There’s a funny thing about living in the country. You really don’t need Hallowe’en decorations.
Between the cobwebs that reappear five minutes after you’ve vacuumed (sadly, I’m not kidding), the ravens and vultures that live somewhere nearby and cluck and circle over us daily, and the palm-sized, hairy hunting spiders that freak us out when they appear on the ceiling in the bedroom just as we’re drifting off to sleep, we’re not wanting for spooky decor.
Then there’s the mice.
Our little rodent friends seem to live outside all summer, and make a bee-line for the house when the weather gets chilly. I can’t blame them. We’re easy pickin’s, what with all the nooks, crannies and cracks that an 80 year old log cabin seems to provide. Apparently I should have gone ahead with that rechinking job to seal up all the cracks as I’d planned to in September, because the mice are back – with a vengeance.
Natural Hallowe’en Decor
How do mice make your place more spooky at this time of year? First of all, they poop everywhere. And I mean everywhere . I’d say poop is pretty spooky. OR at least disgusting (ewwwww…). And they squeak and scurry and make such loud noises in the middle of the night you’d think someone was breaking in to steal your new iMac. I don’t know about you, but that’s my worst nightmare.
Then there are the times they surprise the you-know-what out of you and make you wish you could retreat to that luxe, critter-free condo you used to have in the city. Like the other night…
Nature Calls
I woke up around 3:00 am after too many cups of Tibetain Histoire (if you’re a green tea fan, you’ll LOVE this offering from the Urban Tea Merchant in Vancouver – totally off topic, I know, but I had to share! Back to the story…). So I got up to head to the bathroom and was really not wanting to upset my body clock by turning the bathroom light on. It always makes it harder to fall back asleep. But something told me I should, so I did.
And I was very happy I did.
Let me start by saying I didn’t have my glasses on or contacts in. So the brown lump in the toilet looked like, well, you know . Just as I was getting annoyed about someone’s apparent lack of housekeeping etiquette, the brown lump moved.
There was a mouse in the toilet bowl.
So, a little freaked out, I clapped my hands. And the little guy (not sure why I thought it was male) jumped up like a shot, only to slip on the seat and fall back in.
Splash.
Then I clapped again. And he jumped again.
Splash.
This went on – me clapping like an idiot and him jumping – until I realized there was no way he was getting out without assistance. He was spending more and more time in the water and less jumping to get out. Now I know some of you are thinking why didn’t you just flush it ! Let me put it this way – sometimes I wish I wasn’t so connected to the animal world. But I am.
So off I went to get a flat piece of kindling from the woodbox. I scooped it under to allow him to get out of the bowl (thankfully, the bowl was clean prior to the rescue). Poor little thing wobbled and just sat there on the edge of the toilet, looking as relieved as I’m sure a mouse can look.
But I still needed to use the facilities, and there was no way I was doing so with a mouse sitting on the tank. So I clapped again and he wobbled onto the window sill, then onto the floor. Finally he disappeared, slowly, into a crack where the logs meet the interior wall.
Mice Provide Much Creepiness
Over the two years we’ve been here, I’ve found all sorts of creepy things related to mice. I’ve discovered dead mice in bottleswhere they’ve managed to get in but not out. I’ve come across multiple dessicated mousey remainsin a live trap that we forgot to deactivate before putting in the shed for the summer. Worst of all was the horrific discovery on return from holiday of four tiny feet and a tail. Minus the body. In my kitchen sink. Gag… I presume it was a welcome home gift from the local weasel, known to frequent our house when the humans are away. But he can keep his gifts, thank you.
Now THAT was creepy.
I’ve rescued mice from a kitchen sink full of water, and from the clutches of my son and his friend who decided to try to feed a baby mouse a slug (imagine two hours with a Q-tip and water cleaning the mouth of a teensy, tiny little creature), but I’ve never from the toilet bowl. That was a first. Needless to say, I had a little chat with my son about leaving the toilet seat up.
So no, we don’t buy Hallowe’en decorations. No need with all these natural, eco-decorations around. And some will even eat your leftovers. Handy! And creepy…
What’s Creepy Around Your House?
With Hallowe’en on Sunday, I thought I’d share this little story. We definitely have our share of creepy things around our little piece of rural heaven. But I’ll take mice over some of the creepy things found in the city any day. Rats, cockroaches, zombies… Mind you, zombies probably don’t poop on the counter.
What’s creepy around your houseand how do you deal with it (or not)? Let us know in the comments below!
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I can’t kill a mouse either, Victoria! We live near a horse farm and a corn field, and our first little field mouse of the season should arrive any day now. I’ve spent many a late night chasing the cat (who likes to play with mice, but not eat them) around the house with a shoe box… so I can collect the mouse and put it back outside. My husband swears they beat me back to the house 🙂
:o) Yes, that’s me too! We don’t have a cat, and I haven’t invited one into our home because I just couldn’t handle all the little gifts. But there are some days… ;o)
I would have screamed, but not flushed… I’m with you on that, Victoria! We were given some very good mouser cats from nearby ranchers and it really helps! As long as you don’t mind the ‘gifts’ they bring to you, like your weasel friend! My husband has been dive-bombed by a huge owl… I think the owl likes his hat or something… it’s also a little creepy seeing hovering green eyes while finishing late dusk chores! Some day we should all take a trip to BC and give you a house warming party, laden with gifts like non-deadly mouse traps!
The owls!! I forgot to mention them… They can be a little spooky, can’t they? Do you know what kind of an owl it is? I’d love to hear! As for the housewarming party, I’d LOVE that!!! It would be so great to meet you all!
Ooops… hit ‘post’ too quickly. As I was saying, wouldn’t that be fun? Not practical in the least, unless everyone is going to Dallas (I’m not, unfortunately). Maybe one day… ;o)
Great article Victoria! We have two super duper mice catchers who live outside in our barn – Jellybean and Blackcat. I haven’t seen a trace of a mouse in 6 years. :O)
Oh, we’ve thought about getting a cat. Many times! But I’m not sure I could handle all the little ‘gifts’ left on the doorstep. I had enough of that with the feet and tail in the kitchen sink. Then again, by the end of the winter, I might think differently… ;o)
Well, I’ve never had either one leave any surprises, I guess we got lucky and got real hunters? ha.
You sure did!! :o)
Love your story Victoria! In Florida we LIVE with creepy…the crawly, slimy, slippery kind! Snakes, alligators, lizards and spiders the size of small birds! Insects grow BIG down here…and here’s the best part…my kids love the creatures. Ugh! So decorating once a year with “creepy” things is pretty boring!
Thank you for reminding me about the snakes!!! Totally forgot about them. And the slugs… But alligators and lizards, I have to say I’ve never had that experience. That must be so nerve-wracking! But saves on Halloween decorating!! LOL!
Hi Victoria! We just moved into a centure+ old house on the shore, and amongst all the creaks and groans that go on around here nightly, I believe I have a little visitor in my office walls at night, scratching around. They always go away when I knock, though. I’m keeping an eye out for poop-
Hopefully you won’t find any! Icky…
What a cute story Victoria. I laughed hysterically thinking about how my wife would have reacted!! A Water Moccasin protecting our front door…gives me “goose bumps” when I think about it.
Yes, I think having poisonous snakes at my door would be a bit more stressful than mouse poops! I’ll take the mice any day… :o)
You go girl — awesome to find you – and CONGRATS on leaving the job and getting into your real passion. YAY i am so happy for you! i can’t believe you didn’t tell me this when you came to visit — too funny!!!
Thank you! How did you find me?
I was looking for some kind of box to keep fruit in so Mice will not get my fruit when I found this article. My stove with an oven is where some mice live. I see them going to the burners and then under them. They pull the insulation out of the oven. If I ever buy a new stove or oven I would want it to be moues proof. I do not know if anyone makes appliance that are moues proof. I would be willing to pay a good bit more for such appliances.
I set live traps for the mice. Once I must have caught a mother mouse and had taken her away. I found her nest later and the little ones eventually died. I felt bad about this and sad for the little mice. I wonder if if would be possible to build appliances so mice could not get in them and houses that did not have places for them to hid. If the mice have nowhere to hide it may be possible to chase them out of the house. I do not want Mice in the house. Mice are a big problem when they are in a house but I do not like seeing them hurt. 100% peppermint essential oil and some other essential oils will drive mice out of the house the first few times they are used if they are applied strong enough. Some times it may have to be strong enough to almost drive you out of the house also and I think the mice may learn to tolerate it over time.
I have also heard that gnawing animals gnaw newer insolation use in the wiring of cars today more than they gnawed the older insolation. The new insolation is made from soy which sound environmentally friendly but it really is not. The Car manufacture will not admit this probably because the new insolation is cheaper to make, But replacing all the wires in your car is not cheep and is not environmentally friendly. When the wires get gnawed by animals a lot of people want to do away with the animals. The new wiring is not good for people or for the animals. I am NOT SURE (the internet will say nothing about it) but there may be some fuel line made out of soy. If there is an animal that gnaws this will get a face full of fuel and there may be fuel on the ground. Not everything that is meant to be environmentally friendly really is and a lot is not good for men or animals. On many issues The internet is horrible about presenting views opposing the popular views. The popular views are not always right.
Squirrels are my favorite animals and I sometimes leave a 3 inch hole for some of my Squirrel fronds to come in parts of the house and visit me Parts where thee are no eclectic cords plugged in and protection for the Squirrels from electric sockets, but this also lets the mice in. Because I Love the Squirrels I do not like seeing predators around. I have lost a lot of my Squirrel friends to predators. I have also seen a lot Squirrels with sad injury made by predators. Squirrels usually like to live out in the trees but occasionally especially if it is cold they may get in houses. It is possible that when you hear noses in the wall it may be a Squirrel I hope no one will hurt a Squirrel. I have not had problems with the Squirrels in my house where they are not meant to be. A few of the friendlier Squirrels get in the kitchen where they are not meant to be but they always eventually leave when I let them out. Usually after I give them a nut
Something you may want to consider before you get a Cat is that except for habitat lose keeping domestic Cats is the biggest thing men do that is causing bird species to be endangered and a lot are believed to be going or are extinct now. We are losing birds species fast today.
Because I Love the Squirrels I will not keep a Cat or a Dog or any other Predator.
I realize that Squirrels have so many babies that if they all live there would not be enough room for them all. I can not hide from the numbers but I wish that somehow so many of the Squirrels did not have to die young. My dentist mentioned to me and I think I sort of knew it before he mentioned it, that it would be the same with people also if it where not for wars diseases accidents etc. (?murder also?), If not for this the population would grow exponentially and eventually there would not be enough room for all of us. Although this is true I DO NOT LIKE ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROL ESPECIALLY MANDATED BY GOVERNMENTS.. May be enough of us are dying anyhow so we do not need to considered this