I'll prove it like a theorem!

I know it is sad to be quoting an episode of "Friends" in my subject line. Don't worry, it's about to get weirder.

First, I will note that I am fully aware that what I am about to say reeks of being one mouse click away from crazy. Read on and you'll see why that sentence was funny.

As I've noted in the past, we've had a mouse visitor or two. I don't have anything personal against mice. I just want them out of my house. This provides a dilemma. As a vegetarian, I try to keep the animal killing to an absolute minimum. Now, if my cats kill the mouse, well, I can't be held responsible, as that's just nature taking its course.

Unfortunately, there seem to be some rather raucous mice that our cats haven't been able to exterminate. They've found their way into our suspended ceiling (we have a finished basement) and like to make a racket. So much so that we were certain there was a squirrel up there. Being the good doobie that I am, I put up a couple little Havahart traps... the little plastic ones where the mice get in, and then you go release them into the country. The problem is that we already are in the country, and I've got the distinct feeling (a theorem, if you will) that I'm releasing the same mice back into the woods outside our house. To prove my hypothesis (or dispute it, perhaps), I had to figure out a way to tell if I'm catching and releasing the same two mice.

My first idea was to spraypaint the mice. However, the headline "Local Woman Caught Spraypainting Mice; Local Authorities Puzzled" flashed before my eyes. Better keep that as a backup plan. Instead, we bought one of those little plastic gerbil cages and some wood shavings. Ah, you can see the crazy now, can't you, just over the horizon? The goal is to either (a) just catch two mice, or (b) catch more than two mice. Either way, we're taking them for a drive to the next town and dumping them in what I hope will be their new habitat.

You will note that the mice (only one is visible in the picture) have a very plush setup. Brooke was responsible for the water dish and the cardboard tube. I have explained to the little freeloaders that their stay here is limited, and they will NOT be pets. They are very cute, but I don't want their diseases, thankyouvery much.

Speaking of pets, our anxiety-ridden sweetheart, Lilah, is of course upset. She does not like precipitation. Or wind. Or any low-pressure system, really. You see, today, we are finally getting some snow here in Maine. Unimpressed by this return to normal weather, she has decided to ride this one out in the safety of the bathroom.