Lonely mice

Los Lonely Boys










Today is cold. Nasty, windy, bitter cold. Yesterday it started to rain, then sleet, then snow. Today, the wet is gone, but the bone chilling temperature tinged with damp remains.



When I entered work this morning the heater was making an interesting sound. A tinging like noise. C and A are always cold, so it becomes impossible to tell when there is a real issue or not. Eventually, they decide. So in truth, I was going to ignore it. It was still blowing mostly warm air, so I figured they would either say it was fine or would not.


But as the Fates would have it, our maintenance person came thru for some other reason.


“B… our heater’s making a funny noise….” I asked innocently.


“’K. I’ll take a look…” He offered that smile that said, yeah one more thing… I know.


It took him twenty minutes to get the unit apart. Then ten more minutes to find the problem. But only two minutes more after that to find the probably source of the problem and more. The culprit: a mouse.


What a surprise. Mice have plagued us for months. Years. We thought they were gone when the two inch gap in the door got fixed. They certainly lessened. So, in truth, to find out that it was a now deceased mouse caught in the fan causing the heating problem, I was not only not surprised, but perhaps a bit secretly pleased. We’ve been dealing with them – now it was retribution time.


Opening up the entire unit to remove the dead mouse was a start. But in this process, B. discovered a two inch gap along the bottom of the heating unit leading directly to the outside. Not only that but a nice nest in the corner of the unit as well. It was the Hilton for mice.


After cleaning it all out and a bit of muttering came the question of what to do? B’s boss was called in to investigate.


B’s boss should not be one. For the head of a maintenance department he is too impeccably tidy. I have only ever seen him in new crisp blue jeans, button down shirts and always looking like he’s just stepped from golf course or ski slope. He also doesn’t speak to me. Sometimes I smile at him politely, sometimes I don’t bother, but he never speaks to me.


As was the case today. He entered, I looked up smiled and he ignored me. So be it. I know why he’s mad. We’ve had two go arounds with the trash. The sum of which is that he thinks he or his guys shouldn’t have to pick it up and I say he should. His boss agrees with me. Of course, what has been expressed about this has been “miscommunications” and “misunderstandings”. But regardless of how his boss wants to paint it, it’s been clear. He doesn’t want to and has to any way. Oh well.


So after the maintenance guys confer it is decided that screen mesh will need to be put up to block the mice’s passage. This makes sense to me, but it means we have gone from a 10 minute look to a several hour job. One that was not on anyone’s schedule.


B’s boss has decided it is not worth the over time, it will wait tomorrow. So B. has make shift returned the unit to the wall in front of the “hole” which is now covered with a plastic bag. He will be back in the morning to turn off the water so that the heater can be fixed, screen attached, mice blocked. I expect it to take a few hours.


I think this is mice justice and I though I feel bad for those that have lost their lives, I am appreciative of their sacrifice. It is revenge and vindication. Perhaps a small sign that what is put forth does come back. Something I have felt a much needed reminder about.