Mousetraps

It was many months ago that we were disturbed by what sounded like galloping elephants in our roof - at the time when the wood pigeons were still in residence. We had seen a quick mouse running from the kitchen through the diningroom, sitting room, up a wall and into the roof. So repairs to the gap in the pine strip ceiling commenced very speedily - but that didn't stop the streaker mouse. Hence, investment in mousetraps. Judy (top dog) was no longer of use in catching mice in the house although she still caught birds in the garden. The mouse traps and the cheese in them are still in place. The cheese looks a bit hard, but the mousetraps still look functional. Unfortunately they were never sprung by mice or rats - and we resorted to poison after the woodpigeons moved out. That seemed to do the trick. I came home one day to find Judy wandering around with a dead rat in her mouth, which she refused to give up until Paul poured a bucket of water over her head. It just would not do for her to have eaten a poisoned rat. The elephants then were no longer heard in our roof and we could rest peacefully.

But the mousetraps are still in waiting position - I nearly tripped over one this morning when I opened the curtains. Strange, isn't it, how we keep things in place that are no longer needed or serving a function. When the mice have gone, the mousetraps wait in vain, gathering dust. Reminds me of what I heard while listening to a CD in the car recently: when God moves on all we are left with is religion.