They only come out at night

Those of you that have been around a while know that I have had a wee mouse issue this past year. Which I find a tad puzzling as I have managed to live to the ripe old age of  ** (thought I would let it slip did ya? Wrong) with out ever clapping eyes on a real LIVE mouse that didn't come with cedar chips, an exercise wheel and  food pellets.

It all started when we bought a two bedroom recreational trailer last spring (we affectionately named it our very own easy bake oven) and after setting up we went home and some mice moved in. Rather rude of them to just waltz in uninvited but they did. I was of course repulsed and immediately on the war path, not wanting any of those dirty disease ridden varmints any where near where my babies crawl, play, sleep and eat. Steam cleaned carpets, stuffed more steel wool then you can shake a stick at and caulked every possible crevice. Never actually saw one but they did leave a helpful trail of poop and made a nest on a quilt I was in the middle of sewing. (after they chewed it to crud I might add.)

Situation identified and taken care of, never saw them again...till later in the fall...when the Cattleman and some of our children went up to our "summer place" to give it a good look see....he found more evidence of mice and he packed up all my linens, all the coats, boots, jackets, pretty much everything but the kitchen sink he brought home...he also accidentally packed the mice that were nesting in the linens too. I have since forgiven him.

So I had mice in my house for the very first time and I was none too pleased, ate some of my dry good stores, pooped all over the back end of my laundry room and just generally made a nuisance of them selves torturing our geriatric cat whose heart, instincts and mind were willing but her body? Not so much. We caught 5, count em 5 before the traps became quiet and the corpses stopped piling up.

Situation identified and taken care of, never saw them again.......

Conversation with one of my sons:

Mom I think there is something living underneath the basement stairs, I can hear it moving around at night.

That makes no sense, I haven't seen any droppings and all the traps are empty. ( I check them,put in fresh Peanut butter every so many days, boy do I check them, just in case.  Not that I am paranoid or worried)

Life goes on as usual. But now I check those traps every ding dang darn day, I even bought more and put them around the house, just in case...ya never know. No droppings any where to be found. It's all good, right?


We had a warm day last week and I was sitting in the living room reading and I kept hearing this weird noise. I called the Cattleman in to see if he could figure out what it was. Kinda sounded like an animal in the WALL digging or scratching at something, but it had a bit of a tin sound to it and we just could not place where it was coming from. He hypothesized that it just might be the ice melting between the troughing and the house or in the fascia (Sp?) or the Dormers. Could even be a tree rubbing up against the siding of house, some of those need to be trimmed back don't cha know....Ohhhhh Kay. I'll believe ya because I want to.

The Cattleman is working the night shift, which is fine I can handle things pas de sweat. I am woman, hear me roar....I am de Mamma. Lying in bed last night reading and an odd noise starts, a tinny sound, kinda like an animal digging. Lola the wonder dog and Bear start their low level growly barks. Shush I want to hear where it is coming from, Seems to be coming from the wall in my bedroom, the noise  might be coming up from "somewhere" in the basement being brought right up to my room by the heating duct work, no...it sounds as if the thing is trying to dig right into my room and get at the peanut butter laden trap I have in that corner.

Na...couldn't be. I guess the dogs scared it off and it stops the digging clawing chewing the drywall sounds. About half hour later it starts again, dogs prance to corner in bedroom with growly bark and  chewy, digging, clawing the drywall sound stops.

 About half hour later it starts again, dogs prance to corner in bedroom with growly bark and  chewy, digging, clawing the drywall sound stops.

 About half hour later it starts again, dogs prance to corner in bedroom with growly bark and  chewy, digging, clawing the drywall sound stops.

Even in my sleep deprived daze I'm beginning to sense a pattern.....

About half hour later it starts again, dogs prance to corner in bedroom with growly bark and  chewy, digging, clawing the drywall sound stops.

Oh it's just the ice melting, it's just a tree limb, oh it's just the fascia (SP?), right......wait till I talk to that man in the AM!

I miss him, one of those rare moments, during that half hour or so where the digger/chewer  was waiting for the dogs to shut-up  I guess, I fell asleep. Sigh....

Conversation in my kitchen this afternoon.

Dear I think something is living in our house.

He looks at me as if my head is two times to big: Oh? What makes you say that?

I heard a noise last night, sounded as if it was trying to get in our room through the wall.....

I know I heard it this morning while I was trying to get to sleep...

You did? (Thank you for small mercies, I think that man thinks I make this stuff up...sometimes, like I'm paranoid now or something)

Yup.

What are you gonna do about that?

I'm going up in the attic to see if a family of raccoons have moved in, it's spring they are looking for warm nest.

So this is where we are now, attic shows no evidence of animal habitation, all traps are clean and have been for several months, no droppings anywhere that I can see, it must be a ghost of one of those mice I did in in the fall I guess..

Situation unidentified and not taken care of,  a mystery is afoot.