It is that time of the year! We will leave Pennsylvania on Sunday and head to our trailer in a campground in South Carolina. We do this three times a year and the trip is long and gets harder each time. We stay for two months there and then return to Pennsylvania for the winter. We have to prepare the cabin for our vacancy before leaving, and this is what my story is about. I wrote it five years ago but it never was on my blog.
It was November 4 and the couple had just returned from their SC place at the beach to their cabin in the Endless Mountains of PA. After driving the truck for thirteen hours, the husband unloaded several boxes, bags, storage tubs and coolers. He turned on the water and turned up the propane heater.The wife fed the dog and prepared a bite for them to eat before unloading and storing the edible provisions and other items that were brought back. She noticed that the bar soaps, which were left out on the kitchen sink, showed nibbling bite marks and other traces of mice were evident.
Now, you should know that all boxed, bagged and opened foods were brought south when they left in September. The trash cans were totally empty and clean. The toaster was crumb less, the sugar bowl was emptied and washed, and only canned goods remained in the under-counter cupboards. A dozen rodent poison boxes were placed on shelves in the kitchen cupboards, the bathroom linen closet shelves, both bedroom closets and all bureau drawers. A list was even made to remind the couple exactly where the toxic pellet boxes were placed so they could be discarded after they returned. This was due to having a dog who eats everything he finds on the floor. Also a small child might come across them. You see, there have been a couple of mice visits to the old log cabin in previous years when the abode was empty of residents. Every one of the boxes was empty - every one! How many mice were there?
It was soon discovered that multitudes of the critters had visited, and quite recently. There was only one belly up on the hearth rug, though. That evening, the wife decided to clean up the mess and restore order the next day. Only cold foods were put away and medicines were unloaded for immediate use.
And so the cleanup began.The first plan of attack was to pull out all pots, pans, iron kettles, roasters, mixing bowls, plastic storage containers, and other things from the cupboards, vacuum the debris, wash the wooden plank shelves with a bleach and soap mixture and let it all dry. Then everything that was removed was washed and dried before being replaced. This meant crawling around on the floor and stretching into those very deep under-the-counter cupboards. Wow! What a job! There were droppings on top of the refrigerator and on the little shelf above it too.
The next day the linen closets and bedroom closets and bureaus underwent a similar cleaning. The good thing was that droppings were found only on the shelves and floors and not on the contents. If the mice traveled over objects in those areas, they didn’t leave indications on them (at least not obviously).
Now for the windup of the extraordinary mouse invasion. What a grand finale is coming!
The wife finally had time to start up the computer, which is in her bedroom. There were those same little black things all over the keyboard and desktop! She dumped them, cleaned up the workspace and did some computer web research. After finding all information on her search subject matter, she prepared to print it so several copies could be mailed to a few friends down south who don’t have e-mail. The printer wouldn’t print. The printer kept sending error messages to the computer. Investigation of this problem was needed. It had worked fine just hours before the couple left to head south. All wires and plugs and such were then checked. A reboot of both the computer and the printer was done. Several other procedures were performed. Nothing worked.
After opening the lid of the printer and peering inside with a powerful small MagLite, the reason for operational failure was discovered. There was a hoard of little green pellets piled up behind the circuit board and all over the bottom plate. A straw was attached to the vacuum tool with duct tape and they were sucked up - to no avail - the printer still wouldn’t function, but it did hum a bit!
Oh well, at least the spiders weren’t as busy this time. Very few webs were encountered during the cleanup process... and that is unusual.
A small hole around a hot water heater drain pipe was found in the bottom log by the back door. The only other way they could have immigrated might be that they lined up and waited to enter as we were loading up to leave! Yeah!
GMR November 9, 2007
It was November 4 and the couple had just returned from their SC place at the beach to their cabin in the Endless Mountains of PA. After driving the truck for thirteen hours, the husband unloaded several boxes, bags, storage tubs and coolers. He turned on the water and turned up the propane heater.The wife fed the dog and prepared a bite for them to eat before unloading and storing the edible provisions and other items that were brought back. She noticed that the bar soaps, which were left out on the kitchen sink, showed nibbling bite marks and other traces of mice were evident.
Now, you should know that all boxed, bagged and opened foods were brought south when they left in September. The trash cans were totally empty and clean. The toaster was crumb less, the sugar bowl was emptied and washed, and only canned goods remained in the under-counter cupboards. A dozen rodent poison boxes were placed on shelves in the kitchen cupboards, the bathroom linen closet shelves, both bedroom closets and all bureau drawers. A list was even made to remind the couple exactly where the toxic pellet boxes were placed so they could be discarded after they returned. This was due to having a dog who eats everything he finds on the floor. Also a small child might come across them. You see, there have been a couple of mice visits to the old log cabin in previous years when the abode was empty of residents. Every one of the boxes was empty - every one! How many mice were there?
It was soon discovered that multitudes of the critters had visited, and quite recently. There was only one belly up on the hearth rug, though. That evening, the wife decided to clean up the mess and restore order the next day. Only cold foods were put away and medicines were unloaded for immediate use.
And so the cleanup began.The first plan of attack was to pull out all pots, pans, iron kettles, roasters, mixing bowls, plastic storage containers, and other things from the cupboards, vacuum the debris, wash the wooden plank shelves with a bleach and soap mixture and let it all dry. Then everything that was removed was washed and dried before being replaced. This meant crawling around on the floor and stretching into those very deep under-the-counter cupboards. Wow! What a job! There were droppings on top of the refrigerator and on the little shelf above it too.
The next day the linen closets and bedroom closets and bureaus underwent a similar cleaning. The good thing was that droppings were found only on the shelves and floors and not on the contents. If the mice traveled over objects in those areas, they didn’t leave indications on them (at least not obviously).
Now for the windup of the extraordinary mouse invasion. What a grand finale is coming!
The wife finally had time to start up the computer, which is in her bedroom. There were those same little black things all over the keyboard and desktop! She dumped them, cleaned up the workspace and did some computer web research. After finding all information on her search subject matter, she prepared to print it so several copies could be mailed to a few friends down south who don’t have e-mail. The printer wouldn’t print. The printer kept sending error messages to the computer. Investigation of this problem was needed. It had worked fine just hours before the couple left to head south. All wires and plugs and such were then checked. A reboot of both the computer and the printer was done. Several other procedures were performed. Nothing worked.
After opening the lid of the printer and peering inside with a powerful small MagLite, the reason for operational failure was discovered. There was a hoard of little green pellets piled up behind the circuit board and all over the bottom plate. A straw was attached to the vacuum tool with duct tape and they were sucked up - to no avail - the printer still wouldn’t function, but it did hum a bit!
Oh well, at least the spiders weren’t as busy this time. Very few webs were encountered during the cleanup process... and that is unusual.
A small hole around a hot water heater drain pipe was found in the bottom log by the back door. The only other way they could have immigrated might be that they lined up and waited to enter as we were loading up to leave! Yeah!
GMR November 9, 2007
Did you ever find the MICE? Or did they just leave because you were back home? Were they afraid of your dog?
ReplyDeleteWe had some mice under our air conditioning unit inside. Hubby spotted them through the return vent when we came home one night. There were little baby mice. He scooped them all up and got them outside and we plugged up the hole with that foam call Great Foam...haven't seen a mouse again. We also quit putting out bird seed. That seemed to be attracting them.
We figured that they ate some of their hoard. That poison makes them seek water and we think they went outside to find it and then died. Once we found a nest in a hammock full of babies. We threw them in the lake (not me, my husband did it) They have also invaded our cars and eaten wires and plugged up air conditioning systems. They are a real pain. One time they got into our motorhome and made big nests in my clothing drawers, chewing up many good items of clothing. I found damages like that throughout the interior in other places as well.
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