More Mousecapades...

The vermin situation has reached a new low (or maybe high--depending on how you look at it?).

This morning I came downstairs to discover that Don had shirked his vermin-checking duties and left for work with the traps (that's traps plural.) and possible trapped vermin still in my kitchen cabinet.

Unfortunately, I heard some tell-tale clanking from the cabinet which made me think we had another half-caught vermin--which I can't deal with. I called Don in a panic and he said to get Teddy on the case.

I asked Teddy to check on the vermin situation and he reported that the the vermin appeared to be deceased in one trap and that the other trap was empty. I decided to wait for Don to come home to deal with it.

So I went on with my day--Target, present-wrapping, Starbucks drinking...

Later in the afternoon, I heard more verminous activity and I figured there was now a vermin in the other trap too. Since there was quite a lot of racket, Gooser and I decided to be brave and try to free the vermin.

Wearing one football glove and one gardening glove and armed with two pair of barbecue tongs, I approached the cabinet.

What I discovered was one unfortunate vermin caught in both traps at the same time. His foot was in one and sort of his face was in the other. I managed to pick up both traps with the tongs and, with Gooser's help as doorman, move the whole operation outside.

I released the vermin who seemed surprisingly healthy after his ordeal and we watched him scamper under the frozen grill.

After a little while, Gooser wanted to go out and see if he was still there and I found him huddled between the grill and a frozen basketball. It is frigid, frigid cold here and I was worried that maybe he was in shock or something after the double-trapping and would freeze to death.

So I did what any normal person would do--I brought him back inside, placed him in a wicker wastebasket and fed him a luncheon of Cheez-Its.

I hear you laughing! Why are you laughing? That's normal, isn't it?

Anyway, he is a temporary pet. It's not supposed to be nearly as cold tomorrow and I'm hoping he'll be sufficiently rested and ready to go out on his own. His face is a little messed up, but I think he's ok.

Gooser and I made this sign for his basket:
And here is mousie:
I figure any mouse tough enough to survive a double-trapping deserves a second chance!!