February 4, 2005 - Friday | 10:31 AM, CST

Something very odd happend the other day, and if you are one of my squemish female readers you probably shouldn't browse this entry. I woke up Wednesday afternoon and headed to the bathroom. On my way, I met a large, fat mouse in the hallway. We stopped, exchanged a brief greeting, and then I darted after it. He ran, as expected, and I didn't feel like moving my huge freezer in order to catch him.

I went to the kitchen and checked the mouse traps. Each one was still set, but entirely devoid of bait. Now how does a mouse remove peanut butter from a mousetrap without setting it off? I can barely set it on the floor without it going off. I can only imagine the forces acting upon it if I were to pull peanut butter off the damn things.

So I rebaited them, and left for work. The next morning, one of the mousetraps is missing. "What the hell..." I thought to myself, and looked around. I couldn't find anything. I looked behind the fridge, the dryer, all across the kitchen, in the spare bedroom, the hallway. Everywhere. I half expected to find it underneath my bedsheets, ready to go off as soon as I put my precious little footsies under the covers. But alas, I didn't find it.

I went to bed, and woke up as normal. I was in the bathroom that evening, when I heard what sounded like the mousetrap scurrying across the kitchen's linoleum floor. "Aha!" and I rushed into the kitchen. Nothing, just as before. Again, I completed a search of the entire house. This time though, I used a flashlight to check under the fridge, and the washer and dryer. Even behind the kitchen sink. Underneath the bed and dresser of the guest bedroom. Along the walls in the hallway. Nothing at all.

This morning I found the missing mousetrap underneath the dresser in the guest bedroom. Ok, so I figured that the mouse was only wounded by the trap and dragged it in there (something for which I really don't like mousetraps... I can't stand to see animals suffer, even mice). But I can't see how that happened... The mousetrap had clearly come down with a kill shot. Mice don't just die and then walk around with a mousetrap attached to their neck for a fucking day and a half.

Was this mouselim possessed by some sort of Jihadic rage that drove it to seek otherworldly revenge? I don't know... but it certainly has me very puzzled.

I took Bryan out this morning with a fire engine showed him how to run the pumps. We practiced charging up a line, firing up the generator, etc. I even showed him some extrication tools and stuff. We brought the engine out to my house and soaked my yard down for awhile, then drove to Sheldon to fill up the water tanks. He seemed to be getting along pretty well with all the levers and stuff, but it will take some time before he gets it down, I imagine. Whats important now is getting comfortable with driving, and he has the advantage of having owned manual transmission vehicle since he got his license. I didn't have that luxury... but then, I'm not a botherhead.

Kelly's foot is also doing much better. She is still having some trouble walking, but is doing so without much of a limp.

grokkings

Bill White wasn't so cocky when I was out on the porch cleaning my shotgun.

different crap

Ghost hunting    7/23/02

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