The Trek Begins

Andy and Emily, Harlan and Julian, and their good friend Dave are only hours away from the beginning of their trip east from Seattle to Chicago. They may even have started, if they wanted to get a very early start. 

I called Andy last night and BB was beside me; when he answered the whole gang was in the car, probably going for one last meal in the city Andy and Em have called home for eight years (at least I think it's eight years. My memory can't decide between late 2018 and early 2020). We told them we loved them - and when Dave, who is a perfectly Dad kind of guy started making jokes, we told him we liked him, too - and reminded them to drive safely, a mantra we hew to in this house. 

I will, of course, worry about them the whole time they're on the road. Spare a thought or a good wish for their passage. 

So, It's June 1..

.. and I haven't been around for a while. Dealing with mice (yes, again, and I'm only going to share one anecdote about it, in a bit) and waiting for the kids and their kids to start their caravan journey from Seattle, and reminding myself to keep up daily walks, or at least fairly regular walks, and comforting my son when he had to say goodbye to his 17-year-old cat, and trying to restart the habit I used to have in the 1970s and 1980s - writing letters to friends, and hoping they will write back. 

So, a lot going on in my head. 

So, mice. Yes, we had evidence of them again. I told BB that it was time to call in the pros. Unfortunately, the first pro we called pulled what appeared to be a bait and switch on us, regarding what we'd been told we'd be getting vs what their confirmation email said. The second place kept on stating they'd schedule a visit when BB told them - four times - that we didn't want that, because it appeared that they would charge us an unknown amount for simply turning up. Maybe I'm old fashioned and foolish, and I'm aware that companies' time is money, but not saying what an initial appointment will cost isn't my idea of doing business transparently. 

So we tried one last self-administered tactic; an actual repellent rather than passive preventive barriers. It's fairly strong essential oils; our old friend clove and also peppermint, and other relatively straightforward ingredients. We hauled out things from the larders, from under the kitchen sink, from a bunch of kitchen cupboards ... all the usual places, taking care not to get on areas where Carter might get too much on his paws. 

I'm not as hopeful as I was two days ago, but I'm still willing to give it a month. If we see little or no evidence of the fuzzy little vermin by that time, I'll be happy to go with the once-a-month spraying schedule that's suggested. And since Carter has,all of a sudden decided to actually hunt and kill mice, we may have a new source of help. 

Seriously. In short order, he went from crouching next to an obviously terrified mouse, with the two of them looking like two people sharing a bench while waiting for the bus (the mouse broke for the horizon and - at first - escaped the cat), to Carter discovering that the fastest way to end playtime with Stuart Little was to bite the mouse's head off. 

We found the final two-thirds of poor Stuart the next morning. And 36 hours or so later, we found a second headless mus musculus in almost the exact place the first one had been deposited. We found a third mouse, intact but dead, not that long afterward. I told BB that the third one had obviously died of a heart attack after seeing his or her companion decapitated. 

We have seen no more mice. Pray for us. 

Wow. I'd planned to talk about the other things I mentioned. But this has turned into far too long a post. So we'll end it here. Maybe I'll even post about those other things tomorrow. Maybe. 

Good People and Good Causes

As the weekend beckons, I am looking for positive things to take with me into the Friday-Sunday period. Right now, I think spreading the word about these two very good causes is a positive. Both of these requests for help come from lovely and memorable people. If you haven't heard about their needs and their plans, perhaps I can direct you to their GoFundMe pages. 

beccadg  is a determined and practical voice online. She provides fannish offerings, as well as incisive comments about the state of our world. Right now, she really needs help to make it through another health challenge and the fiscal burdens it causes. Here's the link to her GoFundMe page. 

ljgeoff  is one of those remarkable people who can plan for the future while living in the moment. She's kind, quirky, pretty brilliant, and dedicated to creating a safe and productive space where she can work the land in a restorative manner. That takes planning, but she's totally up for the challenge. One of her first steps is to take a course in permaculture design. Help create her vision for the future - here's her GoFundMe page. 

My little Dreamwidth community is chock full of kind and generous people, some of whom may have already helped out these two wonderful people, but if you haven't, but want to help, here you go!