April 17 Photo: Something I do not like

It's sent out invitations and moved its family into every drawer of my dresser!

Ha! I once again wasn't sure about my opportunity to capture something I don't like in a photo. I was thinking about getting a picture of wind. I really don't like the wind and it is the main reason I left Southern Alberta. But it wasn't particularly windy today.

Then my work colleague came over to show me a page in a book. New books had come in again at work today and as she was looking at the selection, she flipped open directly to this page. If you know what I went through in December, you would understand why she HAD to bring the book to me.

I came home from a month traveling to a house that had been taken over by mice!! They left reminders of their visit EVERYWHERE! Particularly unsettling was finding nests they had created in my dresser drawers.

I got the news while cruising on the Mediterranean (if you have to get some bad new, I recommend getting it while sitting on a cruise ship balcony). Just a quick mention in an email - my nephew had dropped by to use my washing machine and saw some mouse droppings on the basement stairs. So I expected a mouse or two in the basement and wasn't too concerned.

I arrived home a couple days later for a short 6 hour stopover before flying out again for one last week away. I was deposited at my door missing a suitcase, over-tired from traveling for over 24 hours (that is a different tale of woe) and handed a bag of poison and mouse traps by my mom who is deathly afraid of mice. I've had mice before and never felt too bothered by it. Set traps and plug up the entry point. Easy Peasy.

I saw a few mouse droppings here and there - it was late and dark and I didn't look too hard. I was exhausted so I put down some poison on the basement landing and in the kitchen on the main floor and headed upstairs. More droppings. Just a few here and there. More poison and off to bed (after changing the bedding). As soon as the lights were out, and I began to nod off, I heard the scratchings in the walls. Then running back and forth. And then more and more and I switched on the light and one was sitting on the floor by my bed - I screamed and he ran and I freaked out. I knew he wasn't alone!

I really couldn't get to sleep now so I got up and packed up for trip number 2, noticed a LOT of the poison was already gone (how many were there???) and so I put some more out and I got out of there.

One week later, back home and in daylight, saw the full evidence of what they had been up to. In EVERY room, on EVERY piece of furniture and in EVERY cupboard and drawer. Nests! They shredded clothes and towels, a bit of tissue, and mixed in some of the poison pellets from all three floors (I had a couple of different brands) and rice (I had a bag of wild rice in the kitchen on the main floor but they moved it to the upstairs tower block which I call my dresser and the downstairs condo project which was a chest of drawers I used for storage)

I am grateful for the extra hands that helped me scour every surface and wash every piece of clothing, every bowl, dish and spoon. I had an exterminator come and he confirmed they were no longer in residence (whew!) and Dad found their likely entrance (the dryer hose was chewed through) so I feel like I can claim my home as my own again.  I've re-claimed the main and second floor but I haven't gone through my basement yet.  Anyone want to come hunt for mouse nests with me??

So - mice, especially a picture of one in a drawer, brings up some fairly strong emotions of DISLIKE.

Okay - keep calm and go to your happy place... before the infestation...