Road Rodents

We already know that we are perhaps a bit too soft-hearted about the animals around our place. Our chickens come running when called, even without individual names. Our cats have their own chairs and clothing piles, and know that sleeping on placemats on the table raises no particular objection from us (I know, ewwww...).

But we have to get a bit more serious about the cute, fuzzy, inquisitive... MICE. I have no tolerance for them in my house (especially after the nest made in my bed back in Nebraska), but the presence of 3 cats seems to keep that issue at bay. It's really in our garage and cars (!) where we have to get tough... grrr!

There had been a few chew marks here and there. Innocent enough to ignore. Then some lovely maple-coated nuts were NIBBLED after only one night in the Subaru. Offensive and messy.

The next event was a bit harder to brush off (heh)... serious amounts of insulation "relocated" from places unknown in my Toyota into the heating ducts, with a bit of corn for added mouse-comfort. Corn came spraying out of the vents, then made the heater completely stop working. After convincing the garage guys and W that I didn't have time to take apart the dash myself, I got an appointment and we had an entertaining time driving the car in with no defrost, etc. Argh. They fixed it, no problem, and we didn't think much of it.

Mistake.

I knew intellecutally that parking the car in the nice warm garage where we'd recently stored chicken feed was quite enticing to a mouse. I even read that many other toyota owners were plagued by this particular issue. Maybe I even vaguely thought about figuring out how they were getting in and blocking the holes (???). But, busy, you know...

So, when two cute, big eyed mice were found hopping in the garbage can mere feet from my car, I made no objection when W said "awwwww....." and let them go in the grass (instead of doing what? I wouldn't have known how to, um, exterminate them. Miss Lutsen didn't even see them (and she does love those mouse brains, mmm!). That was two days ago.

Today, while warming up the car, I happened to look out at a tire. A small, cute, sleepy-looking mouse was ambling away from the wheelwell into the snow. Ieeee! Heater vents? Blocked. Garage guys? Laughing at my request to have them take apart the dash again. W? Regretful of his softheartedness, and we both vow to get some mousetraps.

Any advice about how to make your car mouse-proof?? They don't even get into the inside much... just the vents. On the up side, they left me the spendy chocolate I accidentally left in the car. Rules of the road... rodents!