A Mouse for Christmas

 

I have lived in this house, 83 Elliott Row in Saint John New Brunswick, Canada for twenty eight years.  Every fall/winter I have been here, we have had mice.  The theory is that they are little field mice who slip in an open doorway or manage to migrate through a crack in the foundation.

Now my house was built in 1905 and still has the old flue that served the coal furnace. The flue runs up the centre of the house and is encased by walls but those rascal mice use it as their high way!  I know this how?  Because they leave behind their coal marked foot prints. At my first sighting I call the exterminator. He puts out bait and traps, I tell him we will not catch any mice on the traps; my mice are wise to those.  This fall a black mouse surprised me my zooming out from behind the toilet just as I was about to perch on it.  At first I thought we had a new breed of mice and then I realized he was covered with coal soot!

For me there are as many mice stories as there have been Christmases. My daughter Vavielle recounts that one year she was home for Christmas and sharing a room with her sister Leisa.  Christmas night they went to bed stuffed with good food and brimming over with good cheer. Shortly after they went to sleep they were awaken by a rustling under their bed.  Mice ….in the bags of half eaten chips and treats they had been snacking on Christmas eve! 

Then another Christmas night, do you see a pattern here, my husband Steve was awakened by a rustling noise. He opened his eyes to see the tail of a mouse just disappearing into a gift bag.  It was the same gift bag where he had deposited all the chocolate from his Christmas sock.  So he jumped put of bed, grabbed the bag, rushed downstairs and out unto the walkway; planning to deposit the mouse out of doors.  But before he could perform that action he heard a gasp from the sidewalk. Two young ladies were returning home from a late night adventure and they spied Steve battling the mouse.  He was wearing just what he had on when he sprung from the bed.  Steve sleeps in the buff. 

This Christmas has been no exception.  The mice are prowling around the house, the exterminator has visited, and his Hench man has been in. The mice are still in the house. At a Christmas craft fair I purchased some chocolate from my friend Jacqui of Chocó lately cravings.  Knowing my rodent problem I stored the chocolate items in a tote bag and hung it on the pantry door.  As I started my wrapping I went for the chocolate items.  All was not well, some were chewed and ruined but other items were still intact.  Seem my mice only like chocolate containing marshmallows.  Now I have a plan, I will bait the traps with marshmallow chocolate and ……….. 

My grandson Noah is enjoying a book  The  Mouse before Christmas ,  well he can keep that mouse at his house!  And no one asked me about mice for Christmas.