2024 02 04

[sasha]

frosty morning
treetops red with first light
eyes weep with cold

[sasha]

such secrets
the stone wall must share
with the dog!

[saw]

caught two mice alive
in five gallon bucket trap
now what do I do





https://housenotebook.com/how-far-away- ... e-a-mouse/



had no idea there were so many things to consider

[sasha]

I had an infestation of flying squirrels several years back. They weren't content to confine themselves to the attic or within the walls - they were finding their way into my living quarters. I tried Havahart traps without success; so I set out a number of snap traps, but they weren't robust enough to kill them outright - only hold them long enough for me to finish the job myself. I'd drown them in a bucket of water, traps & all (to weight them down). It seemed to take about 30 seconds from start to finish - maybe 5 sec of active struggling, another 10 or 15 of intermittent spasms, another 10 or 15 to make sure. I hated doing it - always apologized before dropping them in, and used warm water to reduce any shock (though it just occurred that such a shock MIGHT accelerate the process, so they'd drown more quickly... who knows?) It was not a chore I enjoyed or looked forward to - but as cute as they are, they're SO destructive. And unless you've been awakened by one scampering across your bed at night, you can't really appreciate that sometimes extreme measures are called for.

[saw]

I've tried everything with mice...as you say these intruders of every species are destructive.....I've tried snap traps, poison ,my bucket trap, glue traps...to try and outwit them....I even tried coexisting with them. but ended up with a really unpleasant infestation......The whole process is rather gruesome honestly.....but they get into the pantry and tear open boxes...not to mention shitting and pissing on the counters.....I found the article went to great lenghts with your ethical obligations ......but it was a nice day, so I drove ut o the woods near the river, and snuck in a short hike ( walk ) while there....they scampered away....and I wished them godspeed.....the woods has a lot of predators far better than I at catching little meals

[sasha]

.....the woods has a lot of predators far better than I at catching little meals

That's a fine point that I think gets overlooked sometimes - the Nature of predation. From a moralistic point of view, it looks unpleasant - but morality is something we invented to protect us from ourselves. Predation is just another process that came into being without any input from us. Several years back (quite a few, actually) I was tramping on a long-abandoned wood road that ran across an open marsh. I stopped to take in the view, and heard the squeaking of a frog close by. Behind a clump of grass at my feet, there was a small frog halfway down the gullet of a snake. My immediate reaction was pity, followed by an impulse to soothe myself by rescuing the frog. But what of the snake? It wasn't doing anything wrong, just trying to make a living like everyone else. We get burdened down by centuries of cultural bullshit, nonsense about an evil serpent responsible for the hard times in our lives. The snake just wanted a meal. The frog didn't care for the idea. Sorry, rana, but that's how it goes. I still felt a little pang for the frog, but no animosity towards the snake, & continued on without interfering into what was none of my business anyway.

As you said, the owls and foxes are good at catching those mice. And those mice are good at evading them. Out there, it's their game, not ours. In our houses - different game.

[68degrees]

what's the real point
writing to a dead person
seems rather foolish

[saw]

I pick up the pen
confident metaphor will
numb the memories