When X, Favorite Young Man, The Hurricane, and I moved from Washington state to Maryland, we lived in Laurel for three years. Laurel would have been small townish if it hadn't been halfway between Baltimore and D.C., and, thus, had very heavy traffic. Laurel itself also grew because more people were moving farther away from the cities.
We moved into a beautiful and very expensive (the real estate market was almost at its height) townhouse in Laurel. It was part of a new development that had a large wooded area behind its first street, the street on which we lived.
When we'd been there less than a year, I began to suspect that mice visited us. I saw a few of what might have been droppings, but I never saw a mouse or any other evidence of a mouse.
Then one evening when X was out of town, Favorite Young Man, who was about eight years old, left the family room on the first floor for the kitchen on the second floor. Within minutes I heard him squeal as if he'd been attacked. I ran upstairs to see what was wrong.
A mouse! he said. A mouse ran out from the right side of the kitchen and went all the way to the left and underneath the washing machine!
He didn't look like this:
He looked more like this:
What to do?
I picked up the phone to call my dad in Topeka, Kansas. He told me how to set a mouse trap.
I don't think I can do that, I quavered. Why don't you get on a plane and take care of it?
I really wanted Daddy to get on a plane, fly to Maryland, and get rid of the mouse—even though I knew he couldn't.
Daddy told me that he knew I could set the mouse trap. He was sure I could. He was positive.
He always had more faith in me than I had in myself.
I miss him.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
Note: We were plagued by mice the entire three years that we lived in Laurel. Our brand new housing development had displaced the home of mice and other small animals. Raccoons were especially good at opening the garbage cans in the back of the house to help themselves to a meal.
What a cute story! Well, not so much the mouse. But definitely about your dad. On this day, we remember moments like this and miss them dearly.
ReplyDeleteMice are not cute. I wonder why Walt Disney chose a mouse as his representative.
DeleteHi, Janie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story. Daddy to the rescue. He knew his little girl could handle anything... he raised you to take care of yourself and family. I am sure was right...
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all loving fathers!
Thank you, Michael. It's nice to see you.
DeleteHi Janie - mice can be a great nuisance ... and most people don't like setting traps - I've done it ... but when my uncle was in hospital I had to get the rodent people out ... as there were mice everywhere ... such is life sometimes. Glad your father had lots of faith in you ... I'm sure you miss him, as I miss mine ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Illinois we had to hire an exterminator. The mice tried to take over our house there.
DeleteI feel so badly for displaced animals. None it must make any sense to them if they survive the construction. But you cannot have mice in the house. No matter how much I love animals, there are many animals that will destroy your home. :( Glad your dad had faith in you. That means a lot. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was especially bad for the deer in Maryland. They had no place to go.
DeleteMice are clever and wily adversaries.
ReplyDeleteThey are little devils with fur.
DeleteWe had a mouse once, and it took all I had to convince Mrs. Chatterbox that we didn't need to move. I ended up catching that mouse.
ReplyDeleteYou are a worthy adversary, Stephen.
DeleteI read about all these sweet thing dad's have done for others and how bad they miss him. I cannot say that. I don't have ONE sweet, or precious memory of my dad. HE was evil or a drunkard or a wife beater though he could do a good job on the kids. He was just there. He never saw me play sport, see me in any activity, took the family on vacaton or anything. I don't miss him because he basically was never there to start with. But I am really glad you have good memories of your dad. That is the way it should be.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is the way it should be, and I wish you had the same kinds of memories that I have.
DeleteMy mouse trap has orange fur and weighs 12 pounds.
ReplyDeleteWe adopted that kind of mouse trap. He did the best he could.
DeleteMy mouse trap has orange fur and weighs 12 pounds.
ReplyDeleteI love this story! Nothing beats being able to call a dad to help with solutions. I still miss Dad's advice
ReplyDeleteHow I wish my dad had been around when I was getting divorced.
DeleteThat's a sweet story. Yep, Dads can fix anything!!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you lived in MD! I did too. I worked in Washington and Alexandria. What years were you there? I was there from '85-'91. DC is a great city but I wouldn't want to go back to live there...
Michele at Angels Bark
We lived in Laurel from '87 to '90, if I remember correctly, and in Western Maryland for 12 years after that. I loved Maryland, but I don't miss the snow.
DeleteI'm the strange one who loves mice and rats. I remember in high school, we had a big white mouse on the loose. I remember I was the only one who didn't freak out, grabbed a towel, and picked up the mouse, pet it, and then the janitor came to take him.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I love your story about your dad. I always love your stories about your dad. Wishing you lots of love and light today.
Love,
Jessica
Thank you, sweetie. Rodents freak me out, as do snakes and palmetto bugs.
DeleteA great story mice are horrible and should be dead I do not like mice just saying
ReplyDeleteI hate mice with a passion. I wish them dead, too.
DeleteOh Janie how much I love this story.
ReplyDeleteIt made me smile !
cheers, parsnip and thehamish
I'm glad. I hope thehamish smiles, too.
DeleteOh yes, I remember my first year as a homeowner and our mouse. The mouse mocked us, pooped on the mouse traps. It wasn't until we bought nearly 4,068 mousetraps strategically placed around our home (only 8 snapped on my fingers) so that we were as much prisoners as predators. We eventually won. And now we do our best to encourage the stray cats that truck through our yard.
ReplyDeleteYour story was sweet. It sounds like you had a good dad.
We have a million feral cats in our neighborhood. They have no interest in catching anything because so many people feed them.
DeleteHappy Father's day. That's a heartwarming story filled with nice memories, thanks for sharing and warm greetings to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting. Warm greetings to you, too.
DeleteWhatever you do, don't order a mouse trap from Amazon. They might send you Mickey, though.
ReplyDeleteI gave up on mouse traps. When we lived in Illinois, we used those sticky traps.
DeleteWe have a cat who's a master hunter. Cats are inefficient in the short term but her efforts seem to have cut into the population significantly over time. We don't get kills with much frequency anymore. In one sense, it's too bad. Tubby little thing, she could do with the exercise.
ReplyDeleteFeed her less and she'll hunt more.
DeleteI had mice in my last apartment. I once walked in the kitchen and this tiny little mouse was sitting on the stove, looking at me. I didn't know what to do as I didn't have the guts to kill it on the spot. We kinda stared at each other for a while, I made myself a drink and walked away...
ReplyDeleteI did get rid of the mice eventually.
I scream every time I see a rodent. Or a snake. Or a palmetto bug.
DeleteYeah, is it weird that I find your picture of the real mouse cuter than the Mickey one? Not that I want one as a pet, but they're kind of cute... well, when they aren't wrecking your walls and leaving pellets all over the place.
ReplyDeleteLove the story about your dad knowing what a badass you are deep down.
It's interesting that you made the badass comment because my son told me recently that I'm a real badass.
DeleteGreat anecdote. Glad your Dad had such faith in you.
ReplyDeleteI had a mouse post myself a few years back!
I remember your mice in the trunk. I used to have a friend whose cat brought mice in the house to play with them until they died. Then she'd pick them up with pliers and toss them into the bushes. When she had some heavy furniture moved, she found quite a few dead mice behind each piece. I said, Didn't you smell them decaying?
DeleteNo, she said. Should I have?
Well, yeah. I think she didn't smell them because she didn't clean the litter box very often, if ever. I cleaned it when I visited because the ammonia made my eyes burn.
I think it speaks volumes that you wanted your dad to come catch your mouse. We are the lucky ones who had good fathers; I wish every child had the good fortune to have at least one loving parent. Unfortunately, too many do not. This is our sweepstakes luck, Janie.
ReplyDeleteIt was one lottery that I won.
DeleteSweet story about your dad.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the time, my pipes were leaking under my bathroom sink and I was 9 months pregnant. He told me to look for a radiator hose in the garage and attach it, until the morning, when he would come over and fix it. It worked.
Good dads are the best!
They certainly are.
DeleteSorry, honey. Hugs to you. That was a sweet story.
ReplyDeleteLove.
Aw, thanks.
DeleteAww, that's a great Father's Day story, Janie.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like a very special man.