Mr. Rat, or perhaps a relative of his, is back. I am inclined to think it is not a rat now, because of the unusual facts that have appeared. As a former HR investigator, I'm all about the facts. Just the facts, ma'am.
1. I covered the holes leading under the barn. They are freshly dug out.
2. Gus still sniffs everywhere and bounces about when I say, "Get the mousey."
3. I moved the Have-a-Heart-Trap to the side of the barn closest to a freshly dug hole and the next day, the trap was sideways, the paper plate was torn up with the peanut butter gone and an apple piece outside of it.
Based on these facts, I believe there is something living under the barn and possibly a raccoon messed with the trap. We have two intruders. The Mister thinks a mouse did it. Really? This is what the Great White Hunter came up with? A mouse moved the trap and tore (not chewed) the plate into eight pieces? His reasoning was because the trap door was still up. My reasoning is that the raccoon shook it out and the trap door is stuck. The Mister put another plate of peanut butter inside after fixing the trap door, which was stuck.
It is amazing how sometimes the universe aligns and a theory actually works. So here is the background; the mini trailer fits in the back of our truck perfectly. It uses a ramp which is so steep that it scares the crap out of me to climb it and also scared the minis, as well. Very unsafe with no side rails, either. The Mister came up with a brilliant solution. Why don't we put it inside the horse trailer? Yes, a mini trailer inside a horse trailer. Because, after all, that's why we bought a lightweight mini hauler. To put into our cumbersome horse trailer for ease of use. After presenting him with the patented wife move of eye rolling and not-so-concealed exasperation, I said, how about we put it into a trailer that is lower to the ground, so the ramp isn't so inclined? A bit of research showed that a landscaper utility trailer might work, so off we went. Sure enough, a 4X6 was the perfect fit (and has a built in ramp!!) and the guys at Kirshner in Woodinville were so excited that they wired it, cut out a tiny space on the ramp for the upper lock on the drop down window in back and washed it for me. Then, they took pictures to put on their website. They told me that after they took the pictures, they realized that people would think, "Big deal, a horse trailer," so in order to give it perspective, they put Rudy, the office cat inside. I told them, "Well, what if Rudy was a giant cat? Would it still be in perspective?" Really, you need to think these things through.
So we got the trailer in a trailer home and I backed it into its' little spot next to the barn under the roof. Time to load the boys. Trusty wasn't entirely sure, so I did the old carrot on the ramp trick. He stretched and tried to reach it with his stubby little neck, then looked at me and performed his "cute" trick. (He cocks his head sideways like a listening dog and bats his eyes. Truly, it's pretty funny.) When that didn't work, he took a step and received much praise and a bit of carrot. Another step, another bit. Then he stood for a while on the ramp and stamped his foot and looked at me. I said, "Nice try, but moving forward is the goal." Another pause and he walked right in to crunch up a half dozen baby carrots. He stood for a while and I went to get Tino. He paused and looked at Trusty eating carrots and ran up the ramp and into the trailer. Smart boy.
Terribly exciting, my life. As I used to sign off on my emails at work:
That is my report.
