See how they run

I have lived in a small town pretty much all my life and have never had a mouse problem in my house. So when I saw a mouse run across the counter in our kitchen yesterday, let's just say I was a bit concerned. I definitely steered clear of the kitchen until José Luis picked me up to go to the movies.

After I told Candi about our little issue, she, too, started hearing dirty dishes moving around in the kitchen and asked me to buy a trap on the way home from going to the movies. So, instead of buying the kinds that slam shut, we bought a kind with sticky, gummy stuff (meaning we have to kill it afterward). Although we put down two traps with two different kinds of cheese, we still came home to nothing.

Tonight as I was sitting on the couch waiting for José Luis to arrive again (story of my life), I saw it run across the living room then back into the kitchen. After that incident, I thought it might be a good time to take Miel for a walk.

Later tonight, José Luis and I were playing around on my computer when Candi told us to come quick because she saw not only one, but two mice run under the couch. José Luis was trying to explain to us that it was going to take all three of us to kill them, to which we responded with a very weak, "Ok." So we trapped them in between the couches, armed with only a broom and dustpan. When the first one made a run for it, José Luis smashed it up against the window with the broom, killing it effortlessly. The second one, however, figured out how to get out of our trap and headed for the kitchen. José Luis happened to be quicker and hit it with the broom as well. This one didn't give up the fight as easily, though. It got up and tried to start running again, but José Luis responded by stomping on it.

Although our floor was left smeared with bloody mouse guts, at least we are rid of them. José Luis told us that those were only babies and that there has to be a mother somewhere. He also mentioned the tiny detail that bigger ones will hiss and jump at you, making them much harder to kill. And the whole time we're thinking, "Great." He told us the biggest problem is Miel's food being on the floor all the time and that we need to start putting it in something that the mice can't get into and only feeding her certain times of the day to solve the problem.

I certainly hope that works, because I am still scared to even put my feet on the floor...