He’s right, of course. The mouse didn’t come back last night, but so what. We know there is the rotted wood which, until replaced, provides quite the welcome mat for this little rodent and others like him. I plug the existent holes with twigs. Ed laughs. And there are other potential entryways, more difficult to fix. We'll keep the mouse trap thing going for a long time still. There will be mice.
I could list in this way any number of big and small issues that we'll want to address.
Oh, why not – let me just mention a small one: The floors. The chairs are scraping hard against the newly finished floors. Yes, we know about chair pads. Utter failures, all. Yesterday, Ed made little terry cloth booties for the chair legs, holding them up snugly by O rings. Cute and functional. Tiny problem temporarily solved.
One big ongoing project is the management of the three acres of land surrounding the farmhouse. So far, we’re attacking things as whimsy strikes us. It’s more fun that way. And we’re making rapid progress in some areas – there are, for example, the perennial borders I’m creating in spaces near the farmhouse.
But it’s slow going elsewhere (meaning the remaining 95% of the property).
Still, we’re doing good work. Stiff limbs afterwards kind of work. And let me remind you of the beauty of waking up to a sunny May day at a farmhouse. One flight of stairs and I’m outside.
I note that the truck farmers are already working the fields (this photo was shot at 7:15).
Farm people are up early. 7:15 is not early.
On the agenda for today: I have one last reason to go to the condo – the sale of a table that I left behind there.
Okay, it's done. It may well be that I’ll not ever go back to the condo again. I don’t mull over that one for too long. Immigrants (and I am one) learn quickly not to mull over change until several years separate them from any particular transition (then they mull aplenty, as I do: yes, all past upheavals get a decent airing. Years later).
One more stop at a plant store to pick up a handful of perennials. More planting – there’s always more planting to do at the farmette.
Evening. Oh-oh. I read that there is a frost warning for tonight.
Really? I’m glad we’re only playing at working the land. And that Ed has many dirty quilts and blankets to place outside.
Ufff....
Hello!
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest plugging mouse holes with wads of steel wool -- mice don't like gnawing on those metallic fibers. I just took the skillet cleaning type steel wool pads and pulled them apart and stuffed small bits into the holes. I've only tried it once. No mice since. Fact, or coincidence? Who knows?
--- Randy, an Australian reader
Or you might try taking some if Isis' fur (like from a brush) and putting it in any places you think mice are coming in. The mice will smell cat and think a predator is there waiting. It worked like a charm for all the gophers I used to have in my yard.
ReplyDeleteAll good ideas! Ultimately, though, the problem is that the stone foundation offers so many opportunities for a fresh nibble-through entry way! Fill one entry (even if you can find it under the cedar siding), they can create another.
ReplyDeleteBut, there is the cat (have to love that cat!) and there are the obvious holes and repairs to the few rotting places and steel wire in others and I think with those, we'll be able to keep the critters out all summer long. So far, we seem to have chased them out.
Come late fall, however...