maarmie's musings

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Smoky the rat

I was lying on my bed minding my own business last night when this furry creature with four legs scurried out of my kitchen and into the main room of my apartment. He/she was on a trajectory aimed at the center of the room when he/she saw me move. He/she (hereafter referred to as "Smoky") thought better of the course and darted behind my bookcase.

Since I'm a girl, I really have no idea what to do in the event of a rodent infestation except 1) panic and 2) call a man. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the saved numbers looking for my landlord's. I hadn't saved the number in my phone. I would have to go to the kitchen to get the number off my fridge. But there might be more of them in the kitchen. A whole gang of them ready to grab onto my ankles and take me down, angry that I keep my food in a high cupboard out of their reach and ready to gnaw my face to the bone.

I ran over to my computer desk chair and jumped up on it flinging myself and the chair (thank you whoever invented wheels!) kitchenward. Once in the kitchen, I grabbed the landlord's number off the refrigerator door and pushed off back in the direction of my bed. Once back on the bed, I dialled the landlord's number. That's when Smoky darted from behind the bookcase to behind the computer desk to behind my dresser. The landlord said he and the pest control dude would be out today.

I could tell Smoky was dying to get into my closet because that's where the little mongrel kept trying to go. But the door was almost closed, and Smoky was too scared to take his time about getting in there. Smoky finally made it into the closet. That's when I shut the closet door. Knowing that mice and rats can flatten themselves to squeeze through almost any size opening, the fact that Smoky was in the closed closet didn't quiet my nerves. I picked everything up off the floor (including my rumpled comforter that could easily hide a rat) and stayed on my bed the rest of the night with a broom next to the bed. I didn't sleep too well last night.

This morning, I got ready for work without use of my closet. It's a good thing I keep some of my pants in my dresser and that I don't have to wear a suit during the slow season. Before leaving the house, I left a note for the landlord/pest guy on the counter with a drawing of the critter (for size purposes) and descriptions of where I have seen droppings and where I last saw Smoky. I think there will be some very inhumane traps in my house starting today. Thank goodness today signals the beginning of two weeks of house sitting for my friends.

Smoky was a fine rat. WAS being the operative word here.

Update: My landlord and the pest control dude put a couple of glue traps down with peanut butter as bait in each one - one inside my closet and one behind my bed. Great. I can see it now. I'll be trying to sleep and all of a sudden I'll hear a bunch of shrieking and squealing right by my head. That ought to give me pleasant dreams. Landlord ordered me to keep my box of shoes off the ground for however long it takes to catch the sucker. Smoky likey my box o'shoes.

Update: A call from my landlord confirmed that a rat was found in one of the traps. I don't know it if was Smoky or not, because my landlord disposed of it. There's one more trap in my apartment. I just hope there aren't more rats.

6 comments:

Jeremy QA Gibbens said...

Ewww...I'd freak out more than that. I'd be twirling from my ceiling fans from room to room until I could get out of the house, drive several miles away, and find a hotel. I hate rodents. Say goodbye, Smoky--mwah ha ha haaaaaa!

maarmie said...

I probably would have freaked out more if I hadn't have been used to mice from New York and Portland. I had a ton of them in New York - though there were tiny little white mice in my apartment not big huge grey rats. Smoky is real cute, though. All soft and cuddly and furry. Too bad he's just a stinkin' rat!

Annie said...

Another adventure story from you, Maarmie. I hope this one ends the way you want it to.

Sunny said...

We were sitting on the steps of the Capitol building in Washington, DC, back in May for the big Memorial Day concert (co-hosted by Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna), and a rat ran by, just trotting calmly down the steps like it belonged there.

As high up as we were, it couldn't have come from anywhere but the Capitol building itself.

That was pretty funny, er, appropriate.

maarmie said...

Sunny said:

We were sitting on the steps of the Capitol building in Washington, DC, back in May for the big Memorial Day concert (co-hosted by Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna), and a rat ran by, just trotting calmly down the steps like it belonged there.

As high up as we were, it couldn't have come from anywhere but the Capitol building itself.

That was pretty funny, er, appropriate.

maarmie said...

Annie said...

Another adventure story from you, Maarmie. I hope this one ends the way you want it to