Little Mouse - barn guest- Stewart Little makes a reservation

This past weekend I had the dubious pleasure of being visited by my very own barn guest. Out in the studio which is a converted barn - there are my cracks and crevices that will allow a mouse to come on in and stay awhile.. No matter how much you plug the leaks in an old barn it's never enough so you have to expect the occasional visitor.

And so it was that Stewart Littlest arrived on Friday and stayed through Sunday evening.

He ( I am not sure,  but for the sake of politeness let us just say it's a he).

He emerged from behind a layer of old barn wood and decided that the top of the control box for the TV was a fabulous (not to mention warm) resting napping cleaning spot.

He would climb atop instantly and I 'd feel his presence - I'd turn and there he was blinking at me with his tiny mouse eyes. He was, despite most people's aversion to mice, a very cute little animal. Tiny whiskers, little pink rimmed ears and  little brown eyes.

He would come and sit and look at me and then curl up nicely to sleep. When he awoke he'd clean his face - dart into the wall and disappear only to return several hours later to resume his place on the TV remote box.

I clapped my hands at him and talked to him and he didn't care, he continued to sit very unimpressed. If I walked really close he would eye me but not move. He KNEW he was faster than me and he had a quick escape route anyway so no worries.

This went on all day Saturday, alternately napping and resting on the remote. I turned the TV on loud he looked around but was unphased.

Finally I had had enough of the visitation and set a trap - humane trap- meant to trap and release.  He outsmarted the trap and decided instead that it made a very cool house... much like the little hamster houses you see at Pet Stores for all sorts of acceptable rodents, this little country mouse had decided to make this trap is home. He became a squatter...

At last Sunday night we decided to play him at his own game sliding rulers against the two opening holes on the trap blocking his exit. Keep in mind there was peanut butter AND cheese in the trap for him to enjoy which he had rejected. I think he might have been waiting for a nice glass of Merlot... or Zinfandel?  He refused the cheese and the peanut butter.

So now, trapped with no place to escape he had to run up the ramp into the enclosure part of the trap and was stuck....

We ceremoniously brought Stewart out into the woods a good way away from the house and he scampered away very quickly..  he apparently can move quickly when HE wants to...

So, today, I continue to gaze in the corner waiting to see him back on top of his warm space but so far he has not found his way back... One little victory for the humans... He did enjoy a nice warm weekend in doors and for that I was happy to offer him a bed and breakfast as long as he checked out when his reservation ran out :)

cate

Hiding next to a grey lamp?  maybe he thinks I cannot see him. You can see his little pink ears tucked back. 

A little blurry I did not want to scare him to death with a flash, but there he is hiding in his new "home/trap."

Goodbye Stewart!

Cate