I have a couple confessions

Meet Pepper.

You've met her before. She's Tanner's mouse and by default, she's part my mouse, mainly because I make sure she doesn't die when Tanner is not here. Also because I take her out and put her up to my ear and let her swear at me in tiny mouse talk.

Yesterday, Pepper and her wheel came out and sat on my desk while I worked. Yes, I know, I need to push all my papers to the side on my desk... or clean it. Something like that.

I read once, that you can train a mouse to live on a surface and it will never leave it, but you know, I think finding random Pepper nuggets on contracts and precious family photos would be just a little too "adorable" for me, despite that little Ratatouille face.

BTW, mice are pretty hard to photograph. They move constantly and any good picture of Pepper is still just a little big blurry.

Unless you catch one in a trap.

Which we did last night.
And this morning.
And I heard one in my furnace closet.
I hope it's the same one I heard under the dishwasher this morning.

EEEEKKK.

It's NOT THE SAME as Pepper. Nope it's not. These guys get into your drawers and poop in your kitchen towels or right in the middle of a spoon.
Pepper just poops in your hand when you pick her up.

oh stop!
We have soap. We use it.

So this might seem a little surprising to you, but when the snake moved in under the house, I was a bit relieved. As long as he is big enough not to get into the house, we can live a coexistent symbiotic relationship for years to come.

You see, right next to my very tiny flower garden {that I have to weed EVERY SINGLE DAY} I noticed a hole going under the foundation wall, leading up to that, was a long trail.... ie, there's been some traffic of the snake-ish variety going in and out.

Around the time that I noticed that, I noticed considerably less chewing or rustling noises next to the cat food storage container. And inside my wee little noggin, I settled down knowing there was a big fat and sassy snake, living under my house, feasting on manna from heaven.

We made friends.
{Of the "admire from a distance" variety}

But lately, I've noticed that the trail leading out, is starting to fill back in with crabgrass and clover and I started to worry that Mr snake left. Then yesterday, a mouse had a party and invited all his friends.

The same day, Tanner admits to running over a snake with the lawnmower while mowing the back yard.

I'm crossing my fingers that the problem is only that "the" snake got too fat and can't fit back in the hole. In the meantime, it's war.

Game on beoytches.