InLeighton Me!

Living in the country has its benefits. It is quiet most of the time. (Except for the Pella/Vermeer shift changes in the evening) There is less light pollution making for lovely evening skies on cloudless nights. There is a sense of pace that is slower than the city. We really do enjoy it…most of the time.

However, don’t be fooled. There is a dark side to country living. It typically happens shortly after harvest and when the cold sets in. I’m not afraid to admit it. We have mice.

A few nights ago we were playing games…till 3 AM. While we were playing we noticed a mouse scurrying through the house. My wife promptly broke out the snap traps. No humane glue traps in our house. Death by broken neck only. We caught the mouse the next morning. However, last night we noticed a second mouse hanging out near the stove. My wife set another trap and placed it right next to the stove.

The Trap is set!

We went to bed fully expecting to find a mouse in it the next morning.

Now, before I go further you need to understand our living arrangements at my house. My mom and dad live with us. They have a mini apartment that is off the kitchen. The kitchen and living room are our shared space. My parents had already gone to be when the trap was set. So suddenly, the trap became a landmine to my parents.

Earlier in the evening my mother had begun making some muffins. She mixed the eggs and the sugar in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. She left these out on the counter overnight. Apparently, it is good to allow the egg mixture to achieve room temperature. (I didn’t know this.)

Here is where it gets interesting. My mom got up at 5 AM to finish the muffins and get them in the oven. She stumbled into the kitchen clad in housecoat, slippers, and no eyeglasses. She got out the mixer to mix the muffins. She could see that the egg, sugar and “oil mixture” had separated. The “oil” was in a big blob in the egg mixture. So she proceeded to “mix” the egg mixture. However, the “oil” was hard and lumpy. BINGO! It wasn’t “oil”. It was the mouse!

AWESOME! You can't make this stuff up.

The good news is…that my semi-bind mom was able to steer clear of the landmine of a mousetrap if only by mere inches. The bad news is that the “mixture” went out to the cat. Magic the cat quickly lapped up the egg and sugar mixture and completely left the mouse behind.

Country living rocks!