Unwelcome Guests

Typically, when you move into a new home, you can’t wait to have guests over to see your new digs. It’s an exciting time for new homeowners – whether it’s a first house or your fifth house. I know that even the weekend we were moving in – when everything was in total disarray and complete chaos – I couldn’t wait for Mike’s mom and dad to see our new house. There’s a sense of pride that comes with it.

But welcoming guests into your home isn’t always a good thing. And, that’s what we learned this last weekend. It was discovered late on Friday night that we had at least one small, furry visitor in our warm, cozy new house. We didn’t actually see him, but by the surprise he left behind (in our kitchen cabinets, no less), we knew he was there and was in full force.

Saturday morning came along and with it, a plan to head to Menards to get some food for our little mouse friend. Mike and I were enjoying Saturday morning breakfast on our couch when all of a sudden, our little friend decided to make an unexpected mid-morning romp through our family room! He of course, got scared and ran back into the fireplace and back to his hiding place. We went immediately and “Operation Little Mouse” commenced.

Let’s just say that over the last few days, our little friend (or friends, we weren’t quite sure), were thoroughly enjoying the not-so healthy treat we had left for them and they were letting us know this by the handfuls they were eating and by the continued surprises they left behind. I was getting frustrated and upset that these little creatures were running all over our house, and by last night, I had had it. It was time to unleash the traps.

Now for someone who has never had to catch a mouse before, we went into full attack mode. We bought 3 different kinds of traps and placed new fewer than 7 in different areas of the house last night. And, by this morning, I was doing a little dance that 2 of our little friends had been caught. Mike left for work and all was right with the world. Until 30 minutes later…..

I came downstairs to find Einstein (who to this point couldn’t have cared less that his new territory was being invaded by small furry things that he couldn’t catch). I saw him laying on the family room floor, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small black thing laying about a foot away from E. I did a double-take and E had successfully taken care of another one of our furry friends. He was so proud of his catch that he wouldn’t move. He had finally figured out what could be done with these little things that had taken over his place.

In one way, we’re proud of him. In another, it’s a little gross. But, it’s one of the joys of homeownership – dealing with unexpected guests, whether its your neighbor stopping by to say hi, or a small mouse that decides your new home is just the right place to set up his house. Nevertheless, we’re still in love with our new home. Mouse traps are just going to have to become a part of the norm…..