Mice Look For A Home; Don’T Let It Be Yours

We are not alone in our search for warmth. The last of our finally hot summer is turning into frostbitten fall and the search for heat is on. Through every crack of the house, unwanted visitors check in. I am not talking in-laws, I’m talking mice.

Mice only need a hole the size of a dime to invade and make a home in your sock drawer. Somewhere warm and fuzzy is a winter haven to them. There are several ways to be rid of them, the best being preventing them from ever coming in. D-Con, which has dubbed October as National Rodent Prevention Month, offered these suggestions for a furry-free home:

* Check along the foundation of your house for cracks and fill with a foam sealer.

* Close the doggy door and seal with sheet-metal or plywood.

* Close the fireplace when not burning.

* Set traps and move them weekly.

You can buy traps anywhere, but believe me, one of the best solutions is placing D-Con where mice gather. Last season, Mickey and the gang found their way into our house and, trying to be humane, I bought mice hotels baited with peanut butter. The only thing I caught was my dog’s tongue.

D-Con sends mice packing and works pretty quickly. The only problem is sometimes the mice can’t get back out of the D-Con boxes and may die in your clothes, which you won’t discover until next spring, thus the reason for preventative methods.

If setting out poison traps concerns you, go to the Spokane Human Society and adopt a cat. You’ll lose the mice and gain a life-long friend.

Get me a power saw for my steak!

There is never enough counter space for all those fancy kitchen appliances. The space gets smaller and the gadgets just get cooler.

Black and Decker has added a new line of space-stealers that may make the summer chef content while waiting for the snow to melt. It’s the SizzleLean, an electric grill that cooks like a barbecue. It has a splatter guard and a grease tray for easy disposal and clean-up. It’s also dishwasher safe.

Also impressive is the Black and Decker Web site (www.householdprodcts.com), where you can take a gander at new products, including a portable mixer called the Partymaster to concoct those margaritas at tailgate parties. Now if there were only a kitchen appliance tool belt.

Don’t forget to…

Change the furnace filter and call for a maintenance check. Replace the batteries in the smoke detectors. Add a rinse agent into the dishwasher and send a thank-you card to your children’s teachers. If you don’t have kids, send one to a former teacher of yours for having a positive impact on your life. It’s easy: Get a card and write something simple like, “Thank you Mrs. Brockway.”