Just A Little Giggle!!

Oh my do I have a story for you!! I have no pictures, but I DO have a story!!!

Two nights ago Jarred and I had put the kids to bed and were laying in the floor of our apartment watching Lonesome Dove on Netflix. (we were on the floor because we have to sit up straight on our tiny love seat of a couch) (Oh! and we were watching Lonesome Dove because Jarred assures me it is a classic!)  All of a sudden a large life size rat comes running toward us on the floor and we both jump up and stumble around in sheer confusion. Now keep in mind we live on the third floor and there are sleeping people above us and below us, not to mention our own children are in the next room asleep. So, we are doing those whisper screams and yells every time we see this little guy. And, oh he is not being shy about making his presence known.

A little side note. My mother was a wonderful mother growing up and there are very few problems or life situations that I can pin on her, BUT my fear of mice I CAN!!! This woman has let out death curdling screams, acrobatics, and even tears. Oh, many tears over these little rodents. She gladly passed this down to my sister and I!! Seeing our mother go into sheer panic whenever a mouse was even mentioned has had a little affect on me. You may notice that as this story plays out!!!

So, back to Wednesday night!! I am now standing in a little red chair of our apartment holding a tennis racket in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other and directing poor Jarred where it is. My night in shining rat killing armour is armed with a metal pole from the closet and a small rug for trapping. He informs me that I am gonna have to help him and I am telling him "Oh, no" Oh, no" as I begin walking toward the rat. We get it trapped behind the TV stand and Jarred informs me this is just a "mouse". Like that makes it any better???? NO!!! And, for the record this sucker is black with a long tail. It is smaller than I originally thought, but a baby rat is still a RAT. Well, the night in shining mouse trapping armour lets it get away. We couldn't find it anywhere. We had no idea how it got in or how it may have gotten out. The sucker is gone. So, Jarred finely talks me into going to bed. I slept none.

The next morning, Jarred goes on to work and I do not tell the kids about the night before because they are a bit like their mother and seem to get all worked up over small rodents. Well, while sitting on the couch the rat runs around a corner of the kitchen into the living room and back and into a cabinet then out again and back up and down the wall. Emma looks at  me and says, "Is that a rat?" I told her it was. Scout, Emma, and I sat on this tiny love seat and pulled our feet up and every time the little rodent ran we screamed like a roller coaster scream. Then when the little critter ran into the cabinet we were dead silent. This went on for several minutes. Screams, silence, screams, silence....you get the idea?? I finally called Jarred at work and demanded he come home and kill this rat. I said "it is terrorizing us!". He had a hard time wrapping his head around how a small rodent could be terrorizing three humans, but it totally was.

Jarred walked into this apartment with a mop. Really, a mop. He quickly determined the rat was not going to come out of hiding to be whacked with his mop, so he ran down to the store and bought some traps. He baited one trap with American peanut butter and one with French stinky cheese so we would for sure know the country of origin of this rat. Guess what?? It only took about fifteen minutes for the smell of the cheese to lure the little rascal out of riding. It was a French mouse. We are sure. May he rest in peace.

So, Jarred has convinced the children that this was just a little mouse. I am still not so convinced. That was one long thick tail, but maybe French mice resemble the American rat. Who knows?? My mind may just not be able to make that little sucker harmless, because it never felt harmless when it was playing mind tricks with us.

So, I hope you can all have a little giggle. I was not laughing then, but now I am!!


Until Next Time,
Megan