Eugenia Essentials

It seems no matter where I have lived, when winter comes, I have been plagued with a mouse taking up residence in my house. The stories of me vs. mice are legend. One time in NY, I had left a box of white powder sugar donuts on the kitchen counter. I was in the living room reading when I heard the tinkling of the hanging utensils which were on a wall rack over the stove. I went to investigate and at first saw nothing but then I noticed the top of the donut box move, so I snuck over and inside the box was a mouse looking up at me through the cellophane window, its whiskers dusted with powdered sugar. It looked so cute, exactly like a mouse on a greeting card with dark beady eyes. I took pity. I grabbed the box, trapping the mouse. I walked outside to the back yard and flung the box with the mouse inside down the railroad embankment. I have no idea if the mouse survived the fall or if it was cushioned by the donuts on impact. If it lived, I figured it probably made its way back up to house after a day or so.

Another time my husband and I came in from walking the dogs, Katie and Harry. We kept their 50lb. bag of food on a chair in the kitchen. As I unhooked Katie from her leash she went straight to the bag staring at it, cocking her head from side to side. At first I thought she must be hungry but then I noticed a lump moving up the bag. I screamed, “Bob, a mouse is in the dog food!” Bob and Harry both came running. As Bob opened the bag, suddenly out jumped the mouse and made an escape with Harry hot its tail. After that we couldn’t say the word “mouse” without Harry going nuts. Mice had also gotten into the bottom broiler of the oven and had ripped the aluminum foil covering, apparently after the grease. So Bob got the bright idea of placing a trap in the broiler. A couple of weeks went by and we forgot about the trap until I preheated the oven for something. I looked at Bob and said, “Do you smell burning wood?” His eyes grew wide, “The mouse trap is still in the broiler!” We ran to the kitchen and opened the broiler half expecting to see a cremated rodent, instead revealing a charred and smoking mouse trap with the metal parts glowing bright red. Later that winter we had our first snow. I got my boots out and couldn’t fit my foot into the right boot. The same mouse that was in the dog food, had been stowing it in my boot piece by piece! I had to laugh.

Fast forward many years to Florida…I’m now widowed and living alone with my dog Tess. Just drifting off to sleep, I think I feel a tugging on my bed covers. Then something scampering across my chest! Screaming I fling back the blanket. I put the light on and see a tiny mouse along the baseboard. I scream and go running for the broom. Tess runs after me and the two of us chase this poor little creature all around the room. It runs into my closet and now is jumping over shoes and boxes like an Olympic athlete in the hurdles race. I set a trap behind the couch and then one night I hear SNAP! Gotcha I think to my smug self. But when I pull the couch back I find the pitiful body of a little grey mouse its mouth open with the big metal spring crushing its tiny little leg, and I burst into tears. I felt like a complete monster. I know I probably sound like a wimp but it took me weeks to get over killing that mouse.

Now it’s winter again 2010 and last night I discover yet another mouse sneaking around the kitchen. This one seems to have a cloak of invisibility. Either that or it’s extremely fast. Now you see it, now you don’t. Anyway, no more traps for me. I’m going to try saturating several cotton balls with peppermint essential oil. I have read that mice hate the smell and it repels them. If it works, I’ll let you know. If not, I’ll probably have another mouse story to add to my repertoire.