Life's Little Triumphs: I Caught A Mouse!

I complained recently about the smart mice in my apartment.  I kept the trap out, but had pretty much despaired of ever catching anything. 

But yesterday morning, when I walked by the trap, I saw a blob that looked significantly larger than the peanut butter bait.  I took a closer look and and saw a gray mouse! 

Hoping to avoid questions from other people on the elevator, I put the trap in a bag and carried it outside.  When I set it down and lifted the door, the mouse made a run for it (in the opposite direction of my building, I'm happy to report).  I don't know what fate awaits the little guy, but I noticed that it had eaten the entire blob of peanut butter, so I can at least say I sent it off with a good meal.

So, don't lose hope, fellow mouse-sufferers.  No matter how well your mice seem to avoid your traps, they only need to slip up once.  In my fairly limited experience, humane traps are neither as efficient nor as enjoyable as having a cat, but for now, they'll have to do.

That Feeling Of Instant Deflation

I went to my local Safeway today to pick up a few things.  Apparently, they have some sort of Monopoly sweepstakes going on now because the cashier gave me a handful of game pieces after I paid.  They were of the variety where you tear the paper at the perforated edges and then open up the pieces.  I did this when I got home because who can resist the idea of becoming the next supermarket sweepstakes gazillionaire?

AND I WAS AN INSTANT WINNER!!!!

Oh.  Of my choice of Formula 409, Pine Sol, Tilex, or Liquid Plumr. 

Well, my bathroom sink frequently backs up, so I guess by winning Liquid Plumr, I may have won the equivalent of four or five bucks.  You just have to look for that silver lining sometimes.

How Did I Get Stuck With All The Smart Mice?

I'm pretty sure that everyone who met our cat Laila liked her.  After all, she was friendly and entertaining.  The only living creatures that are celebrating her demise are the mice that live in our building.

We currently have at least two mice spending time in our apartment:  one that runs like it's drunk, and one that runs normally.  I occasionally see them scuttling between the coat closet and the kitchen, usually making a beeline to go under the oven.  (I guess the silver lining here is that I haven't found them elsewhere in the apartment?).  I'm sure they would have already met a brutal end if Laila were still with us, but in the absence of an accomplished hunter, I had to take steps on my own.  I ordered a couple of those humane traps from Amazon--the kind where you put in some food for bait, they run in, and a door closes behind them.  Then, I guess the idea is that you can take them outside, where they can freeze to death, be run over by a car, or get eaten by a wild animal instead of someone's indoor pet.

Except that in this case, they're not taking the bait.  Per the instructions on the trap box, I put in a blob of perfectly good peanut butter (which may or may not be rancid after having spent several weeks in the trap), but they are not even remotely interested.  I've tried to angle the trap to match their trajectory between the coat closet and the oven, but at least three times now, I've seen them actually run around the trap to avoid it.  Are these battle-scarred mice who were previously humanely trapped, taken outside, and made their way back into the building?  Or mice with genius-level IQ?  We'll never know...

Random DC Picture

Just because I'm happy with how it turned out.