No tongue twister intended.  There is indeed a mouse in the house.  I have named him Shredder and he possibly killed my brother.

This is not something I would normally admit to many people, much less the internet public at large, because frankly it makes me feel like I live in a pig-sty.  But here goes.  Try not to judge.

My name is Carrie, and I have a mouse problem. ¹

I started to suspect foul play a few weeks ago but talked myself out of spotting the mouse poo with my own eyes using a nice heaping dose of denial.  However, last week, I caught a glimmer of this undeniable troublemaker out of the corner of my eye when I was writing. ²  A second and less shocking glimpse  came the next day.  Confirmation stage complete.  Mouse in house.

I start to call around, seeing what my options are for my little problem.  There are apparently two.  Trap or poison.  (Note, there are many sub-options within these two seemingly simple headings.)  And the lovely hairy sounding man on the other end of the phone said that he was happy to come set one or more of these options out for a small fee of $160.  Yeah that’s not going to happen.  Also, I find funamental problems with these two methods of riddance.

Trap.  Traps kill.  I will then have to dispose of the little crushed mangled body of this little being who really just wanted a piece of cheese.

Poison. Poison also kill.  Things that include my rabbit and/or my dog, whom both of which eat anything they can get their noses near.  And even if that didn’t happen and the poison did find it’s correct mark, the mark would then retreat to some unseen, unknown part of the house to die and cause stinkage.

Today I saw him again.  He is much bolder now, which obviously comes when you are comfortable in your new home, so this time much he was closer and looking right at me.  He is so small and very un-repulsive.  Now, not only have I had a run in with Denial, now his friend Guilt has come collapsing on top of me.  

So, I have a mouse.  I have named him Shredder.

I did try to make my own humane trap….
(Though mine looked a bit more like this)

Good news, it works.

Bad news, it caught my rabbit.

So here I am, with yet another furry house mate.

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