Of Mice and Moms

Yesterday Ben, Hope and I did a lot of yard work. We mulched the front walkway and the trees in the front yard, did all the weeding and a lot of planting. After dinner Ben and I headed back out to work on the sandbox. We have a HUGE sandbox in our back yard and over the winter it was covered with boards, so we went out and dug up the sand and made it all soft again.

In the summertime, we use a huge tarp with bungees as a cover so that the boys can hook and unhook it themselves. SO I asked Ben to go ask his dad where the tarp was. Howard told him and Ben, being my good helper went and got it. It was folded up alongside the house and he drug it into the backyard. As I began to unfold it, I noticed that it was SHREDDED. Then, before the thought of mice could enter my brain, mice began to scurry, EVERYWHERE. People, I had mice run over my feet.

Can I just tell you that I screamed like I was on fire? I began running in place and threw the tarp to the ground. Meanwhile the neighbor, who was peacefully working in his garden came running thinking I was hurt, I screamed to Ben, "GO GET YOUR FATHER". Ben took off! He came back, still unaware of what had happened but saw some of the mice. He started shouting, "Punch that mouse in the face mom!" "You can do it". I was frozen. I did not want to cross paths with one again.

I hear Howard from the kitchen window laughing. He pipes up with "Shall I grab the shotgun?" I was NOT amused. The next thing I know, my mother and father in law are there. As we walked toward the front of the house we saw a hole in the ground where the tarp had been and there were mice there too! EEEEEEEEEEKKK! Ben, quick thinker he is, runs to grandma and grandpa's and lets the dog and cat out! Next thing I know, here comes Howard with a pitchfork! Seriously...you can't make this stuff up. I can only imagine what an onlooker would have thought as they saw the cat and dog chasing mice like crazy, Howard digging out the hole with a pitchfork, me standing with my inlaws looking on with disgust and Ben shouting "Get 'em Maddy, shred that mouse!" and Hope laughing like crazy!

Oh what a night! :)