When we first moved into our place it had been six years since we bought it. We’ve been here at the most for two weeks at a time.
That cold January day when we arrived to live here full-time, we found mouse droppings in most of the nooks and crannies of the kitchen, laundry room, and master bedroom. Yikes! We cleaned like crazy, and then we began to set a live trap with peanut butter bait in a five-gallon bucket and caught them two by two. Finally, we began to believe we had gotten rid of them.
When my son-in-law and daughter put up a new ceiling fan in the bedroom, they had mouse poop rain down on them while removing and attaching the fan.
I heard horror stories of what the crawl space above the ceiling might be like–a mouse infested pandora’s box. I kept the trap door closed, and considered nailing it shut. I also explored how much it would cost to have someone come in and remove the mouse excrement, dead mice, ruined insulation, and spray it with some disinfectant.
However, I had good news this week. When the heating and A/C people were here this week, they found another attic on the other side of the house. I went up into it. It had a plywood floor and absolutely no evidence of rodents. I began to get braver and wondered if the other crawl space might surprise me.
I suited up and ventured up there.
Oh, what a relief! There was plenty of mouse poop, but there were no mice and there was only one mouse skeleton. The floor was plywood. I vacuumed up all the dried little turds. I filled in a few cracks with caulk. I’ll go again and wire up the drooping insulation in a few places.
It was a job well-done, and I feel so much better knowing what is not above our heads.
One of the few things that was in the attic is the motor below. The box had all the evidence of a little mouse house. It was so cozy with lots of soft padding that had been gathered and torn to little bits. I was happy to see the whole family had moved out!
It was so fun participating in the first-ever Slicer meet-up this morning. I met new bloggers and old friends. Looking forward to visiting all their blogs now that I can connect more names to faces and their places.
Suleika Jaouad’s The Isolation Journals’ prompt today is by Joy Juliet Bullen. It is called “What We Leave Behind”
When I read the prompt, “Pick a physical item that someone has left behind…Examine the object for clues…and how it connects to your own life now.” I ventured a little off the prompt, but I had fun considering that little mouse home I found this week.
Denise, it is a serendipitous moment falling in line with you not only this morning but now. Your slice was intriguing, especially since two mice joined me in my new home. We had the exterminators come and take care of the matter but the mouse traps are still outside until spring comes. The quiet in the house before the Two Writing Teachers’ Zoom chat prompted me to create a poem. it was great seeing you in person.
I get the heebie-jeebies thinking about mice scurrying around the house. We had field mice when we first built our house because the development was newly converted from a potato field. I’m glad your mouse friends moved out and you have the excrement residue purged. Progress!
It was so nice to “meet” you on zoom! We moved into a new home today and figuring out the mouse situation has been a journey! Your piece hit home!
Yikes, Denise, you had me on pins and needles throughout. My son is dealing with a mouse infestation at his latest rental, an old home much like you are describing here – I may send the link to your post, so that he might feel less alone! I’m so glad you are feeling victorious. I loved this line,
“I feel so much better knowing what is not above our heads.”
It may be time to get some cats. I hope you are rid of the little rodents. Yuck!
Hi Denise, It was nice meeting you yesterday at the zoom meet-up. I can relate to this story. We’ve had on and off mouse issues over the year. We no longer use our walk-up attic as a pantry! I think our problem was solved about two years ago when I discovered a small hole near ground level in our basement. I plugged that one spot, and we haven’t seen or heard any evidence of mice since. (knocks wood vigorously).
I’m really glad your investigation of the crawl space didn’t involve any live mice. I was definitely with you on the idea of nailing the whole thing shut!
I also read The Isolation Journals prompts! I don’t always write, but I let them run around in my head a while. I like where this one took you!
Thank you, Stacie. Yes, I wanted to keep that crawl space out of my mind, and I did for two months. Now I keep referring to our upstairs when I get an idea. What a change!