The Mouse

I must be having fun because time is flying by.  Isn't there a saying that time flies when you are having fun?  It has been a few weeks since I have posted and I guess it is because time flew by.

Before I post about The Mouse, you just have to see this picture of Grandbaby C.  Kidlet One went back to work last Friday.  Favorite-Son-In-Law and Baby C drove Kidlet One to work on that first morning.  Baby C decided to bless her momma by smiling this big smile as she left the car and walked into work.  Baby C...you did good!

There is so much happening in my life.  And I feel bad that this post is about The Mouse, when there are much more important things to write about.

But there are just some stories that need to be told and I guess I feel this is one of them.

I work in an old building.  There are delivery trucks that come and go into the building and apparently mice like to run in and out when the garage doors are up for the delivery trucks (or at least that is how I like to think mice get in the building).

Several years ago I stored a beautiful Ghirardelli chocolate candy bar in my desk for that special day when I was going to need it.  Well, a mouse got in my desk drawer and nibbled on the corner of my foil-wrapped piece of heaven.  Others in the office checked their desk drawers and, they too, found evidence of that PMSing mouse.  All of us with chocolate stashes had been vandalized.  After a call to the maintenance people, sticky traps were delivered (those sticky traps are horrible).  We never caught the sneaky-chocoloate-loving-creature and I forgot about the sticky traps under my desk.

Until this morning.

I have a foot rest under my desk to keep my feet up for some-reason-that-I-can't-remember.  As I sat down at my desk, I saw a piece of white, maybe paper, sticking out from under the foot rest.  So with my foot I tried to grab the corner of that paper and slide it toward me. It is not unusual for me to have papers flying around as my desk is stacked with paper.  Anyway, as I slid the paper there was something wrong with what I was seeing.  My brain and my eyes were not synching and I think it was because of shock.  Finally my brain registered that this was no ordinary piece of paper but a sticky trap with a dead mouse on it and it was now stuck to my shoe.

Oh yes....it was stuck to my shoe.

I shook my foot and shook my foot.  The same leg with my brand-new-knee-of-which-I-am-thankful-I-did-my-therapy-so-I-could-shake-and bend-very-quickly.

Are you shuttering?  I am just typing the whole thing out again.  Remind me, why did I feel this was important for you to know about my day?

The thing finally let loose of my shoe and I backed up to fast.  I didn't scream but I was making some sort of utterances because Mr. Reece in my office stopped working and stared at me. 

Turning to Mr. Reece the begging and pleading started...."oh please...please...please...get that mouse out from under my desk"!  Mr. Reece looked at me like "you've got to be kidding...just because I'm a man you expect me to want to pick up a dead mouse"?  



But he did it.  And I am so grateful.

Looking through my desk drawers, I was grateful to find that The Mouse does not like applesauce or Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal packets because that is the only food I had in my drawer.  The maintenance people were quickly called and two more sticky traps were brought and placed under my desk.

All afternoon I've wanted to keep my feet UP ON THE DESK instead of using the foot rest.

So again I ask myself the question:  why was this important to post today?  I think it is because we all need to laugh.  If you can picture me with a sticky mouse trap (mouse included) stuck to my shoe and the dance that I was doing to get it off...I know you will laugh.

Our gracious Lord reminds us that "a cheery heart is like a good medicine". 

Being able to laugh is a gracious gift.  I hope I brought a laugh to you with this true story.  And if not, scroll back up to the top of the page and look at Baby C.  She is sure to make you smile.