Farm Life

Farm life can be "challenging" sometimes. We came out of the winter with a particularly bad case of barn mice. My cats, Tuffy and Red, are 18 years old and weren't keeping up on the extermination end of their deal (I feed them and they catch varmints).

Because we had baby chickens in the barn, I didn't want to adopt older cats and have them get full on the chicks instead of the mice. A message went out to friends and family and our daughter Meghan came up with a litter of kitties that had been orphaned on a race horse ranch near Paso. I really didn't need 5 but I figured that we would loose some. We have several barn owls that live in the trees around our house and the barn. Between them and the eagles I was sure the kittens didn't have a very good chance of survival.

There were 4 little boys and 1 little girl. I tried not to get to attached (remember the owls) but ended up naming them anyway. The second day they were in the barn, I walked in and found 3 of them with a mice sticking out of their mouths.

Three months later and they are beautiful teenagers (didn't lose even one) and the barn is completely free of mice.

Unfortunately, they are outside cats and the INSIDE of my house became a haven for little squeakers (mice). One day we saw a mouse. A week later, they were playing volleyball in the front room - mice everywhere!

Because we don't use any poisons at HZ Harvest, we bought sticky traps. They are little plastic boards with this gooey stuff on top of them that you will never get off your fingers if you accidentally touch one. The idea is that you put them in the areas where mice frequent. A mouse runs across one and gets stuck. You then hear this little squeak and there is a mouse trying to get off the trap. Way too icky for me - I then call Marvin to come dispose of the trap and the mouse. I know this sounds awful but it works. When you get up in the morning and find mouse droppings on the drainboard, your really don't care what method is used. I have scrubbed my counters so many times over the past few weeks that the finish should be coming off of the tile.

Anyway, we have had several nights free of any further evidence of habitation. Until the night before last......

I came into the office to try to get caught up on my paperwork (yeah right). I was making labels for the egg cartons and wanted to print a sample copy. When I pushed the print button, the printer made a couple of noises and then said that I had a misfeed. As I pulled open the paper tray - my eyes met those of a little gray fellow. I'm not sure which one of us screamed louder (the mouse of me) but he ran back inside the printer and I ran out of the office. It was time for sticky traps in the office.

Last night, I was at the computer and the little bugger ran right across the desk in between my keyboard and my screen. Then he turned around and ran back! Mice are really dirty and carry diseases and fleas. I was so totally over the whole experience. I went for the sticky trap and stuck it in front of the printer. A few short moments later, the deed had been done and my office (hopefully) is once again mouse free.

Have fun and don't let the mice take over your house!