It is a common understanding that we have ‘rights’ towards any resources that this planet holds, including all sentient beings. Yet we don’t have any ‘rights’ at all. What we are given is a gift. What we have is a responsibility, a moral duty to absolutely everything, and I know many readers here will share these sentiments.
We need to step back and look, take a good deep breath, and nurture unrelenting gratitude and compassion.
Beautifully said, Chris. Thank you for that and also for commenting in the first place. Love your penultimate sentence.
That's the 'normal' view, isn't it? Whereas, as you say, 'What we are given is a gift'. And as Jung and others have said, increased rights bring increased responsibilities in any case, but we as a species just think we can take as we like.
:-) Let's say he muttered a lot on the way home, mostly about 'never ever again'... But we could laugh, too; and had an interesting conversation about renewable energy with our lunch-table neighbours who were also relatively young.
Beautiful. I use to be a public health officer, and learned that the best way to deal with mice is to be really careful about any sort of spilt crumbs (or dog kibble.) They only go where they can find food and shelter, and there is no way to keep them out of an old structure. Thank you for showing the little fella the compassion it deserves. I love the title, 7 of Mice.
The mouse dilemma..! I lived this Roselle and can so relate with the how to deal with mice problem.
For two years I refused to harm the mice that decided we’d made comfortable lodgings for them in winter... by the third I was seeing them out of the corner of my eye everywhere! Just a glimpse, a tail or a whisker but enough for me to realize co habitation simply wasn’t an option.
But then the question of how to ask them to leave..?
Politely of course…
You can guess the outcome but still I couldn’t lay traps and just exterminate their short little lives.
Eventually I gave in to the less lethal humaine trap, caught 28 in the first week, did exactly what you did and released them with love and well wishes about 500m from the house.
The following week I caught 29, the week after 35..,
Far from dwindling I feared these little darlings with there never still whiskers and round terrified eyes, were scampering off and telling their friends of ‘this wonderful warm place to spend winter’ and returning to await their arrival!
In the end I had no choice, after weeks of walking up and down the hill carrying frightened mice, much to the hilarity of my very French paysan neighbors, I decided that I couldn’t and wouldn’t kill them but would leave the job to nature… so I rescued a half dead kitten from many others on the neighouring farm and left the job to her.
I now live mouse free and whilst I know I was/am party to house mouse removal I console myself with the fact that I did save a cats life in doing so… and whilst there are now none in the house, there are still plenty in my veggie patch - I know this because not only do they eat all my young haricots verts but I dig up whole nests on my spade!!
Oh Susie. That fills me with dread! We know we still have some, but I think not too many; and I've remembered using the sonar plug-in repellent things before with some success.
Your solution is a suitably 'natural' one. Also the eating mice thing perhaps means that she largely feeds herself as part of that natural ecosystem? Cats are not really an option for us: our dogs chase them, plus we in any case inherited two feral cats - who don't come in the house because of the dogs. Plus although I like cats, I really love wild birds more, so...
Yes, I've just had my saffron crocus bulbs dug up and eaten. Voles, I think, here. Up until now our extensive veg patch hasn't really suffered; there's good habitat for them in our back field where there are 100s, to the delight of local sparrowhawks, buzzards and owls. But then, our veg patch is newish. I'm about to replant – albeit late – some more crocus; am thinking I'll try garlic essential oil sprinkled in that patch; it worked sprinkled round te outside of my daughter's van when she lived in it. We shall see.
Aw, sweet little mouse! We are great re-locators from our little cabin as well 😂 Actually, it’s nice that my kids always have a first instinct of relocate, not squash - even if it’s a wasp and they have to grab a jar to catch it. On the other hand, I suddenly realize that while I tenderly carry out a little spider to release outside, I’m quite merciless in my destruction of mosquitoes and black flies and ticks that are biting me. I suppose we all draw our lines somewhere 😂
Sounds like we think alike there too, Sydney. Why am I not surprised? So glad re your kids. Mine too. And – a confession – while I too save wasps, European hornets and relocate slugs, I'm not quite so compassionate about ticks or mosquitoes either, if they're biting me (or ticks the dogs).
I am 💯 with you on the relationship between me, us and all other living creatures and treat them as you do, even down to ants and flies which are frankly a real nuisance here in the summer. I solve the ant problem by having a mastic gun permanently in hand to block their ingress points. Flies and any other winged insects I trap with a glass and paper slid under. Keeps me busy. Mice in humane traps, like you. No poisons. Used to drive Chris mad, but he’s converted now as well. Plus he’s chief creature rescuer in this house - frogs, toads, bats, birds….
I'd rather not say Pauline! ;-). Let's just say that most people were in their 80s or 90s! A few in their 70s. Then, well, us... yep, TM is close. Oh, our lunch neighbours - in their 60s, I guess.
It is a common understanding that we have ‘rights’ towards any resources that this planet holds, including all sentient beings. Yet we don’t have any ‘rights’ at all. What we are given is a gift. What we have is a responsibility, a moral duty to absolutely everything, and I know many readers here will share these sentiments.
We need to step back and look, take a good deep breath, and nurture unrelenting gratitude and compassion.
Thank you Roselle for your inspiring words.
Beautifully said, Chris. Thank you for that and also for commenting in the first place. Love your penultimate sentence.
That's the 'normal' view, isn't it? Whereas, as you say, 'What we are given is a gift'. And as Jung and others have said, increased rights bring increased responsibilities in any case, but we as a species just think we can take as we like.
Was wondering how Le repas went! Bet TM was fuming 😂….all those things he could have been doing….
:-) Let's say he muttered a lot on the way home, mostly about 'never ever again'... But we could laugh, too; and had an interesting conversation about renewable energy with our lunch-table neighbours who were also relatively young.
Beautiful. I use to be a public health officer, and learned that the best way to deal with mice is to be really careful about any sort of spilt crumbs (or dog kibble.) They only go where they can find food and shelter, and there is no way to keep them out of an old structure. Thank you for showing the little fella the compassion it deserves. I love the title, 7 of Mice.
Ah thank you for this, Rob. I'm not the tidiest of people and it's a really old house, but we are scrupulous about crumbs of all sorts.
Glad you liked the title!
The mouse dilemma..! I lived this Roselle and can so relate with the how to deal with mice problem.
For two years I refused to harm the mice that decided we’d made comfortable lodgings for them in winter... by the third I was seeing them out of the corner of my eye everywhere! Just a glimpse, a tail or a whisker but enough for me to realize co habitation simply wasn’t an option.
But then the question of how to ask them to leave..?
Politely of course…
You can guess the outcome but still I couldn’t lay traps and just exterminate their short little lives.
Eventually I gave in to the less lethal humaine trap, caught 28 in the first week, did exactly what you did and released them with love and well wishes about 500m from the house.
The following week I caught 29, the week after 35..,
Far from dwindling I feared these little darlings with there never still whiskers and round terrified eyes, were scampering off and telling their friends of ‘this wonderful warm place to spend winter’ and returning to await their arrival!
In the end I had no choice, after weeks of walking up and down the hill carrying frightened mice, much to the hilarity of my very French paysan neighbors, I decided that I couldn’t and wouldn’t kill them but would leave the job to nature… so I rescued a half dead kitten from many others on the neighouring farm and left the job to her.
I now live mouse free and whilst I know I was/am party to house mouse removal I console myself with the fact that I did save a cats life in doing so… and whilst there are now none in the house, there are still plenty in my veggie patch - I know this because not only do they eat all my young haricots verts but I dig up whole nests on my spade!!
Oh Susie. That fills me with dread! We know we still have some, but I think not too many; and I've remembered using the sonar plug-in repellent things before with some success.
Your solution is a suitably 'natural' one. Also the eating mice thing perhaps means that she largely feeds herself as part of that natural ecosystem? Cats are not really an option for us: our dogs chase them, plus we in any case inherited two feral cats - who don't come in the house because of the dogs. Plus although I like cats, I really love wild birds more, so...
Yes, I've just had my saffron crocus bulbs dug up and eaten. Voles, I think, here. Up until now our extensive veg patch hasn't really suffered; there's good habitat for them in our back field where there are 100s, to the delight of local sparrowhawks, buzzards and owls. But then, our veg patch is newish. I'm about to replant – albeit late – some more crocus; am thinking I'll try garlic essential oil sprinkled in that patch; it worked sprinkled round te outside of my daughter's van when she lived in it. We shall see.
Thank you Susie for commenting.
Aw, sweet little mouse! We are great re-locators from our little cabin as well 😂 Actually, it’s nice that my kids always have a first instinct of relocate, not squash - even if it’s a wasp and they have to grab a jar to catch it. On the other hand, I suddenly realize that while I tenderly carry out a little spider to release outside, I’m quite merciless in my destruction of mosquitoes and black flies and ticks that are biting me. I suppose we all draw our lines somewhere 😂
Sounds like we think alike there too, Sydney. Why am I not surprised? So glad re your kids. Mine too. And – a confession – while I too save wasps, European hornets and relocate slugs, I'm not quite so compassionate about ticks or mosquitoes either, if they're biting me (or ticks the dogs).
I am 💯 with you on the relationship between me, us and all other living creatures and treat them as you do, even down to ants and flies which are frankly a real nuisance here in the summer. I solve the ant problem by having a mastic gun permanently in hand to block their ingress points. Flies and any other winged insects I trap with a glass and paper slid under. Keeps me busy. Mice in humane traps, like you. No poisons. Used to drive Chris mad, but he’s converted now as well. Plus he’s chief creature rescuer in this house - frogs, toads, bats, birds….
Oh I relate to all that... down to The Man's conversion too!
Define relatively young in this context, please? 😂
I'd rather not say Pauline! ;-). Let's just say that most people were in their 80s or 90s! A few in their 70s. Then, well, us... yep, TM is close. Oh, our lunch neighbours - in their 60s, I guess.