Darn It
I saw a mouse the other day.
Yep.
I was stacking wood in a nice, orderly pile and boo ! there he was, just sitting, staring at me.
My reaction ?
‘… time to move along little fella …’
I’ve come a looooooong way, baby
& this recent varmint encounter has reminded me of just how far I’ve advanced.
My very first experience with a mouse was in 1985.
I remember it well because I about had a heart attack that day.
Serious YIKES.
I had never seen a mouse in person before and I was beyond frightened, so I did what I had to do.
I scooped up my baby boy and got the heck out of here.
I say ‘here’ because I still live ‘here’.
I survived.
YaY.
Husband was at work at the time so I ran over to the safe haven known as Mom and Dad’s.
Dad bravely ventured back to set a trap, as I was determined to stay forever hunkered until that beast was caught.
Days, weeks, months.
Didn’t matter.
Son and I were embedded.
Husband called an hour or so later.
The mouse was dead. The coast cleared.
whew.
Looking back now, I realize my incredible naivety.
To think that was the only mouse, the only stowaway, I would ever have to deal with in this house ?
HA.
Right.
Critters LOVE this place.
Time and time again they have been magnetically pulled in, determined to call it Home Sweet Home.
Like that day the wasps decided to set up a nice, cozy nest right above our kitchen.
Hardy fellas, they were.
Bug spray only scented their air.
Friendly too.
They would energetically buzzzzzzz out daily to visit me.
buzz. buzz.
It became war very quickly.
I would fly swatter greet them as they’d fly out of that ever so tiny hole.
One by one they’d appear
& one by one, I would squoosh.
humph.
& every single time I’d go in for the squoosh, I would emphasize LOUD AND CLEAR for all to hear,
DARN IT !!
I said those two words so many times that my young, innocent daughters began calling wasps ‘darn its’.
“Mom ! There’s another darn it !”
um
good thing I didn’t have a potty mouth
As I sit here reminiscing about that very first mouse in this house, I also pat myself on the back.
PaT
PaT
Because I can honestly say each rascal visit has made me stronger.
Yes, even wiser.
So, to every mouse
snake
raccoon
squirrel
wasp
worm
bee
spider
deer
fox
coyote
ground hog
bat
cricket
rabbit
skunk
toad
opossum
&
bird that has entered this house and/or my life I say, “thanks !!”
YOU have helped form who I am today
&
I. Love. You.
I promise.
I will never, ever harm nature again.
well, uhhh.
errrr.
Spiders and snakes ??
I don’t love you guys all that much, so stay away.
Please.
eek
🙂
