Terry was home the morning I was preparing to leave for my three-week road trip to the Wisconsin Dells and various destinations--and that was a good thing! Returning from his first trip to the car, he chuckled and said, "Jason and Nicole picked up a hitchhiker." I was totally lost at this point and asked, "What on earth are you talking about?" He chuckled again..."You had a mouse in your car." "What the hell!!" No one could possibly hate mice more than I do!
To update you, the first part of August, Jason and Nicole had dropped off my four grand kids. I would be watching the kiddies while the two of them ventured off to Hawaii. I had loaned them my car to get to the airport in Billings, but the plan was for them to park it at my brother's home, which they did. Upon their return, they parked my car in the garage, and I hadn't driven it since.
And now I have a mouse in my car? YIKES!! TC had found a small nest in the trunk as well as shreds of paper from a magazine I had left behind. He seemed to think that this rodent was limited to the trunk area, but when I opened my glove box and found tissues chewed into a million pieces, I knew that TC was clueless. He cleaned my car thoroughly and found no signs of a mouse anywhere. "Did you check under the hood? Check under the hood!!" and he did as he was told. He reassured me, though, that the car was "mouse-free," but just in case, he pleaded, "Please do NOT drive off the road if you happen to see it." Oh great!! Not what I wanted to hear at this point!
I spent the first night in Dickinson at Janelle's and found no signs of a mouse the next morning. Whew! Perhaps TC was right. I headed for Moorhead where I would be spending the next night at Jason's. Of course, I had to tease them about bringing back a mouse from Hawaii in their luggage. How else would it have gotten into my trunk?
On the third day (Sunday) as I set out for the Dells, I felt relieved and confident that I WAS traveling alone. Signs of the little creepy creature had not been found. I no longer kept an eye on the passenger floorboard or even had thoughts of a mouse. Life was good and I was looking forward to spending a week of ultimate relaxation with no cares in the world. After checking into the resort, I spent the rest of the evening unloading my luggage and settling in for my much-needed stay.
The following morning after my daily swim, I adventured to Wal-Mart for a few groceries, without Suzie's help (my so undependable GPS), by the way. After placing my items into the trunk, I thought I'd tour Kohl's across the way. I love that store!!! After what seemed like hours, I was totally bushed and headed back to the the condo. Oh!! How I hate carrying in packages, but grabbed a few on my first trip inside. It was hours later when I realized that I still had packages in the car. (To say I get easily side-tracked is an understatement.)
As I was grabbing the remainder of my plastic Wal-Mart "Gucci" bags, I noticed that one of the bags had a hole in it toward the bottom. I know these have holes in them, but they're usually on the bottom of the bag, not the side. AND...this one was different...ragged edges... OMG!!! That mouse is alive and surviving in my car!!! I cautiously peeked into the bag to make sure he wasn't inside, (like I would have known what to do if he was!) and hurriedly slammed the trunk lid shut. Great! Just Great!!
NOW what am I going to do? This is not funny! Just the thought of a mouse gave me the shivers! and to think I had been riding with him for days! Ohhh....this is NOT good! For the next several hours, I contemplated what to do. I could call Maintenance..."Would you please get a mouse out of my car for me, PRETTY PLEASE?" I could hear the laughter already. The only way to rid this creature would to be to trap him--I could do that! BUT...that would mean another trip to Wal-Mart and the sooner, the better!
After slowly opening the car door, I peered into the back to make sure he wasn't running rapid and cautiously slipped into the driver's seat, eyeing the floorboards the entire time. Immediately I noticed two small pieces of some type of wire netting lying on my dashboard. "Oh TC! You are sooooooo wrong! He is not always in the trunk! This mouse is eating my car!" I have to admit that I more than "flew" to the store. I wanted to spend as little time as possible in that car.
Once inside the store, I felt somewhat lost. What to choose? What works best? What works the fastest? After all, it had been more than 30 years since I had to catch a mouse. I'll get one of each---maybe two of each would be better. After spending more than $25 on mouse boards, mouse trays, and mousetraps, I felt confident that my little varmint friend would soon disappear into the world beyond.
Once back at the condo, I went into my "catch" zone. I ever so carefully placed mouse trays along the edges of the floorboard in the front and back seats of the car. In the trunk I lined the entire edges with mouse boards, along with two mousetraps that I had filled with chocolate still wishing that I had bought some peanut butter, but I was good to go!
It was only later that evening as I was having dinner, did the questions begin. Am I crazy? What have I done? Grabbing the various empty boxes from the trash, I reread the instructions and realized instantly that this MOUSE could still be alive even after he was caught. YEEW!!! I'm not liking this thought at all. I hope he likes chocolate! I wonder how little or big he is? Thoughts of that critter kept me up until the wee hours of the night. Oh, dear me...not good...not good.
Even the next morning, I was still questioning my plan. What do I do if he's alive? How long should I wait before checking the car? Should I call for help--let the maintenance fella take care of it for me? I felt sick to my stomach at just the thought of having to finish my task. Around 3:00 that afternoon, I grabbed a "Gucci" bag and headed outside. I will not and cannot drive this car until he's gone. As I gradually opened the passenger door, my eyes immediately spied the mouse trays, which were empty. I peeked at the back floors...those trays, too, were empty. That could only mean one of two things--either he's in the trunk, or he's still on the run.
"I truly do not want to do this"...as I clicked the trunk button on my key. "Where is TC when I need him?" "This is NOT my job!" "I'm never loaning my car to anyone again!" Gently lifting the trunk door, I grimaced as I saw the scoundrel stuck in a mouse board. Oh, no!! He's alive! ...and staring up at me while trying to pull his feet from the glue! If I grab that board, can he bite me? Oh! Oh! This is not fun! I don't like him looking at me! What should I do now? Then the plan hit me! I'll cover him up! I reached for the mouse board farthest from him, and gently placed it on top of his squirming body. That should do it...wait...I'll put another one on top...and so I did...ALL of the extra boards.
I guardedly picked up the sandwiched varmint by the end of the boards to place him into the "Gucci" bag. "Houston...we have a problem." I didn't realize that if the glue touched any part of the plastic bag, it would stick instantly. I couldn't get him into the bag! However, after several attempts, he was in far enough that I could tie the bag shut. Looking into the bag for one final glance, all I remember is his pleading eyes staring up at me between those mouse boards. "Farewell, Buddy!" as I escorted him to the nearest dumpster and tossed him inside. I hope he's a survivor, but in someone else's car.
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