There can be only one...

[pbray]

...he didn't bring his friends, did he?

This morning, as I threw a load of laundry in the wash, I went over to grab the bleach and noticed that a large clump of dryer lint had fallen onto the floor. As I put the bleach back, I observed that the dryer lint appeared to have a tail. And possibly legs.

Naturally I went back upstairs.

When it came time to take the laundry out of the washer I steeled myself, bent over and observed that the resemblance to a critter was even more profound. Went upstairs, got a plastic bag, returned and picked it up. Yup, a dead, semi-mummified field mouse.

Not what you want to find in your house. Especially not on the day before I leave on the bike trip.

I called jennifer_dunne and explained my discovery. "Tell me that there was only one!" I implored. "Lie to me and tell me there's not an entire nest down there."

As good friends do, Jennifer lied to me and assured me that this was a solitary stray field mouse, and that I had nothing to worry about.

My best guess is that the mouse got in through the back door which was propped open a couple of weeks ago during the water heater adventure. The door between the basement and the main house is always closed except when I'm going up or down the basement stairs, so even if he ventured up the stairs, he might not have been able to get in to the main house.

Forensically speaking, it appeared that he'd been dead for a while. It's been several days since I last did laundry, and I don't normally use bleach so he could have been in that spot for a week or more.

Still, this calls for a stiff drink, and as soon as Stacey arrives, we're cracking open a bottle of wine.

Jennifer will be watching my house while I'm gone. I've told her that even if she observes mice frolicking through the living room, she's not to tell me. At least not until I'm driving home, in which case she can gently suggest that I book a motel for a few days....

Comments

[diamondreads.livejournal.com]

I feel for you. I always cringe if I find mice anywhere near the house. We used to live out in the country where they were way too common. I was washing clothes one time, put the bleach in the water and was putting in the white clothes when this section of bubbles started going around the water in circles around the agitator. It turned out to be a small mouse, alive, trying to escape. He must have been in the washer when I started it. I got him out and put him outside. (I knew the outside cats would love him.) Knowing that he might not be alone, I made Harlan search the basement near the washer. Sure enough, he found more babies inside the fuse box! I'm in town now, but it may as well be the country for the neighbors. Several have chickens that run loose. Another has goats. Everyone has dogs except my block. (none are secured) Stray cats help keep the mice and snakes down, although we have a few mice that get into the garage. I hope my cat is guarding the house. =0) I hope you had only one!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I live in the suburbs, but I've had field mice in the backyard before.

Haven't steeled myself up for a search-- I may wimp out and call professionals to do it when I get back from the trip.

[aeriedraconia.livejournal.com]

Hey, at least it isn't cockroaches.
Or poisonous: snakes/things with too many legs.
Or zombies.
Or small children/teenagers.
Or a sewage leak.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Good point!

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Want a cat? I know some that you could at least get for an extended loan. ;)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Hmm, Jennifer made the same suggestion :-)

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

FWIW, BTW, we tend to get just one at a time.
Of course, we also have 2 cats, so maybe the rest get the hint...

[lagilman]

Of all the things you could have house-borrowing, mice are pretty tame (in several senses of the word). Ask me some time about the black widow spider who decided to set housekeeping in my sofa.

None of this helps, I know. But still, cute and semi-cuddly mammal trumps something poisonous...

(and I don't know if you saw, but I biked 25 miles in one day this week! Next thing you know, I'll be touring with my uncle Larry... Okay, maybe not.)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Hooray for biking, I'm quite impressed! You could definitely tour with us-- I even have a t-shirt that says "We bike to drink" :-)

Yeah, field mice beat the wasp infestation I had a couple of years ago...

As far as black widow spider, that's an OMG moment. I'd need way more alcohol than I have on hand to deal with such an event.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

"Jennifer will be watching my house while I'm gone. "

(Recalls tales of plastic animals and shudders.)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Hopefully she has better taste than to decorate my hosue with rubber mice. Fortunately the boyfriend is in town, so he may keep her too distracted to hatch diabolical plans.

I hope.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

She can compromise, and decorate with obviously fake colorful cat-toy mice. ;)

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't count on him *distracting* her from diabolical plans. Contributing, maybe.