Goodbye, Rose

Yesterday morning I received a phone call from my Aunt.  My cousin (who I have been helping to clean out Grandma's attic), had called our Aunt in a bit of hysterics, because she had found a mouse nest in her dresser drawer.  My Aunt asked if I could call my cousin to see if there was anything I could do to talk her out of tearing her room apart in fear of the Hantavirus.

I messaged my cousin, "I heard you had an excellent start to your weekend"

Her reply, "Super, Super great"

I decided it would be best to just Skype her, to get to the bottom of just how serious this was.

"So, a mouse nest?"

"Yep, I only found it because I accidently opened the wrong drawer.  I haven't opened this drawer since October, so I have no idea how long it's been there."

"You need to change your underwear more often than that."

"Haha, it's not my underwear drawer!"

"I guess it must have heard that you wanted all the mice out of Grandma's attic, so it decided to move in with you."

"That's not funny."

I can tell she is distraught.  "Do you need help?"

"That would be awesome!"

I had an open morning, so I decided to head on down to the States to help her out.  When I cross the border I am always entertained by the ritual of being questioned by the border guards, & this was no exception.

Guard: "What brings you down to the States today?"

"My cousin found a mouse nest in her dresser drawer."

"Doesn't she have a man in her life?"

"Her dad thinks she's over reacting."

"I see...  Good luck!"

*************************

I arrived & we donned gloves, ready for the task at hand.  The offending mouse had made her nest in the middle drawer of the 3 drawer chest.  The drawer was already pulled halfway open, displaying it's soft nest made of fluff painstakingly pulled from the bed's boxspring, & carried to the other corner of the room, lovingly placed upon my cousin's seldom used halloween costumes.  I pulled the drawer the rest of the way out & put it on the deck, & went back for the top drawer.  As I removed the top drawer, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, & perhaps a tail, but it was hard to know.  Was I imagining things?

I handed the drawer to my cousin, & said, "I think the mouse might still be in the dresser."

"Are you serious?"

"Now I'm hearing noises from under the drawer, so I'm 99% sure it's in here."

"I'm getting the cat!"

She brought the cat into the room & quickly shut the door... but she remained outside of the room!  In the meantime I had commandeered a plastic shopping bag in which to trap the mouse since it was still inside the dresser frame.  It was woman & beast versus smaller but quicker beast.  The event was on!  I brought the cat over to the closet where the dresser was, & took out the final drawer.  "Ok, cat, do your thing!"

Apparently the cat's thing had nothing to do with catching mice, but had more to do with removing herself from the room.  She promptly went to sit by the door.  I picked her back up & plopped her back down by the now skeletal frame of the dresser.  "Just jump in there & get the mouse!"

I'm pretty sure I heard the cat mutter "Go right ahead..."

At this point I called my cousin back in the room.  I needed reinforcements stronger than a disinterested cat.  We brainstormed a bit...

"Should we try to catch it?"

"With what?"

"Do you have a butterfly net?"

"No."

"Do we try to hit it with something?"

"Like what?"

"A spatula?  Or step on it?"

"I'll get you some boots."

"That might be helpful."

At this point I was only wearing socks.  She returned with boots, a piece of cardboard & a yardstick. In all the lack of excitement on the cat's part I had lost track of our dear pet mouse, so we carefully checked & removed each & every shoe from the other half of the closet.  Our mouse was not in the bottom of the closet...  Had she climbed up onto the top shelf?  Was she in the folds of the clothes hanging in the closet?

We stayed still for awhile & heard some mouse-like noises from under the desk beside the closet.  We shone the flashlight under the desk & slowly removed items from below the desk until we had gotten everything out & the mouse decided to head back into the dresser she knew & loved.  Our plan at this point was not a good one, but it was our plan.  My cousin would shine the light at the mouse, I would reach into the frame of the dresser with the plastic shopping bag over my hand & grab the mouse!

"Try not to get bitten!"

"Great idea!"

I reached in.  The mouse didn't move.  I got my hand closer.  The mouse didn't move.  I shot my hand out & grabbed... NOTHING!  At the last second she had moved to the front corner!  We repositioned, sized each other up once again.  Time for the second attempt.  Maybe I should just go for it right away... GRAB!

I felt something furry touch my elbow.  I may or may not have yelped.

Now the mouse was on the other half of the closet floor.  We were very glad we had already taken all the shoes out.  All that was left were a few small plastic boxes, which we surrounded her with.

"Maybe we should try to trap her in something like a spider."

"Instead of bashing her on the head with the garbage can, we could trap her in it!  We really should have a camera crew follow us around.  Can you imagine how fun that would be?"

My cousin helpfully handed me the metal, vintage, Peanuts garbage can.  I acted fast & successfully trapped the mouse!  I could hear her scrabbling from inside the can!

"I got it!  Hand me the cardboard!"

"It has a hole in it, make sure it doesn't get out the hole!"

I slid the cardboard under the garbage can, & picked up the can with the mouse & held the cardboard tightly underneath.  Then I quickly flipped the whole contraption over hearing a satisfying 'thump' when I did so.

"Ok, what do you want to do with it?"

"If we let it go in the field, it'll probably just come back."

"How do you want to kill it?"

"I don't know."

"Do you have a hose?"

"I'm not really comfortable with drowning it."

"We won't be able to thump it with something.  It's too fast!"

"Ok, I'll get the hose."

"And bring your phone.  We really need to get this on video."

"You want to make a video of us drowning a mouse?"

"Maybe not.  But we can take a picture after we do it to prove to your dad that you weren't overreacting!"

"Ok, I'll meet you by the hose."

We slid the cardboard just enough so we could fit the end of the hose through the hole & filled the garbage can about halfway.  I know if we filled it too much the cardboard would get wet, & I didn't want the mouse to be able to get out that way.  We heard some scratching on the side of the can, then it got quiet.  I sloshed the can a bit back & forth, then tapped on the cardboard incase the mouse had found a way to cling to the roof like spider-man.  The last thing I wanted to was to take the lid off & have a drenched, angry mouse after me!  There was a little more scrabbling, then it was quiet again, so I repeated my slosh & tap technique, but heard nothing else.  I slid the cardboard to peer down the hole, still a little afraid of the mouse suddenly jumping out at me, but our task was complete.

When I removed the piece of cardboard we discovered that in the bottom of the garbage can was a piece of cardboard that had been cut to perfectly line the bottom.  As we had filled the can with water, that piece of cardboard had floated up creating a scene like that of Rose in the movie "Titanic" where she is floating on the door.  The cardboard was not quite buoyant enough to hold the mouse up, but just enough to give her false hope.

We took a picture to send to my Uncle, showing that the job was done.  I was tasked with depositing 'Rose' on the compost pile at the back of the yard, then it was time to head back home.  More than we bargained for, but not more than we could handle!

Just as I passed through the small town near my cousin's house, a bird fell onto the road right in front of my car & I ran over it...  Watch out critters, I'm on a roll!

Does everyone have this kind of madcap adventure when they go to the States?  Maybe it's just my family...  Who knows,  maybe it's ME!

Waterton

Sunday we all went to Waterton National Park.  When Chad was growing up, quite often the family would go to Waterton & walk up the creek in Red Rock Canyon.  It was the kids' first time in Waterton, & it was time they partook of the tradition.  They were excited!

It was a bit chilly, so the kids were wearing jeans & long sleeves.  They probably should have changed first, but they were so excited to go up the canyon!  They did get their shoes & jeans wet, but we had brought shorts & sandals for them & by the time everyone got back out of hte canyon it  had warmed up quite a bit.

 It was quite the adventure, & I had to turn back due to inappropriate footwear.  Next time I'll know better!

It was awesome jumping from rock ot rock, trying to keep dry (& not always succeeding)

Troy & Tara said the water was way lower then they had ever seen it before, so they made it all the way to the end of the canyon!

After all the canyon adventures, we headed to the lake for some rock skipping.  For some reason I am a terrible rock skipper, so I was rejoicing in my accomplishment of throwing a rock with 2 bounces!

Than Chad told me, it was only one bounce, & a plop since it never came out of the water the second time.  I guess I need more practice!

After the lake it was time for dinner, then shopping (without much luck), then ice cream (you can't mess with tradition!), then the candy store (as if they needed any more sugar!)

It was a great time hanging with the family!

Beach Day!

One of the things we do as often as we can is go to the beach!  When we have company we take them to the beach with us!  Normally it's just the kids & I, & while the kids play in the water & build things in the sand I read a book.  Troy & Tara's family is not used to being so sedentary, so they did a bit of  beach exploring as well.

They found big & small starfish...

Asher became a merman...

 And the kids built a few sandcastles!

After our fun day at the beach we went to dinner at one of our local pubs.  The kids like it because they have etch-a-sketches to play with, & we like it because it has good food & a fun atmosphere.

When we got the bill we saw that we hadn't been charged for the kids' meals, so we brought it to the waitress' attention.  "Kids meals are free this month!" we were told!  If only we had known earlier, we would have come more often!

Capilano Bridge & Granville Island

When we have visitors, we finally visit the touristy places!

Our first stop was the Capilano Suspension Bridge & Cliffside Walk.

The kids were being part of the totem pole

We had a lot of fun walking all the cool walkways.

There were quite a few signs stating that if you dropped something off the walkway, you were not to attempt retrieving it yourself, but to alert staff.

We tried to figure out what they would determine as valuable enough to retrieve since we saw a shoe, a coat, & a sippy cup that apparently did not make the cut.  For example, if you dropped your wallet we assumed they would get that, but what if you dropped a single credit card?

The actual suspension bridge was packed with people moving like herds of cattle, so we did not get a photo.  You'll have to go see it yourself!

 Once across the bridge, there is a treetop walk, & inexplicably this 'room'.  Perhaps it is for those who do not like heights to wait while their friends do the treetop walk?  But if you do not like heights it is unlikely you would have crossed the suspension bridge in the first place...  So many questions, so few answers!

We were unafraid to do the treetop walk! 

Asher found a large tree, but it was unclimbable.

 Chancery found someone willing to give her a shoulder ride!

The next stop was Granville Island to get some lunch!

We walked through the market & everyone was happy with the choices for lunch.  It's not always easy to please 8 people's palates, but we did it!  We had some Chinese, Curry, Deli Sandwiches, Bagels, & Pizza!

We walked around for a while, then decided to go on a 30 minute harbour cruise.

 

We saw a lot of waterfront floating homes 

 And the cement factory is painted to look like people!

After our cruise, we had some gelato, then it was time to head back home for the day!

Cousins Come to Visit

Chad's sister & family came for a week to explore Vancouver (and to visit us of course!)

We took them for a walk through the forest near our house.

And the kids decided to run some races with a few obstacles.

The kids went back to the woods a few times during the week & made a few forts & enjoyed exploring the trails!  It's great to have access to such a fun area!

Pools & Pizza

Uncle Brian & Auntie Brenda had to go back home, so we bid them adieu, until we meet up again.  

When Brenda & Sharon & I get together we always end up having little pow-wow sessions covering everything from recipes to smart phone apps.  I'm really lucky to have such wonderful sisters-in-law!

 The next few days were spent at the pool, reading, playing with Lego, discussing Harry Potter, & family pizza night.

Fair Days & Pizza Ranch!

 We decided it was time to head to the fair on the last day of it.  We should have gone sooner, but we were busy with other things.  The bouncy castle & other kids stuff was closed, but the kids all had fun seeing & petting the animals.

Apple is first prize!

Asher is not crying.  He is baaing like sheep!

Antie Brenda became really popular once she asked to hold a bunny!

We saw a girl milking a goat, & it wasn't long before all the kids tried their hand at it!

Noodle & Asher are discussing whether or not this pig is Wilbur.

It's hard to tell since there was no spiderweb nearby. 

Chancery was showing Jelly & Aardvark that petting horses is nothing be afraid of.

Uncle Kurt doesn't look so sure. 

We headed to Pizza Ranch for dinner for pizza buffet.  It was the first time Noodle & Jelly had been to an all you can eat buffet, & they really enjoyed it!

 "You mean I can go back & get more pizza all by myself?"

"I can get my own ice cream?"

It might be enough of a pull to get them to go to Dordt College!

We finished up by walking through the mall, & the kids were given pennies for the charity funnel.

On our way back to the cars Noodle said, "I thought we were going to a mall!"

Auntie Brenda said, "That was the mall, honey!"

Noodle: "Really? but it was so small!"

Blue Bunny!

It began as another quiet day around the house.

 Kids played, manicures happened, then...

 We decided to go to LeMars for some Blue Bunny ice cream!

The kids were all fascinated with the ice cream video.

Time for another grandkid photoshoot!

But wait, we're missing Apple! 

Um, here she is...

The kids decided that we needed another adult photo too!

Auntie Brenda & I contemplated getting matching shirts.

Water & Rhubarb

After all the excitement of the Zoo, we decided to have a relatively quiet day at the house.  The kids spent the morning riding bikes & playing in the yard.  In the afternoon we headed to the pool.

It was such a nice day that the adults joined in the fun too!

After swimming it was time for dinner.  

...and apparently cat catching.

The kids spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out where 'Peanut' was!

We happened to be in town during fair days, & when in a small town, you must participate in small town activities....

 This night happened to be the annual rhubarb toss.  You read that right.  You take a stalk of rhubarb & try to toss it into one of 3 buckets to win prizes.

Chancery won a prize!

And she finally lost her tooth!