Wednesday, October 12, 2005

To Build a Better Mousetrap

I received a garbled voicemail from my parents (cell reception is poor in Yosemite, where they are celebrating my father's birthday), and I believe the gist of it was, "Please, deal with the mouse problem, they could have the hantavirus." You see, they don't have cell reception but the lodge does have internet, and they are loyal Juliedelphia readers.

Anyone who imagines after a night like that I wasn't on the phone immediately seeking a solution doesn't know how I feel about sleep. And rogue rodents. There are now three different types of mousetraps out-- the glue traps (put out by my landlord), old fashioned snap traps (put out by an exterminator), and what I'd describe as 'alligator traps' (put out by me). The exterminator has identified a couple of points of entry and the maintenance people will be coming by to fill them soon.

In the meantime, I haven't slept here since I left that night. I was planning to try it out tonight, but I heard one in the kitchen and was too scared to even round the corner to take a look, I called my brother. In Boston. It would probably take him a bit too long to get here to be of any service.
Since these creatures appear to be nocturnal, the prospect of staying here tonight either listening to them have another party or (hopefully) succumb one by one to the traps has lost all appeal. I'm packing up to yet another crash site I've identified. I've done the faux "walk of shame" way too often at this point, I'm going to start to get a reputation!

Question for my Jewish readers-- what's the rule on murdering rodents on the holiest day of the year? Does that totally fly in the face of the spirit of the thing?

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

In my experience (in my ground floor apartment that is at times a mouse magnet), the traditional snap trap is the way to go.

Good luck.

12:08 AM  
Blogger Matthew Glotzbach said...

don't know how it is in the old testament faith, but we Catholics see it as a fine practice. If you feel too guilty about it, give me a call and I'll hear your "confession", then say three our fathers and two hail mary's, and you're all good.

8:36 PM  

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