A Mouse in the House!

It's Friday! OMG, I really need a Friday just about now - LOL. Sleep was hard last night, even though I was exhausted, because ... a MOUSE! Apparently a mouse has gotten into the house and managed to get itself caught in the joists of the wall alongside of which I sleep. That furry sucker was trying to find its way out on and off all damned night, and the scurrying of little feet was driving me crazy!

The only mouse "welcome" in my house is Mickey (and Minnie),
but even they have to promise to leave. A mouse in my walls
will be there until it dies and I'll be hearing little feet for a
few more days *sigh*. 

I would have called DH to come down and pointed it out to him, but with his hearing loss, he wouldn't hear it at all and really, what could he do about a mouse in the wall? I have to hope that additional furry critters, (usually a short-time fall issue when the weather gets colder), are caught by the traps we have set in their usual pathways. It's not our first rodeo, but I always hope it's our last because I hate having to deal with rodents in the house!

Cartoon mice were always so cute and inventive. The battles
between Tom and Jerry were epic! 

Of course, it's impossible to fight Mother Nature, and here in the Frozen Northlands, we've been having temps that were unseasonably cold last week and are on the cool side for August this week. We're experiencing September temps in August, so the critters are responding to the days which are already appreciably shorter and the temps that are obviously cooler. Labor Day is approaching fast.

The Frozen Northlands is in the dark blue, but not quite as
dark as Alaske (off to the left side of the main group in
this map). We're not quite to those 40 degree temps yet,
we still have plenty of 60-70 degree days still coming up.
But fall is definitely in the air. 

Why do I care about Labor Day approaching? Labor Day is a watershed day in my personal schedule. It's the last full day of my BFF Sharon's annual visit, and it's also usually the final day for the outdoor Olympic-sized pool to be open. This year, however, schedules will be turned on end when our indoor pool closes for two weeks of repair, maintenance and cleaning, leaving us with only the outdoor pool well into mid-September. It'll be some cold runs out and back to and from the warm water of the big pool, but it's also going to mean dealing with a more crowded pool for longer, before we return to a normal schedule. All the new swimmers who started over the summer will have to get used to those of us who have established lanes and schedules. It'll be a rough few weeks while things get worked out.

See that light blue swath painted across the US? The edge of that is
just about where I'm living. It seems as though my fall could go either
way - below normal or near normal. I'm hoping for near...just sayin'. 

Right now, though, I only have to worry about getting one tree cut down, getting palettes of paver stones delivered and moved, and watching the landscaping happen. Of course, much of this will happen during the same time as the pools will be switched. September is promising to be an interesting and demanding month! Thank goodness I still have half of August to get through first. Happy Friday!

Broken Dreams

I love birds and I think robins are rather fun to watch as they stalk creepy crawlies in the grasses and along the sidewalks. Their red breasts and bobbing heads always make me happy. They're not song birds, but they have their place in the winged universe and their eggs are such a beautiful color. My house features an exterior lamp near my front door that has a flat top, so robins often use it to build their nests in the spring. DH loves to peek out of the living room curtain and and watch the little fledglings with their mouths open begging for their next meal.

Our front door porch light is often used as a nesting
platform in the spring, usually by robins. The flat
top of the light makes a great base, and it is tucked
under our eaves, so secure from all but the most
violent storms. 

Unfortunately bad things can happen, and between the time we left the house on Sunday morning and the time we returned after seeing the movie in the early afternoon, this year's nest had been attacked. Last year's nest also had been trashed, but we were hoping the feisty mama robin would be successful this year. There aren't any branches nearby, so a squirrel wound have had to launch itself from quite a distance to reach the nest.

When we arrived home, the nest was on top of the concrete
steps below the light, eggs broken and yolk running down the
step facing. 

The remains of the nest and its eggs were resting on the front steps. Although it might have attacked by a blue jay, they usually just tend to go for the eggs, not the entire nest. No - we think this year's destruction was caused by a squirrel. Squirrels might look cute and be a lot of fun to watch, but they are just rats with bushy tails and great PR.

The nest itself had been beautifully built and was very sturdy. I really love the spray of flowers on the left that had been cascading down from one side alongside the light shade. There had been at least one egg in the next, bur probably more than that. They feature that gorgeous turquoise blue color that always startles me a bit when I look at it. I cleaned up the remains and I'm sure mama robin is catching worms and bugs once again, but at least I have the photos to share with all of you. Enjoy your Tuesday.