It is a delight to be the spouse of a hard working, joy-filled, dedicated man.



Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Mice, I Hate Them!

Ya I get it, hate is a strong word, and do I really hate a defenseless little creature of God's such as a mouse? Yep, yes I do. Two, uh actually now three years ago Rebecca and I went up to Raintree to take some more classes on how to graft fruit trees. As this was my, what, third "class" it was less of a class and more of a "hey grow a pair and just try doing it already" experience. For Rebecca it actually was a class.

I purchased a few root stocks for apples and I went home armed with yet another day of explanation, the little rubber strips and the green goop I needed. I already had the groovy grafting knife sharp enough to cut off your entire arm so quickly and cleanly that you wouldn't know it until you went to bed that night and could sleep peacefully on your side without wondering what to do with your irritating arm stuck under you because unbeknownst to yourself you cut it off earlier that day with your wonder knife you got for grafting trees.

I took some terrific clean and willing scion wood off of our favorite tree in the orchard right outside of our house, one of the many surviving trees from when our place was homesteaded by Sam Sorenson over one hundred years ago. I carefully performed four grafts, one didn't take, one was knocked off by the stinking dogs and two took and have been growing in little pots ever since waiting for me to decide if they are staying here or coming with me when God says "move."

When we were about to experience twenty degree and lower temperatures back a few months, I gathered up my little nursery, shoved them all in close to one another, surrounded them with old hay that Dirt allowed me to "waste" on my plants even wrapped all that with an enormous sheet of plastic all around the base so that the hay would not be blown away. Some of the hay I put over some of the smaller less self insulated pots so that they wouldn't freeze out from the top down as well as from the sides and bottom.

Everyone was nice and cozy.

Yesterday I decided that I was done waiting for the second big freeze so that we could ice skate one more time before spring hit. And since things are beginning to pop up in my garden (see my new banner picture?) I decided that maybe some of my nursery stock would like to take their winter covers off and get on with the business of breathing once again.

So moldy hay be darned, I began pulling the huddle apart and setting the various plants in their little groupings. I was excited as I moved the last of my many potted lilacs and reached for my grafted apple trees that looked pretty good (excitement building, building) up top, nice bud set good branching beginning...

And girdled by those ballasted little rodent buggers! Okay, not my exact words and yes one of them is rather made up, but those would be the words I perhaps should have used if I was worried that the neighbors could hear. Fortunately, unfortunately however the case may be, I do not have neighbors within ear shot. Hey, don't come over and canvas the neighborhood for consensus just take my word on it.

But there you have it folks. a ruined little apple tree. Not to mention they did some more damage, not as heart breaking, but damage none the less...

can you see the hole there that they made into the roots of a special mint?

Here, now can you see it?

I didn't have my camera with me when I picked up a huge pot of hibiscus that they burrowed under so greatly that I was able to put my hand and arm under one side and come out the other! And I am no slip of a girl either, my arms are the size of linebacker thighs! So I am not sure that the mice operated alone in this mission of take down the resident gardening idiot.

Crumb, crumb, crumb, crumb. Cut Rate Auto Parts!

Oh well. Better luck next year.
Oh and my bazillion onion starts? Yah, they didn't survive my fever so I am starting some new ones that I won't have room for and are rather late and maybe just ordering some plants from Dixondale. But I refuse, refuse mind you, to let the garden defeat demons get to me this year. I will plug along as if none of this has happened. Lessons. Lessons, it is all counted as lessons.

I am a week late (in my mind) on my peas but they will be going in tomorrow after a good soak tonight and finding something to plant under them so as not to loose them to the burrowing vermin.

You know with all the killing that these Terriers and Tabbies do it is a wonder that I have any vermin left to do this type of damage. How many more cats can a person have before they finally reach verminless paradise?

That's it! No body is getting fed from the bag.

If your hungry find something to murder and eat! And the next person caught gratuitously feeding these freeloaders, well lets just say you'll be in big fat ugly trouble! Welfare is over around here! Now get to work!

13 comments:

Sparky said...

Looks like you've gotta scurvy crew there, matey. Time to cut your losses and bring out the big guns! Get some traps. We've had those little mousey buggers tear up the lining under our truck hoods! GRRRR! Kill, kill, kill ... LOL ♥ ∞
PS: I like your new banner. Good photo. :o)

LindaSue said...

wretched rodent rubbish! a plague on the little whiskery twitching destroyers of valuable garden stuff - sorry I ran out of invective before I agreed enough with you about the whole issue. sorry about the damage - that just stinks. I know what you mean about having that many rat killers and still having rodent issues - SORRY

Lisa @ Life with 4! said...

ya know when i HATE mice/rats? (and yes, that is a very strong word for me to use also). it's when i open my christmas decorations that have been very carefully stored away in tight lid fitting tubs, and i find nests of chewed up stockings. and mice poop in the manger and on baby Jesus. and my favorite styrofoam ornament that my son made chewed into crumbs. then, i HATE mice/rats!!

KathyB. said...

I am sorry, but after working up the same feelings of hate for the rodents that 'done you in', and then seeing all the vermin killers soaking in the heat at the woodstove I just had to laugh! That's quite a pack of rodent deterrent just lolly gagging in your dining room....reminds me of road crews along the main roads at lunch time..smoke break time...stand around time...snack time....

Now come on over to this side of the highway and see ginormous mole hills and freeways totally run amok here!Just watch your step, you might fall in a mole hole and never re-emerge.

Anonymous said...

So tell us Lanny, how do you really feel about mice!!! Like Kathy, we have moles that destroy everything here. I love the picture of the MICE PATROL!

Susie said...

I'm with Mildred Lanny! Lets don't sugarcoat it! Truthfully I can only imagine the disappointment when you found your little mouse mess. Sorry.

You are right girl, with that animal patrol you shouldn't have this problem. Someone should teach them some "sickem" lessons!

deedee said...

Thank you for "joining" my blog. Don't send those mice down here :) Please! Dee Dee

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Oh I feel for you and your mice problem. We have all kinds of mice and rats out here. Some as big as young rabbits. Our cats are good mousers, but there are still quite a few of the pesky little creatures. Hope you find a solution.

Jennifer said...

It isn't funny, but then you posted that picture of all your cats and rat terriers lounging in front of stove and I couldn't help it, very funny! It could be worse...MY cats do catch mice...but then they bring the dang little booger inside the house...alive, play with them a bit then let them go! Grrr! I need to get a couple good mouse killers just to kill the mice the other two cats are bringing home as house guests. LOL.

Love your blog, and I am sorry about your trees, that would be frustrating! Thank you for visiting/following my blog!

Cliff said...

It looks to me like maybe those in charge of hunting are all huddled around the stove in the picture. The stove may be the problem.
But of course that's where I'd be.

Marla said...

I am terrified of mice. I have to say I hate them! Wow, you have alot of cats and dogs hanging out together. They all look very innocent to me!

Connie said...

I'm not a fan of the mice at all either. Hope that four legged crew of yours gets busy and helps you fight back against them.

Randy Emmitt said...

Lanny,

Funny article, sorry about your tree. Anyway I'll rent you my tuxedo cat Valentine, she will catch every mouse on the farm then go next door for theirs, she lives to KILL. One thing she needs medicine twice a day and she'll wake you at 5 am wanting fed everyday.