The count goes on...

I have good news and some bad news. 

1. The good news is that I decided to fork over 99 cents for some good old fashioned mousetraps.  The bad news is that I snapped them on my fingers several times when trying to set them. 
2. The good news is that I purchased some real peanut butter to put on these said traps.  The bad news is that every time the trap misfired on my fingers, peanut butter went flying across the room.  There is good news again with this one as my dog loves peanut butter and was more than willing to clean up my mess. 
3. The good news is that I finally successfully set all four traps in strategic places across the country palace where my pets could not get them.  The bad news is that Copper has strained his tongue and nose trying to get to them under various pieces of furniture. 
4. More good news is that the traps worked and another mouse was caught and this time it was in my roommate's room.  The bad news is that the mouse caught was still alive with only his tail caught in the trap. 
5. The good news is that I called Bowser in to help me catch this mouse that was already half caught in a trap.  The bad news is that Bowser simply sniffed where the mouse was and then walked over to my roommate's fern to eat part of her plant.  And he calls himself a CAT????
6. The good news is that I have a wonderful neighbor who came to rescue me from the mouse stuck in the trap.  The bad news is really only if you are this mouse:

So, the count thus far in the great mouse hunt is this:

1. One cat named Bowser who prefers to eat ferns over mousing. 
2. Two mice caught thus far; one in my bed and one in my roommate's room. 
3. Three empty mouse traps that are left in the country palace.
4. Four nights of not much sleep as I keep thinking I feel mice on me in my bed.
5. Five is for the five minutes that it has taken you to read this blog on yet another adventure in the country pastures.

The unperks of country life...

Country living has its perks and its unperks so to speak.  One of the perks is wonderful sunsets like these:

One of the unperks are pests.  By pests, I am referring to the spiders, ants, lizards, skunks and the like living right outside our door and sometimes under our home.  Well, one of these pests has gone to far and it means war.  For once it is not a skunk.  Instead it is a mouse or likely more than one mouse.  The drama began last week when my roommate discovered mouse droppings in her closet.  She bought a "humane" trap that is supposed to keep the mouse alive so you can release it without hurting it.  I am all about just killing the darn mice as I think they would come back if we just released them.  Well, on Sunday after church, I took a nap in my bed with my dog.  I was in a deep sleep when suddenly Copper jumped up and began sniffing like crazy on the bed.  I hardly opened my eyes and saw a gray furry blur dash across my chest on top of my bed covers.  As I was half asleep, it took me a few minutes to realize what I thought I had just seen.  I looked high and low for the thing and could not find it so I determined that maybe I just dreamed it as I had been deeply asleep.

So last night, my roommate set her "humane trap" in her room with peanut butter as bait.  The only thing is that she used some "healthy" peanut butter stuff that I am sure no mouse would ever touch.  This morning, I woke up about 6:45am and was laying in bed.  I felt something crawl on my leg under the covers.  I reached down to swat at what I thought was one of many spiders in our old farmhouse.  To my surprise, I touched something furry with claws.  I looked under the covers and saw a tiny mouse scurrying toward my feet.  With energy I did not know I had, I lept out of bed and clamped a pillow down on top of the thing where all I could see was its tail sticking out.  I began to scream for my roommate who of course could not hear me in the other room.  Thinking quickly, I grabbed the closest thing to me, my cover for my heating pad as I have been nursing a sore back.  I scooped up the mouse and ran to Carolyn's room asking what do I do with it.  She wanted to release it outside.  I refused.  So we called her mom who is used to dealing with country living things.  Mom's advise was to kill it by suffocation or it would come back to the house.  So, we now have a heating pad cover with a mouse wadded in the middle of it in a plastic ziplock container in our trashcan. 

Just for the record, Carolyn did not catch anything with her trap while I caught a mouse with my bed.  Mind you that I have two "cats" who live inside with us.  Apparently these "cats" find it beneath them to go mousing, which I find just a tad annoying.  I think it is time these "cats" start earning their keep.  I am thinking that I miss the stray cats who used to live in our garage as we never had mice in the house when they were mousing outside.....Maybe it is time to make a trip to the animal shelter....

Going out with a big bang...

So picture this....I got to spend all Saturday with Kyle and his family at his niece's birthday party in Waco.  He and I drove back to College Station, talking and laughing together.  Once back at the country palace, I suggest we go watch the sunset by one of the larger ponds.  Kyle agrees and off we drive into the pasture.  We get to see this:

Beautiful isn't it?

How about this?

Breathtaking!  A very romantic situation...Man with woman watching the masterpiece of a gorgeous sunset.  The birds are singing, the breeze is blowing, the smell of the cows is going the other way, so everything was just perfect.  At least until this:

Yes...That is my boyfriend shooting turtles during this romantic sunset time together.  Not what you expected, is it?  Me neither...but that is one reason I like spending so much time with Kyle.  You never know what is going to happen. 

(just for the record, after the turtles were shot, there was a time of sweet talking and tenderness.  It just was not caught on camera)

Picture Quiz

Ok class.  It is now time for a pop quiz.  Directions are to look at each picture and choose which letter best explains the picture.

1.  This picture shows which of the following:

a. The new cast for a new animal adventure film for Disney

b.  Nap time at the country palace on a Sunday afternoon

c.  A flea's dream come true.

(correct answer b)

2.  This picture shows:

a.  Michelle and her coworkers with a pro football player named Ty Warren

b.  Just how short Michelle really is.

c.  how her cell phone can actually take okay pictures.

d.  All of the above

(correct answer d)

3.  This picture shows:

a.  UFO landing

b.  Meteor shower

c.  Little girl playing with sparklers for 4th of July.

(correct answer c)

4.  This picture shows:

a.  Some kids cooling off on the 4th of July in a pool

b.  What happens to little boys when they are threatened with girl cooties.

c.  A water fight gone bad.

(correct answer a)

5.  This picture shows:

a.  Michelle having a lot of fun.

b.  Kyle enjoying himself.

c.  Two people who think the other person is the best ever.

d.  Kyle standing on a ladder to look taller than Michelle. 

e.  All but d

(correct answer e)

O Blogger--Where art thou??

Okay....so it has been awhile since my last blog.  You know how it is. Life gets busy and blogging gets pushed to the back burner.  Do not fret though.  I have been a busy wannabe photographer. 

First is my neighbor's high school graduation party.  Included in this pic are my neighbors and my landlord and his wife.  All very sweet people:

Then there were pics of my family.  Here is my brother and his crew:

I also had the pleasure of taking pictures of one of my coworkers and her family.  She is expecting their fourth child:

And the piece de resistance...A pic of Kyle and I about to go to a wedding this weekend: