The dealership isn't the most conveniently located, but I am willing to drive quite out of my way to be accommodated by this delightful service department. Cliff and Steve should win an award for their outstanding ability to take care of their customers while taking so DANG much of their money, and still having them leave with smiles on their faces. They usually make special arrangements for "courtesy transportation" for me and roll out the red carpet for the kids: donuts, popcorn, soda...one day they even gave us some birthday cake of one of the employees. Today was no exception. After checking in and getting situated in the kid-friendly waiting area equipped with playhouse and television, I found myself an interesting read in the latest issue of People magazine. Cliff had brought me a couple of price quotes and had me OK a couple things. A short while later as I was returning from the restroom, I could see him approaching me with a very concerned look on his face. He discreetly slipped me this note...
He said he wrote it because he didn't know if it would upset the children to hear it. How very thoughtful of him to concerned about the children. I love Cliff.The thing is I already knew we had a mouse problem back in the winter and suspected there was a nest, but I never could find it. One Sunday in January on our way home from church I happened to notice some randomly placed M&Ms on the floor between Jeff's seat and mine. I thought it was odd since I knew we hadn't eaten any in the van in quite some time. Upon further investigation I found another and another and another which led me to a bag of leftover goodies from A's Christmas gingerbread making project. Assuming the bag had just inadvertently been left open, I picked it up to re-seal it and all of the remaining treats fell out through a carefully chewed hole in the bottom of the bag.
When we got home I thoroughly scoured the van for evidence of any furry, chewing friends who might be lurking about. And evidence I did find...everywhere...turds, shredded paper and grocery bags and wrappers, and remnants of the green indoor/outdoor carpet we had on our landing in the garage...from the glovebox to the storage compartment in the back underneath the seats.
I spent an hour and a half that afternoon cleaning the van and then had Jeff set a couple of traps. The next morning the bait had been snatched and no "mouses" had been trapped. Determined to face my fears and reclaim my van as my own, I set off for the grocery store to buy several "sticky" traps. I strategically placed them all around the van, specifically targeting the areas I imagined I might like to travel if I were a mouse trapped in a van. I checked them every hour on the hour throughout the day and was no less disappointed each time I found nothing again...untilllll...about 2pm I went out and lifted up J's carseat to see a tiny, but verrrry scaaaaary nonetheless, brown mouse frantically trying to scurry away with the trap in tow. Only one foot and his tail were trapped.
What happened next is but a blur, but summoning all of my girly-scared-to-death-of-mice courage, I quick as a cat donned my rubber kitchen gloves and grabbed two plastic grocery bags. I placed my gloved hand inside one of the bags and used it as an extra protective barrier to pick up the mouse and place it inside the other bag, and then tied it up snugly. With my 5 year old daughter looking on, and cheering me on I might add, I placed it behind my van tire and backed over it. And then pulled forward it again, of course, just for good measure. Yup, it was dead. And then I put it in the trash. My heart was racing as if I had just escaped being EATEN by a mouse and my legs were still like Jell-O hours later.
Just call me Braveheart.
I enjoyed a cool ride home on my cool new wheels today knowing they were gone for good...until next winter...
(Stay tuned for a prequel to this mouse tale to be entitled "Mouse in the House".)
10 comments:
Oh MAN! What a fantastic story! I am totally in awe of your braveheartness.
Well, obviously children not traumatized by their mother MURDERING a mouse in such a gruesome way would not be disturbed by Cliff announcements (as opposed to Cliffnotes). Did you tell him that? "Next time I come here, you can give me the worst news out loud. My children are tough as nails."
I am shocked! But that was a great story! I know what you mean about jello legs after doing something scary. I get that when I have to be REALLY courageous with people, like if there is confrontation or unpleasantness, however necessary (like asking the neighbors to turn down their music).
My own legs are made up entirely of Jello.
I hope "Mouse in the House" isn't a picture book.
It does actually include pictures, but you can't smell them so that is the good thing. =)
I am in AWE!!!! the whole running it over idea is pure genius! I shall remember that for the future...
Man, can't you post something new?
J, I laughed wicked hard about this one! I mean, running it over! What put that into your head? Hilarious...
I'll tell ya what put that into my head...umm, it needed to DIE and I wasn't going to do it with my bare hands. Sticky traps are effective in trapping, but not so much in KILLING. So it was no longer running free in my van, but I was standing there holding a sticky tray containing a squirmy mouse. My van tire was the first WMD to enter my mental landscape and I acted swiftly and accurately to put him out of his misery.
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