Bruce's Journal

[farmerjan]

Has your DD1 ever found a favorite sweater with a chewed hole or stinking mouse manure and smell in one of her drawers? Does she find that acceptable?
God bless the people at the school she is going to. They will not like that sort of behavior if there is disease carrying "vermin" at the school. Would she like it if there were mice running around the kitchen on the counters where she is preparing her food? I just don't get it.
She would have a heart attack when I catch a mouse on a sticky board trap and take it outside and hold it and call the cats and my calico will come and pull it off the sticky board. Then I can use it again a few more times.

All I can say is you must have the patience of a saint..

 

[Bruce]

Would she like it if there were mice running around the kitchen on the counters where she is preparing her food?

No, but she would want them caught and taken outside alive ... like the spiders and ants. We don't get all that many mice, mostly fall and winter when they are looking for a cold weather home. And so far, much as she doesn't like how this happens, they don't manage to get upstairs.

 

[RollingAcres]

No, but she would want them caught and taken outside alive

Caught and taken outside by you and DW. Would she do it herself?

 

[Bruce]

She would catch the mice (though I"m not sure how), no go on the spiders. She calls for "ant patrol" or "spider control". That would not be me most of the time. More often DW or DD2. I squish the ants when I see them and she doesn't. Toss them out and they will just come back. I ignore spiders if they are small. I will scoop up bigger ones and toss them outside. Spiders are good.

Don't know who will do it if she has a single at college.

 

[greybeard]

God bless the people at the school she is going to. They will not like that sort of behavior if there is disease carrying "vermin" at the school.

I suspect, that considering the college she is going to, she will probably find a lot of like minded people. It is, primarily a liberal arts college..not exactly known for their rough and tumble student body or faculty. And, it's in 'kinder and gentler' Canada.

 

[greybeard]

And so far, much as she doesn't like how this happens, they don't manage to get upstairs.

That anyone is aware of.........

 

[Bruce]

Oh there are spiders upstairs, I don't think the mice get up there all that often. Probably don't get the chance, the cats seem to know when they are around even though we don't hear or see them.

I don't think the nature of any given college is more or less likely to be "emotionally friendly". Sure, people who go into the ag department at A&M and grew up on farms are more likely to be less sensitive to critters than someone from "town" going into one of the other depts. Heck, DD1 used to eat beef (somewhere there is a picture of her at about 2 with a big rib bone) and she took a good size wolf spider for "show and tell" in Kindergarten. Don't know what worm invaded her brain since then.

 

[Latestarter]

... All I can say is you must have the patience of a saint...

Thought that was worth repeating. I couldn't deal with it...

You know, I wonder... A stray thought just crossed my mind... I'm originally from New England and Bruce is originally from CA... I mean it's obvious that there are some really "wrong thinking" people out on the left coast... I wonder if some of that was passed on to your offspring? I know YOU don't have those issues... you're more a New Englander than some of the present folks who claim to be... Maybe the CA mindset skips a generation (or more)? I suppose it's a good thing that only the 1st child was affected... DD2 sounds like a completely normal gal...

 

[Bruce]

Nah, there are people like DD1 all over the world. Witness the PETA people. She isn't nearly that bad, not even a vegan. Of course she chooses not to think about where the animal based things she eats come from or what sort of lives they lead. She couldn't even be a Jain, they won't kill anything, not even a plant. Talk about a restrictive diet.

 

[RollingAcres]

no go on the spiders. She calls for "ant patrol" or "spider control".

Don't know who will do it if she has a single at college.

Guess she will just have to let the spiders live with her.