Defeating the Mice (Without Killing Them)

With the help of my next door neighbor Eamon, and Peter, one of the landlord’s workers, I believe I’ve blocked every possible mouse entryway. It’s a jigsaw puzzle of openings, as you can see in the first picture below.

I’ve got strips of wood, which I painted green to match the trim, and patches of steel wool (covered with duct tape) everywhere. They go up and around the kitchen cabinets, and behind and around the stove and the refrigerator. The only other gaps were in the bathroom, and I’d already covered those up years ago. One more picture below …

mouseblock1

You can see how much my apartment tilts. It’s insane. The building is over 100 years old, so I guess it makes sense that it has settled and shifted over the century, but still. Anyway, yesterday morning I heard scratching, scratching, scratching, but no mice ever appeared! Added benefit: I should never see one of those huge, horrifying, flying cockroaches ever again either.

mouseblock2

Stacy Horn

I've written six non-fiction books, the most recent is Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York.

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