Ingredients for Trapping A Mouse

Of course, there could be more than these two out there, but  traps on the floor - locked and loaded -- remain out and untouched, no sign of any nibbling anywhere.  Once my sickness gets over with, whenever that will be, I will go back to the war on the outside, but for now it's man versus mouse.




***Update:  Another Mouse sighting!  They're back. Oh no!  How the heck are they getting in?  Then again, maybe they are figments of my "going crazy because I can't run" brain and will cease and desist with my next eight miler. ***

1 comment:

Kristi Lynn said...

I had to laugh at this one, as I've been experiencing a similar mouse situation in my house. However, my mice...they aren't scared. In the past 6 months I've caught 21 mice and apparently the one currently leaving its droppings all over my kitchen, is the smartest of the bunch. He manages to eat all the bait and NOT trigger the traps. I tried to test them out myself....they work. Hurt my damn finger so hard I couldn't stand it. However, at this point it's Mouse:1 Kristi:zippola. Hope you catch the bastard.

Cheers

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