EEK!

Sources:

Clkr.com
Wikipedia.com


"Eek can refer to:
An onomatopoeia imitating the sound made by a monkey, mouse or rat
Eek, Alaska
Eek River, Alaska
Eek! The Cat, an animated TV series
A colloquialistic expression denoting someone is nervous about something
A spider given in Halloween event of RuneScape. "

Who knew this word was so versatile? I thought the only use for it was reserved for an event in which a mouse is witnessed and with the assumption that said witness is frightened by the sight of the animal and makes such an utterance. Well, except elephants. They're supposed to be afraid of mice but I'm not sure if they can properly produce the exclamation given their vocal structure. Maybe Wikipedia could help with that information too. I digress...

So, we live near the woods, right? Woodland creatures have been named after their dwellings, the woods. Mice live in the woods. Mice got into our house.

We had them two winters ago. We heard them scurrying around in the walls and in the ceiling between floors. We got those ultrasonic devices that plug into the wall. If you're not familiar, they're about $12-15. You buy several depending on the size of your house. It's supposed to create a "racket" that sounds like hammering and other construction work being done on your house. The good news is you can't hear the noise, only the mice can! So, they take off to pester someone else and possibly meet with a crueler fate from my neighbors who may not make the same humane choices as we do. We don't do traps or poison.

This was our solution short of getting a cat. We have two aquatic frogs, Jumper and Spring. I replace their water once every 3 months and give them 4 tidy little pellets twice a week. This is the extent of our pet allowance until my kids are much MUCH older. I'm also allergic to most cats.

It worked for two years! We didn't hear or see "mouse one". This was one of my favorite expressions my dad said. I'm not sure if he made it up. He probably did since he was a very clever man. He would insert a noun and follow it by "one". Another example would be if the weather folks on TV were predicting a huge snowstorm and it didn't start when they said it would, he'd say, "I don't see snowflake one." He was also very cynical of people who predict the weather and media sensationalism...often not mutually exclusive.

This winter, the scurrying started up again. We concluded that the plug-in "racket-makers" had run their course. So we bought new ones, but couldn't find the same brand. The scurrying did not go away, but did change locations. Instead of running clear across the ceiling from the living room to the dining room, they confined themselves to the edges of the house. In other words, there was still a racket, but they tried to get as far away from it without leaving the house because it was too cold. We gotta get the other brand next time.

Spring definitely has been poking its head in around here so we thought the mice would go back outside for good for another season. We haven't heard any more scurrying for awhile. Well, on Friday night, while Lilly and Andy were getting ready for bed (very cooperatively I might add! Thanks, guys!), Dave and I were downstairs sitting on the couch.

All of a sudden, Andy yells, "I found a rat!". I'm thinking, OK, it's a huge, misplaced puff of laundry lint. After all, it's almost always that gray color. Could be a stuffed animal or simply a....mouse....nah, couldn't be...you know, the racket! So, down the stairs he comes in typical boy fashion. Something fuzzy is in his bare hands...it's not...is it? He gets closer! AGH!! EEEEEEK!!! A MOUSE!!! Oh, wait, it's dead...or is it frozen from fear. Gee, no one else is! Truthfully, I wasn't scared...just grossed out. BARE HANDS, OK, PEOPLE?

Andy, "So, is it a rat?"

Dad (calmly): "No, just a mouse."

Andy: "Is it dead?"

Dad: "Yes."

Mom: "Are you SURE it's dead and not just playing dead?"

Dad: "Yes."

Andy: "It is real 'cause I felt a bone."

Lilly (accusingly): "It's so cute. Did you POISON it?!?"

Mom: "No, of course not."

Andy: "I thought it was fake and then I felt a bone."

Mom: "Oh GOD! Don't put it on the couch!" (yes, it's an ancient and horrible couch, but STILL!)

Dad: "Why not?" (he's kidding right?)

Mom: " 'Cause it's germy!"

Dad: "Nah. It's too new to be germy."

Mom thinks to herself. Men. Boys. What planet are they FROM? Also, what is the threshold that defines when a dead mouse (now "Eww!" instead of "Eek!") becomes germy? Anyone know where Gil Grissom is these days?

Mom: "Andy, go WASH YOUR HANDS!!" (in typical Mom fashion)

I can't be too hard on my husband though. He got up and got a plastic bag and provided a proper Ziploc burial and I didn't even have to touch it. Thanks, Sweetie! Hopefully, that's it for the mice for another 9 months!

Below are some of many familiar mice...as far as I know...not "Eek"-evoking.







Source: disneylandpostcards.com

Source: sploofus.com

Source: um9shop.com