Tag Archive: mice



A Day In The Life

Country Style

When we moved into this mobile in the country we knew that there were sacrifices in lifestyle we’d have to make. We’re still getting used to it. In the first year, we only had heating in our bedrooms so we spent the winter there. I was closest to the bedroom door. These guys:

Rosey (sorry, I never seem to get a good picture of this shiny beautiful black cat.)

and Teddy,

had me opening and shutting the bedroom door all night long. Not only did I lose a lot of sleep, but it chilled the room.

One day, kind hubby made a pet door so I didn’t have to do that anymore. The room stayed warm and the cats could come and go as they needed.

Rosey is a sweety. She likes to share with her humans. In the middle of the night, she will bring in socks or other presents.  Here are some of the gifts:

The Snoopy and the Phantom were gifts from a very good friend. I tried to keep them on the piano but Rosey thought we’d needed them in the bed with us.

Teddy is a sweety and lays on our shoulders and purrs. It helps me. It hurts my husband. Teddy switches between us all night.

Oh, the Ninja Turtles? They came with Kali. She never plays with them. But Rosey knows we need them. They are nearly as big as she is. It is difficult for her to get through the pet door with them. But she manages to yell in kitty meows about what she is bringing from the livingroom. She has brought us big hiking boots, even my rainboots. I don’t know how she does it!

Anyway, last night or rather ‘at stupid o’clock’ as my friend Willow21 calls it, this time it was about 5AM, we hear the meowing and thumping that let us know we were in for a present. But there was a jingle sound that didn’t sound like her tags. I got out my phone to put a flashlight on the situation. There she was flopping something that looked like this around.

 

Pixabay.com

 

Yeah, not my picture because the phone was the light.

Most of the years we have lived here there have been mice. But not many and things were generally okay. This year before COVID19 we were inundated. So we were already fighting Hantavirus. We’ve, well, my brother mostly, set traps all around. We had been catching two or three a day. It had calmed down a lot lately, so a mouse wasn’t what I expected.

I hate killing them. They are so cute. One day, a few years ago, I went into the bedroom and saw one like this on my made bed.

Pixabay.com

Except that the one on my bed was more cinnamon with white on his/her belly and feet. It had its hands folded together in prayer form like it was pleading for its life. My heart was broken. I wanted to pick it up and pet it. I wanted to sit and draw it so puffy and soft. But I remembered Hanta and called my brother to see what he could do about it. He didn’t have the heart to kill it either. He scooped it up with a kerchief and set it free outside. We didn’t have the rooster yet. Nowadays the poor thing would be eaten. We have tried the live traps hoping not to kill them. But I think, no matter how far away from the house we set them free, they call their friends and tell them about the big house full of free meals. Yeah, they didn’t read the contract. Sometimes I’m tempted to put them in cages to tame them and hold them. But we barely have enough money to feed ourselves and the three furry friends. I don’t need to start a colony of more pets. So the quandary stands. The only choice is to trap them then feed the chickens.

So this was Sunday, yeah the usual Zoom church and CBS Sunday Morning defined it for me, even though it’s been a long, long day since rooster crow time. Let’s hope tomorrow is kinder to all of us furry or not.

What Day Is It Anyway? is another blog prompt by Linda G. Hill in her words:

Why I’m writing this post:

Because if you’re like me and stuck at home already, or if you’re going to be like me soon, the days of the week are hell to keep track of. We have a wonderful community here on WordPress and all over the Internet as well, and I’m sure many people are feeling nervous and/or isolated. I want to make sure every one of us has somewhere to congregate and someone to talk to.

I want everyone to know that you can start discussions with each other in the comments, and if you’d like to write your own “What Day is it Anyway?” post, you can link to this one. Hashtag #WDIIA.

Let’s keep in touch!


Pixabay.com

A beauty like this guy struts in my yard every day. He is not ours. Neither is his matching hen or a white hen. They wander our yard like they own the place. That’s okay with me as I think that cock-a-doodle-doo protects our three quieter hens.

Pixabay.com

Our three look like this one. We had four but a hawk got one of them. My brother had them all named. But I don’t know them that intimately. I do take care of one of their meals of the day. I have two peanut butter toasted sandwiches for breakfast. Kali gets one little corner and the chickens get the crusts. I am a vegetarian by nature. I am allergic to egg whites to the extent that I can’t get the flu shots or others that are based in albumin. But I love the sounds of the clucking and crowing all over my yard. They do their part to scratch out bugs and fertilize the soil. And my husband and brother enjoy the eggs. Me? I’m hoping for wee peep-peeps! But our girls attack the rooster if he comes near. Yay! Hens-lib! ??

Oh, that grass seen in the above pictures? That is truly greener on the other side of the fence. Our neighbor has managed to make and keep a beautiful lawn. We barely manage to keep the sagebrush away from our house.

Other animal sounds we hear around here lately are coyotes and their pups.  One poor girl here was followed to the bus stop by a coyote. She was smart and stood tall and yelled and it ran away. But they can be quite dangerous for people and pets. We have to keep our gate closed and watch carefully for those who might jump over into our yard. Kali and the chickens are in danger. As are the two stray cats that have been here even before we moved here. Rosey and Teddy are indoor felines. Meow!

Our other neighbor has turkeys. When we gave ours away he got some of his own so the gobbles are still a welcome sound.

What doesn’t make sound, that we can hear here are the alpacas that are across the way. They are cute. I wish I had one. Can you imagine the yarn I could get if I got good at alpaca husbandry?

We have seen bear droppings at the campground twelve miles away. That is a sound I don’t want to hear! GRRRowl!

Oh, I just thought of the deer and antelope that play around this here range. Kind of like the baaing of lambs or goats that some neighbors have. There are a few horses. Neigh, not a lot. Ducks and geese quack their honks and especially at sunset as they settle down.

The most annoying, yet cute sound? Oh, my goodness. This mildish winter has brought in the mice. We have cute mice with shiny coats. The other day I was reaching in a cabinet for a can of beans and I heard a high pitch bunch of squeaks. It is no fun to live in the country when you find things like that.  My brother found them and the chickens ate them up. Yes, I have tears in my eyes as I think of it. Soon after he caught a few bigger mice in traps.

I thought you might enjoy what our outdoor friends do that I have seen happen.

I just remembered the wonderful sound of last summer. We had some frogs somewhere between our yard and the nearest neighbor. The co-roaking was so cool! I hope we get it again this year, By the way, the weather is getting warmer and my son and I have made plans to start walking a bit. We spell out the word W-A-L-K so Kali doesn’t get too crazy. Her whining can quickly turn into barking lectures of great magnitude!

Per Linda:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “animal sounds.” Write about the sounds animals make and how you experience them. Have fun!

 

CREATIVE & INNOVATIVE

System of thinking ( MIND )

Sentient Metaphysics

Spirituality And Psychic Development

Verse Voyager Books

Embark on Literary Journeys with Verses Unveiled.

The Wild Coach

The truth of the light and the light of the truth

Towards Good Life

Make your life more productive and feel free.

Enabling Residual Income

Earning Passive Internet Income With one-Time Action

The World Through My Glasses

Travel | Photography | Food

Episodes of Daily journal

lifestyle, reality, wellness

Spirit of Tarot

Tarot for Insight and Self-Awareness

Heartland Echoes

Hello and welcome to Heartland Echoes! I am thrilled to have you here. So, sit back, relax, and stay awhile as you explore my diverse range of written poetry, mental health articles, motivational quotes, and ten captivating chapters of my autobiography. Get ready to be inspired and uplifted as you delve into the world of Heartland Echoes.

TEXEIRA BLOGS

"LAUGH A' LITTLE"

Healthy solutions

Healthy forever

Affiliate Marketing For Beginners

How to get started as an affiliate marketer

MoonCat

Read, Look, Listen

Zizzling Zazzle - Christine aka stine1 blogging

POD Designer and AI Art Enthusiast blogging about my Adventures online

Affiliate Revive

Empowering Your Affiliate Journey: From Strategy to Success

nicki does hair

Just a hairstylist helping you to MANEtain your luscious locks in the salon and at home!

Sunra Rainz

Poetry. Art. Photography. Musings.