A Month of Gratitude, #7 and #8

I have some catching up to do....
I am grateful for my animals.  Although they shed and make me sneeze, and sometimes they drive me bonkers, they also are so wonderfully cuddly, and they are a constant source of unconditional love, my flaws and mistakes and all.
I am also grateful that we live in an area where I have access to bulk food stores, thrift shops, discount grocery stores, active online yard sale sites, inexpensive local produce/farms, local butchers, reasonably priced organic foods, etc.  This area makes it easy to find high quality clothing, furniture, and food for my family at good prices.  And if I cannot find what I need, there are multiple resources an hour in any direction.

Asheville, Days Three and Four

On Sunday morning, my friend made us yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast (they completely hit the spot...so good).  They were a great way to start out our day of traveling about 30 miles or so of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We visited the Folk Art Center (basically a visitors' center right outside of Asheville along the Parkway) before we ventured out to see the mountains.  We crossed the French Broad River and made out way through the mountains (sometimes literally, via tunnels).  The views/overlooks provided us breathtaking panoramic views of the mountains on either side, and we snapped a lot of pictures.  Being in the Appalachians is a wonderful chance to ponder simplicity and what truly matters in life.  Being out in the middle of nowhere reminds you of what truly matters.  You've left the stress behind you, and you're out in the majesty of what God has created and given you.  You reflect on your forefathers who lived in the mountains and who were the epitome of self sufficiency and provident living.
We traveled back to Asheville and lunched at Burgermeister's (a turkey reuben for hubby, and a catfish po' boy for me) before heading out with Amy and Jake (Maya was at a friend's house) to the Biltmore, the largest home in America (250 rooms and land encompassing 8,000 acres).  We didn't pay to see the house, and Amy's pass did end up being enough to get us in, so we instead went around Antler Hill Village (I believe that was the name) on the ground.  We toured the Biltmore winery and visited the on site farm to see the animals (a goat even climbed into my lap!).  Jake really enjoyed the animals, as did I, but the people around were very, um, wealthy, and it wasn't always comfortable at times.  Hubby and I dealt with one really rude man in particular who was upset because hubby "almost" touched his son with a gate.  It was a bit embarrassing.  At least it was a reminder of what I do not want to be.
At home, after the kiddos were in bed, we were able to get one on one time with Amy, just talking and watching television.  It was so nice to have time just with her to talk about things, life, whatnot.  I think that was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  It's wonderful to find people who understand you and who you can relate to.
Monday, we unfortunately had to leave (I admit, I was teary eyed, and oh, I miss Splenda the dog...she became my little pal).  We breakfasted at Waffle House, which I haven't had in YEARS, and hubby had never been to one. On the ride home, we stopped and snapped photos on the overlooks along I-26 in North Carolina and Tennessee, our last views of the mountains there for a while.  The trip home flew by.  We opted not to stop at the gorge again and just blew through, though we did meet back up with my mama and walked through the mall and lunched with her in the afternoon before heading home.
The children were thrilled to see us, which made me feel so good inside, and the animals seemed to miss us as well.  Buddy seemed to do well being at the kennel (he can be easily stressed), but Sunflower, our foster kitty, is still acting a bit nervous a day later.  She is very happy to be home.  The kids loved their Build a Bears, too.  We are unpacked and home, a bit sad that such a wonderful trip is over, but happy to see our loved ones.  We are hoping to go back to Asheville twice a year.  :)

Asheville, Days One and Two (In Words)

Our trip to Asheville, NC, in words....
You've seen some of the (many) pics we have taken during our trip.  Now, I am going to start the recap of days one and two of our first vacation in three years.
My friend Amy had invited us to visit her in Asheville, NC.  A lot of people say to come visit, but it's a casual thing.  What can I say?  She really meant it. :)  I was thrilled to see a friend from my college days and her two lovely kiddos, Maya and Jake, who are similar in age to my own little ones.
Per some recommendations, hubby and I decided to go on this trip sans kiddos, and while I missed them, I am grateful we did because the time together was very needed.  We get a lot of time together here in town, per se, but our dates consist of things like grocery shopping and errands, and we struggle with real "quality" time together, or at least coming up with ideas for it beyond dinner and movies.
We left on Friday at about ten AM.  We stopped to visit my mama at work along the way, and while there, we snagged a replacement wedding ring for hubby (she works at a jewelry store).  That was an unexpected surprise, and I am grateful we managed to get a great deal on one that fits him well.  His old ring was a bit too big, and it was made of tungsten carbide, which cannot be resized.
Along the route, we stopped at the New River Gorge Bridge, the longest span bridge in the eastern United States, famous for its scenery and bungee jumping (which we didn't do, obviously).  We have been there before, but the bridge is an engineering marvel, and since it was fall, we knew the view would be spectacular.  It did not disappoint.  The Autumn colors as we traveled onward were breathtaking.  We traveled through Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee (land of Dolly Parton!) before making it to North Carolina.  One thing I noticed about the South is that there are rocking chairs at the rest areas.  It's great, and a bit hilarious.  I have loved rocking chairs since I was a child, so for me, it helps me to feel right at home.  :)
We arrived around seven thirty and did some shopping at Asheville Mall before meeting up with my friend.  She lives in the cutest two story blue house, and the homes in general in Asheville have way more charm and personality than the nearly identical ranchers that permeate my neighborhood.  I am in awe of how vastly they differ, and the various ways that their residents have made them "their own."  Once at the house, we met her daughter Maya, (baby Jake) was in bed, sat and listened while her mama read her some bedtime stories, and went to bed early.
Saturday morning, we visited some local stores with Amy and family after a breakfast of pancakes.  The stores were Second Gear, a used sporting goods shop, Small Terrain, a shop for all things urban homesteading, The Littlest Birds, a children's apparel and supplies consignment shop, and we also had lunch at Bandido's, a Latin fusion restaurant owned by Amy's friends that serves 100% locally sourced food (I had the goi rolls with plum sauce--divine). All of the stores were funky and fun, and I especially thought that the idea for Second Gear was an exceptionally good one.
In the afternoon, we did some more shopping at aforementioned mall (we bought Build-a-Bears for our kiddos...way expensive and a splurge, and I snagged some ridiculously discounted, yet comfortable hiking boots), and I went to my first REI.  (I was unimpressed with REI.  Low selection, and too expensive for our taste.)  We attempted to find the Blue Ridge Parkway, but got lost, which ended up alright in the end because we found a beautiful drive full of golden fields, lush forest, and farmland.  While not exactly mountainous, it was peaceful and lent an atmosphere of simplicity and Southern charm.  We wanted to grab some authentic Carolina BBQ once we were back in Asheville, but struck out (one place was closed, and we trekked beautiful downtown Asheville in vain looking for one place that we never found).  Instead, we went to Burgermeister's, another local place, serving burgers and sandwiches in a funky '80s-meets boudoir pics-meets '70s camp-meets an old jukebox motif (amazingly cool), and we both had the best burgers we have EVER tasted--no exaggeration.  I had a regular grass-fed beef burger with fixings and homemade potato wedges, and hubby had the bison burger with homemade potato salad, which he enjoyed.
We then came home, chilled with Splenda, Amy's ridiculously loving and well behaved black Lab, before calling it a night.
Soon will be the story of days three and four....  :)

Lindy Hop

As I have mentioned before, I volunteer at the local animal shelter.  While there, I meet many wonderful animals with very distinct personalities. 
Recently, I had the privilege to meet Lindy, a spaniel mix. As I went to walk her, I noticed that her hind legs didn't work very well, and would collapse under her frequently.  Yet, until I had her on the lead, I would never have known.  Up until then, all I saw was a wonderfully happy, bright dog, that just oozed gratitude for being alive.  Even when she struggled to walk, or when she messed herself, she was vibrant, trembling with excitement and sheer joy, and her eyes just twinkled.  This was a dog that was so happy to be on this earth, spinal injuries and kidney troubles and all.
She found a wonderful foster mother to take her home, but sadly, it turns out that Lindy's happiness was an amazing, yet heartbreaking, front of fortitude and strength.  Her troubles were worse than we all realized, and she died in her foster family's loving arms this afternoon.
Although I only knew her for a short time, her life was a testament to me that we must be grateful for the time we have on this planet, that happiness and strength can be found, even in seemingly insurmountable circumstances.  It makes you think--if she can do it, so can I.  The lessons we can learn from the animals and creatures in our lives, no matter how meek or small.
Rest in peace, my Lindy Hop, and I thank God for the foster who provided you such a loving home in your last days. 

Backyard Chickens

So...I kinda want to have a garden, and I also think I want chickens next Spring.  Very lofty goals for someone who can't keep a plant alive (I had a houseplant that I named Seymour, who thrived until I forgot to water him for weeks on end), and whose pets own her, and not the other way around.
However, the idea of growing my own fruits and veggies, and having my own eggs, sounds so divine.  I'd have lots and lots of help with gardening and growing my own produce, so I feel okay there, if nervous.  In the meantime, I share this with you, per friends' recommendations, if any of you have the same crazy chicken fever as I do:
Backyard Chickens

Little of This, Little of That...

A lot of random thoughts are brewing today...we'll see where they take me.
Animals.  I've had animals on the brain a lot of late.  We still have our foster kitty, renamed Sunflower (or Sunny, for short).  I renamed her something more positive than Crybaby was, and I swear her personality has brightened under the name change.  She has a propensity for searching out sunbeams and laying in their path, and since I call her "my little sunflower," she started answering to that, and it stuck.  We've dealt with a few minor health issues along the way, but she is adjusting quite well to our family.  Even the dog plays well with her (most of the time).
As I've mentioned, I volunteer at a local animal shelter.  Our main mission is to save as many lives as we can, so we can match adoptable animals to potential forever homes.  However, as with anything in life, there is occasional loss.  During my shift yesterday, I spent some time helping with some sick kittens in our kitten nursery.  Our shelter director was called out on an emergency, and we were unable to euthanize a very ill kitten, and a volunteer was holding it and attempting to comfort it as much as she could.  I felt compelled to take a turn with the kitten.  I wasn't sure why, but it made my heart ache, so I took over the duties with this little kitten.  It was not easy.  The kitten was in respiratory distress and suffocating on fluid.  I held it in a blanket, as close to my chest as possible, up against my heart, as I caressed its fur, tiny head, and ears, and attempted to make it as comfortable as possible.  It passed away snuggled against my breast.  I spent a lot of the evening angry--angry at pet owners who refuse to care for their animals, who don't spay and neuter--and I tried to figure out why it was so important to take a turn with this kitten.  It dawned on me.  As hard as it was, it was easier to give something of myself, even if a little, than to walk away.  It made me sick to think that the kitten was there, and I had to give something.  It would have hurt more to walk away.  I have dealt with dying animals before, but this one affected me so much more. It was one of the most difficult and yet moving experiences of my life.

On to more positive subjects.  Lately, due to some questions I have about things, life, and whatnot, I have been investigating alternative means to peace and health in my life.  We have been eating healthier foods, less meat, and less dairy.  I have been doing extensive research into natural remedies, homeopathy, herbal cures, etc. for minor health concerns.  When my church stopped funding for our counseling sessions, I started looking for different ways to reflect, meditate, and to find peace in our lives.  We have been spending more time outside, taking in the natural world around us.  I also experienced my first reiki treatment.  (A good source for information on reiki can be found here.)  I am blessed to have a friend who provided this service to me.  It was a wonderful time for me to reflect and to ponder about my goals, my concerns, and so forth.  I had this image that I was shedding this skin of negativity as I listened to the music in the background.  When the session was finished, my friend asked me a lot of questions about my life that were spot on--she noted that I am often too hard on myself and that I have my expectations too high when it comes to where I feel I should be, and she said that she felt the need to express to me to work toward balance and being fair and kind to myself.  She also noted that my healing colors were purple and green, which I have found myself drawn to of late before my session.  It was a great experience, and I'm not sure I have ever so deeply meditated in my life.  My friend also shares a similar religious background and understood where I was coming from when I expressed a weakness in my testimony lately, and was so willing to listen to how I felt, while supporting me in my questions and needs, as well as my desire to reconnect to my spiritual foundations while staying true to myself and my heart and what I feel is right.
So, what else have we been into?  I've been enjoying the summer spending time with my family before I go back to the grind of teaching.  We've been playing a lot in sand, and in water, reading stories together and watching movies.  I admit to a growing frustration with my teething infant's lack of desire when it comes to sleeping, but we're managing.  I'm preparing for a course redesign this semester, mandated by my department--I, along with two other adjuncts, will be testing out a new design for our freshman composition courses, and in some ways, I'm grateful because I felt I was starting to develop a rut when it came to my teaching/curriculum.  The hubby received his HAM radio license, and I've enjoyed seeing him get so excited about this new hobby in his life.  It especially proved valuable as a radio service during a massive storm in the area which did extensive damage to the region and has left tens of thousands without power (called a "super derecho," a violent and destructive wind and thunderstorm that was in a arc shape that spanned several states).  The radio enabled us to stay connected to weather service updates during moments of unreliable power, as well as emergency updates, thanks to diligent amateur radio broadcasters.  The storm was so bad that it took the neighbors' staked, full sized trampoline out of the ground, down the hill through our driveway (and over our car--sigh), and across our street into the next neighbors' yard.  (Our car is OK--nothing a trip to the body shop won't fix.  I will show a pic of the trampoline's landing spot.)
Well, that's about everything that I can think of.  Now, if you'll excuse me, this sleep-deprived mama is going to search for rest.  Good night.  (Also, planning on getting back into our "What We Store" series soon.  Keep an eye out.)

BTW, we need to mow our lawn.

UPDATED: Meet Crybaby....

So, I've been trying to plan activities for the children as we can--we've visited farms, picked berries, have gone for walks, etc.  Last Friday, we planned on having an "Art Day," basically a day of fingerpaints and markers and messes, because it was supposed to be stormy and nasty outside.
Yeaaaaah, instead we went to the animal shelter where I volunteer and brought home a cat to foster, named Crybaby.
Crybaby's former owners had her for five years, but are relocating and cannot take her with them.  They didn't want her to have to stay in the shelter, so the shelter asked for a volunteer to foster her until she finds her forever home.  And my allergies and I volunteered for the job.

I am not going to mince words, nor am I going to hide the bad moments. But, I am also going to share all of the positive experiences. Why? Because that is what animal fostering (or ownership) is all about. I had this image of being "The Cat Whisperer" or something. Even though I knew better, even I still had that thought in my head. It hasn't been easy--my allergies are haywire, kitty does not like the children yet, there's litter all over the place, she peed outside of Goob's door (OK, I found that funny...it wasn't much, and pet messes don't scare me....I thought she had him "marked" for some impending doom for harassing her), and she hides much of the time, and hisses more than I like. But, in those moments where I think "What the heck did I get myself into?", that is when she climbs on my lap, gets up on my shoulder, peeks out of hiding even when the kids are around, purrs like mad, nuzzles us constantly--those are the moments when you think, "Maybe I'm doing this right sometimes." Having an animal in your home, any animal, isn't easy. I'm still not sure with our allergies that we could keep her permanently, but this experience is going to be a blessing for our family, whether she is here a few days, a few months, or whatever. I have to have patience (and a LOT of Claritin...that is my biggest worry...allergies).  Crybaby is a sweetheart, and for now, she is ours and a member of our family.
UPDATE: So, Crybaby's first owners lied about the record of her preventative vet care, and it turns out she had some underlying urinary issues.  After peeing blood all over my house and chasing down the shelter vet on a few occasions, we returned her to the shelter because we couldn't keep up with her medical issues, only to feel guilty and bring her back home.  She is now, per doc's orders, crated when not supervised, and on meds twice a day until we know for sure how she is doing.  I knew by the amount of sobbing I was doing when we took her back that I needed her back home.  I am not convinced she is a good fit for us as a forever home, seeing as she does bite, but she is with us for now, and I love this kitty to pieces.

On the Way to a Forever Home (In Pictures)

I attended an adoption event (held at a neighboring town's Petco about an hour away) for our local animal shelter. We took eleven dogs with us, and three found forever homes. I volunteer at our local shelter, but I usually do laundry and wash food and water bowls, so I don't get to see the animals find homes as often as I like because I typically do "behind the scenes" work. Luckily, I was able to spend a full day working to find forever homes for animals that I love, and managed to snag some pics of a particular dog, Slim, who found his forever home yesterday.


Slim, sitting in his crate on the bus beside me, on the way to Petco.


Slim on the left, getting accustomed to the other dogs. All of the dogs loved the fresh air and time to play with each other and new people.

Slim, relaxed and enjoying the one on one attention with a volunteer. He had these big, soulful eyes, and was such a gentle giant, and he started getting a lot of interest from potential families.

Slim finds his new home. The lady on the far right took such a shine to him, and she was just amazing. The two were a match made in heaven. Slim was the popular guy at the event, and another couple came back later to adopt him, only to find he was already in a new home.
This is why I love to volunteer for the animals. But, not all are as lucky as Slim. Too many shelters still needlessly euthanize adoptable animals for space. I thank heaven that ours has abandoned that primitive and inhumane practice. But, for as many animals that were adopted yesterday, we still took too many home, and we will do all we can to find ALL of them the homes they both need and deserve. It was a wonderful, moving day for all of us involved.

Thoughts on an Easter Sunday

I have two quick experiences/reflections running through my head today I want to share:
First, I spent about an hour of my Easter morning volunteering at our local animal shelter. I have been smitten with this shaggy, partially deaf and blind, little dog, who admittedly looks a little worse for the wear. He seems to be an older fellow, and he was found wandering through a busy part of town when he was brought into the shelter. I wanted to specifically spend some time with him; that was my "catch" if my time was needed on Easter morning--that I got to play with this little guy. As I felt his matted, scabby coat, looked into his cloudy, blinded eyes, I felt so sad for him--how could someone cast him out like that? Such a sweet little guy, roaming our town in such shape, because someone was cruel and uncaring. It really bothered me as he and I walked, as I stroked his fur, and on the way home. But, then I found solace...he, along with so many others, is the reason why the no-kill philosophy needs to be adopted everywhere. What would another shelter have done? More than likely, they would have taken one look at him and euthanized him. He would have been deemed "unadoptable," and that would have been the end of it. I know that. And it is the no-kill concept that enabled me to scratch his ears and his back, to give him love and time, to ache for his need for a home--without it, I more than likely would never have known this wonderful boy that I have nicknamed Sam.

(Sam. If I could have him/provide him what he needs, I would take him in an instant. Pic by my friend, Peter.)

Second, and I prefer to keep the where and the who confidential, I found myself feeling like a heel today. I take a lot of pride in finding nice clothes for reasonable prices for my children. I like it when they look nice. I love buying them gifts, and presents, and relishing the holidays with them. But, I had an experience where I realized not all children are so blessed to have these small things--an Easter dress, or a basket, or chocolate, and the thing is--these kids aren't some news story--they are around us, they live here, they share our spaces. Here I was, priding myself that each of my kids had two Easter outfits, like some spoiled mother, and I saw children who more than likely saw today as just another day. I focus so much on what my kids have, and do, and wear, and there are so many kids who lack these things, who lack special little treats, or knowing they are loved, or who don't have parents who care about their basic needs. And I was so worried about whether or not my baby's Easter dresses were dressy enough? Or whether my son's basket had "enough" in it? These kids in need aren't some sad story on a commercial--they are HERE. The question is, how do we change our own mentality, and how do we help them?

Why My Friends Are Better Than Yours

I volunteer at our local animal shelter. A few days ago, a 16 week old kitten came into the shelter with a very severely injured eye--I'll spare you the details--and the shelter had to raise $700 for surgery, or else the kitten would be euthanized.
I was frantic. We were down to our last $12 in our checking account (because we're awesome), and I was feeling guilty about even going to Taco Bell and spending $10 before I knew about said kitten.
So, thanks to social media, I posted the kitten's Chip-in info, and urged my friends to donate, shared the pic, etc.
Some of my friends, who lives miles away and have never set foot in our shelter, gave to this little kitten, purely out of the goodness of their hearts, even though they will likely never personally see the results. Some of these friends are good friends of mine, and others haven't seen me since I was a kid. But, it's safe to say that I was incredibly moved, and because of them, a life was saved. The money was raised, and the little gal is recovering from her surgery.
It's stuff like this that keeps me from being completely and utterly cynical. It's moments like this that keep me from going completely postal during the holidays. The generosity of others never ceases to amaze me. Yes, it's true--I have the best friends.

Why I am Grateful, #28, #29, and #30

Today will be my last post on gratitude, at least for a little while. I am sure that you are tired of these cliched Thanksgiving posts, but I am glad that I am doing them, if nothing else, for my own sake, and for my family's sake. So, for the last time this year:
Today, I am grateful for:
-Good night's sleep, which doesn't always come as often as it used to when I was younger.
-The fact that our local animal shelter, thanks to the wonderful work of its new employees and volunteers, has not killed an animal for space reasons in 366 days. Last year, there was an 85% kill rate, and now, there is a 91% save rate, and the only euthanizations have been due to illness or aggression beyond any control. I am so proud of everyone involved, and the hard work, the tears, the happy "tails," and the battles we have fought together to bring this about.
-I am grateful that my dad deactivated his Facebook account. Before you freak out on me, let me assure you, I LOVED having my dad on Facebook. But, he deactivated his account, at least temporarily, because he felt he was constantly having to check it, which decreased his productivity, and he was tired of all of the drama caused by who is friends with who, and who said what, and who believes what, who read what, etc. It has inspired me to check it less and eliminate unnecessary drama in my life. Granted, it's a great way to keep in touch w/ people, and I'll probably still check it a few times a day, but I want to work harder to check it less and less.

Why I am Grateful, #20 and #21

Today, I am grateful for things like Febreze and homemade candles that keep my house from smelling like diapers, dog, and dust all the time, and for groomers who bathe and cut my dog's coat so I don't have to! Buddy gets groomed today (finally, after a few rounds of sickness), and I'm so happy.

Why I am Grateful, #4: My Dog

We got our dog, Buddy, from a no-kill shelter, during my second trimester of pregnancy with The Goob. This shelter rescued him from a county pound, where he was deemed "unadoptable" due to abuse from his former owners and rampant sickness. The no-kill facility rescued him, nursed him back to health, and here he is with our family, four years later. I feel sometimes that, thanks to the craziness of marriage, life, kiddos, whatnot, that I don't always give him the attention he deserves, but oddly enough (and this isn't an excuse), I feel sometimes like he understands because he loves our family as much as we do. He is crazy, rambunctious, loving, and all out wonderful. I joke with the hubby sometimes that I feel the dog loves me more than anyone else because he loves me faults and all. He has some health problems, and I so wish he didn't because he doesn't deserve them. He's a great dog, and I cherish how much he loves me and my little family.

Invasion of the Crumb Snatchers

I watch a lot of the show Hoarders. You know the one...it's a wonderful show featuring hillbillies who sleep in tents in their backyards because the trash and crap in their home has virtually eliminated any livable space inside, or yuppies hoard collections of millions of "rare beer cans" (no joke!) and find out that these "treasures" are only worth a couple of bucks, or you have ultra-thrifty single women who won't throw out anything because they grew up poor, and will be keeping that bag of liquified, five year old chicken, thanks, because hey, waste not, want not.
Yup, that's the one.
And one common theme in all of these episodes is infestation. Bugs, critters, rodents, spiders, animal hoarding...the list goes on. So, naturally, my associations with these little monsters goes with bad housekeeping, as a rule. Normal people, for example, get, say, only one mouse, right? And he just goes away when the home owner says enough is enough. Right? RIGHT?
Nope. It's official. We've got some mice.
It started with scuttling sounds around my stove. My husband, ever so calming an influence, assured me I was wrong about there being an unwanted presence in the home, and wrote it off as vibrations from the washer and dryer. Phew.
Nope. Not hardly. While doing laundry one day, I noticed what I thought were bugs on my basement floor. I went to look, cursing my luck, and discovered it was even worse--mouse turds.
Now, I know what mouse turds are...I had a pet mouse as a kid (mice, actually, because Furrball was pregnant when we bought her), and her only joy in life was pooping all over my room. And these were mouse turds.
I wanted to do "THE HUMANE THING" and catch the mouse without killing it. I envisioned myself in hippie love beads, ceremoniously releasing this mouse into some flower-strewn park somewhere in emerald green grass, with music playing, I'm quite sure. It would be BEAUTIFUL.
The Engineer wasn't having any of that, and assured me the mouse must go, and threw down a few snap traps. In a day, the mouse met its maker.
I admit, while sad that I didn't get to release him back into nature, I was glad he was gone. And for nearly two weeks, I enjoyed a mouse-free presence in my home, even starting to breathe easier whenever I would go down into the basement to get meat from the freezer or to do laundry.
And then, there were two more. See, we had kept the traps down there under a vague assumption of "just in case," and two more mousies were waiting for me, catching me completely off guard.
After I had a panic attack, I called the husband in sheer and utter terror, no longer wanting to do "the humane thing" and simply wanting any little rodent invader killed. I had done enough research over the course of all this, and convinced myself we would all die of hantavirus or whatever other rare diseases vermin carry, and that we were, in technical terms, screwed.
But, there was one thing I was grateful for in all of this, and that was that they at least hadn't come upstairs. There was that, and I had latched onto that fact with all of the sanity I had left.
Until I found mouse crap on my food storage shelves.
And that, my friends, is when I completely lost my mind.
I cried, I hyperventilated, I cursed under my breath, I envisioned that these little beasts were simply out to kill me and my family and eat all of my precious food at the same time. Down went traps into the kitchen (one mouse caught...so far, no more since, but I reserve the right to claim it is mouse-free until WEEKS go by). I took everything out of my clean kitchen and SCRUBBED. I moved appliances and SCRUBBED. I took all of my food and placed it in air-tight containers (I'm pretty sure mice could chew through plastic if they wanted to, but it will make it harder for them). I scrubbed shelves, exposed surfaces, cabinets, reorganizing anything I could. This took about five hours in total. And the only evidence I have seen of any more mice in there is one little turd I found this morning right on the edge of the kitchen and living room, but I have found just one here and there a couple times that we have tracked in after working on the basement, so I am not convinced that there is one in my living room now, because, as we all know, mice won't leave just one little poop--they leave dozens, and one solitary poop on its own, so far, has meant we just happened to have one in our shoe.
We killed another two in our basement after the first three, bringing our total to six. We have found, and at least temporarily, sealed dropping-laden entryways we have found where they could have come in, and so far, we have had only one in livable space, and it came in through a cartoon-type mouse hole behind our fridge that was very new. I have the kitchen cleaned enough I should be able to see evidence of anything new when it happens--not that it wasn't clean before, but I have things situated so I can see a problem as it happens.
I've taken this whole thing personal. I have anxiety attacks, see, and I have been convinced that somehow, I have done something wrong to have this happen. Maybe I didn't clean enough, or maybe I lived in denial that this could ever happen to us, and what kind of mother lets this happen...all of those terrible thoughts. But, as my mother-in-law and husband have assured me, as well as a lot of friends, that this is, sad to say, a war that millions of homes wage, and that a lot of my loved ones have endured in their own homes, and that it will be won. I have made my husband promise that, if we can't combat this on our own, that we will call an exterminator, and so far, we seem to be doing OK in at least keeping ownership of our home and our things. It's war now. Screw being humane...I want the rodents dead and gone. I don't know how many more we have, but we are trying to eliminate any nests, food sources, entryways that could encourage more.
Any of you have any experience with toxic animal invaders?
**NOTE** Oh, and we have ladybugs, too. FML.