Red Carpets to Birthday's to Mice

Yea, you read that right. Mice.

What the...?

Let me start by saying the HOME TOWN SHOW KICD @SS!!! I gotta say I LOVE my Arlington. Of course it helps having all Haik's, Kens and my own connections here but STILL - 2 nights, SOLD OUT. What's not to love? Besides having the BEERS flowing at the Arlington Cinema & Draft (yea yea yea, I kept it in check this time) we had a better projector AND sound than Monterey.

Which might not sound like a big deal but when you LABOUR over every darn clip in the movie - which was shot high def, and you see it projected looking like CAH-RAP it breaks your heart. So here in VA we had it dialed in for the hometown crowd. Not to mention having Chris and the Notorious P.O.Z. in the hizzouse to add some flair to the fling.

So that was Thursday and Friday of last week. Saturday I jammed down to Harrisonburg (the birthplace of Gripped Films) and helped Kenny with the screening there. Not quite a sold out crowd but those who came filled in the stoke. Sue Haywood was present along with the Shenandoah Bike Co. Crew, even tho Sue was racing the next morning at Greenbriar (where she STOMPED OUT the SECOND PLACE, Eatough scored 3rd).

Then I ran further South to Douthat State Park for a bachelor party amidst some of the best single track riding on the East Coast with the DC boys. Dave Olsen (groom to be) found a better way to hydrate after an epic ride...


And finally - back home to the mice. You'd THINK that my cat (Duck) would have taken care of business while I was gone but no, she decides to wait till Daddy comes home to let him see what shes's been entertained by all weekend. I didn't think much about the cat going bonzo reaching under the bookcase - I even looked under and found her favorite play-toy which I then threw for her. She didn't budge and kept reaching under the bookcase. Hmmm I thought. That's odd. I looked under there and saw nothing. Minutes later she ran across the room and tried to reach under my file cabinet. Ok I thought, something's trying to escape. Must be a cricket or a beetle. I grab the maglight and look under the cabinet to see a toy mouse and 2 pieces of gum.

Huh. Gum? I don't chew gum...how did they get there?

The gum then sprouted legs and arms and started wiggling in place. Oh CHRISTMAS, they were baby mice! That's when I noticed the toy mouse weren't no toy. It was the real deal! FOR THE LOVE. I sat up and had one of those moment's like, "Do I really have to deal with this?"

I don't know about you but I'm sure most people would have either called in reinforcements in the name of exterminators or perhaps set out some sort of trap. Not this cowboy. Even tho it was my Dad & neices birthday (both of whom did not recieve tilmely phone calls because of the ensuing madness) I set into motion like an indy pit crew.

Duck - downstairs. Back room - quarentined and barracaded. Me - full-finger riding gloves ON. Game face ON.
The plan seemed simple. I would make a low profile box with a small door to put the baby's in. This way I could catch mama and stuff her in the box, shut the temp door and put the box outside. Mama would be locked in with the temp door closed and realize her young were there with her (enter thought of - are there any other babies in my house????!!!!????) and settle down and hopefully feed them instead of bolting when I finally did open the door. Genius.

I really believe in Karma (sp?) so I'm not into killing things. I figure when I'm on my deathbed, all the little animals and bugs I've saved will send me some life force and I'll eek out another 10 minutes. Sweet.

So right here I've got like a whole 30 seconds more life if I pull off the transfer of Mama in my house to Mama in box-house. I had the babies situated in there but I knew if I screwed up the transfer and Mama got free the babies would die and I'd feel terrible. SO - the box is outside, with the tiny temp door open. I hearded Mama-mouse into one corner of my office and after about 20 minutes of chasing, she runs into my cycling shoe! Sweet. I put my hand over the top and walk outside, ready to transfer. I start shaking the shoe and no mouse. I look and in and Mama has herself wedged in there with no plan of coming out. That's when I realized if I shook her out and she missed the tiny temp door, she'd be scott-free in the yard and the babies would be stuffed. So I ran back inside and shook her out into the bathtub. MORE GENIUS!!! She dropped in and could not scale the walls out. A sly grin ran across my face.

Now just reach in and grab that tail...
In a flash that damn mouse ran up my arm, over my shoulder and hucked off my ass to the freedom below while I screemed like a school-girl. Luckily I had closed the doors to the bathroom and after 20 minutes of chasing Mama 'round the toilet (hey, I'm not proud) and I got me some tail.

I hoisted that rodent high and walking proud, I stolled out to the mouse-house and as I stuffed her in, one paw made contact with the door and she yanked herself out the second I released her tail. She hit the ground running but I was on fire. Lightning fast reflexes and some serious luck got me that tail again. I finally made a clean insertion of mama into the nursery then slammed the temp-door shut.

Talk about a wild night. I forgot what real adventure was. Then I noticed it was 11pm and I had not yet called my Dad or 12 year old neice to wish them happy birthday. Crap. Kelsey, Dad - please forgive me. I was busy.

Hearding mice.

Sorry no photos of all this. I couldn't deal with chasing tail and taking pictures too.