Of mice and men (and other little endeavors)

Country living and farms in particular, are different from city living and the suburbs in many ways. One of which is death. The cycles of life of all creatures are a natural part of life here. Some are to be expected; the deer lying in the ditch being picked apart by a family of thankful crows, the bees that froze to the stamen while drinking their last sip of nectar, the howl of coyotes after dark as they rile up their pack in anticipation of a hunting party, the spider web in the barn, full of mummified insects with their juices sucked dry, the putrid odor that emanates from the crushed Ginko berries daring you not to cross the road or breath through your mouth.


All these things are welcome sights to me for one reason; each is where it belongs, outside in its native habitat, performing its perfectly assigned natural role in the grand scheme of things. When it comes to finding critters inside my house, I become less of an admirer of nature and more of an executioner. In my house, no creature is safe, not even my beloved spiders. Least of all is the lowly mouse, so cute and furry when seen outside or in the pet shop, so despised when found in my house.


Supposedly the mouse problem was fixed a few years ago when new siding was put on the house. While cleaning the house, I found no signs of mice and rested well with these findings, until I heard one in the wall in my daughter's room, and not in the outside wall, the inner wall. Kevin asked me if I would like him to put poison around the house. I told him no, because the trouble with poison is that it doesn't kill them instantly, they crawl back into their little homes and die there while we are left to smell the odors of death like crushed overripe Ginko berries for months until the flesh has completely rotted off the bone. I told him that I wanted their little necks snapped in half like the stems of string beans. He was taken aback. Normally compassionate towards all creatures, I don't think he expected such a heartless response, but he placed traps around the house. Last night one mouse entered a new cycle of life and no doubt some thankful creature outdoors will appreciate the offering.


In the meantime, Savannah received a new closet and a large new rug in her room. Her toys have been unpacked and put away and it's like Christmas for her, rediscovering the new in the old. Her room is missing only baseboard trim now.

Savannah's room is full of starlight that glows into the room during the evening and night. She falls asleep to star clusters and two moons all over - like multiple galaxies glowing over her in the night.

Savannah's closet was a full family endeavor. I painted the trim, my mom painted with the roller, and Kevin installed the wood shelf and bar.

When Savannah first saw the master bathroom tub she declared that it would be hers and she would share it with her baby sister or brother for bathtime.

Savannah enjoys the ultra deep European-style bathtub. Now that our water is properly filtered no sulfur smell!

I like to decorate with simple things that make a big impact such as these fabulous rugs. I found them on ebay and have three more coming. They are hand knotted 100% wool rugs made in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As my mother likes to say, and makes me laugh every time, by buying these rugs, I'm supporting peace by keeping the terrorists busy... People are people the world over (and governments are essentially all the same) and I'm glad to support someone's beautiful handiwork and hope that a reasonable fee was paid to them for their art.

Chobi is the style that I love the best. There are few Chobi's that I don't like... The runners keep Savannah from slipping on the floors when she's dancing to the Nutcracker (an almost daily activity) and protect the solid wood floors in high traffic areas. I also consider them floor art, more important than wall art.