Yeah, sure, youbetcha!

Another reason why I'm not a Minnesota Gopher fan....

So, today I have the day off. I slept in until 7:30 (I'm usually up at 5:45), I got up, had a little breakfast, got changed and headed out for a walk. I actually had a hair appointment for a much needed hair cut! To help get the miles in, I've decided that I need to plan out my errands and actually walk to them if I can.

The hair salon, The Cutting Edge, was a find of chance. Ladies, you know what I mean. You find a stylist that you like, and then you leave. And the hunt starts all over again in your new town. Though I could drive back to Eden Prairie every time I need a hair cut, I really don't want to 1.) waste gas money on a trip for a haircut and 2.) pay $35 (with tip) for my 20 something stylist to cut my hair.

Trisha at the Cutting Edge--she rocks. And the cost? $18 for the cut. Add in a little tip and I'm all set!

Well, I got home from the cut and I'm thinking of the trip I need to make to Target (side note: why is it that I run out of EVERYTHING at the same time?). I walk to the front door of our little town house and I hear a scurry-scratching in the downspout for the gutter.

And I froze in my tracks.

Now, let's talk about rodent, birds, etc. I like nature. I struggle with why those little buggers have a place on this earth. I struggle even more with why Noah decided that they just had to be on the Ark. Couldn't he have made a deal with God? Sort of like a kid who makes a deal to keep their room clean forever if they could just get a dog. Couldn't Noah have agreed to plant more trees or teach a village to fish or something?

I digress....

Anyway, when I worked at Camp Lincoln & Camp Lake Hubert, I had a MAJOR fear of mice. They were in the cabins, they were in the dining hall...they were everywhere. I was told about staff & campers who would be sleeping and they would have a mouse run over their face in the middle of the night. That, my friends, is what caused me to fight tooth and nail for the top bunk in the counselor room of the cabin. I know those buggers can climb, but that old, metal bunk bed gave me some false sense of security.

I have many stories about mice in cabins. Including one where two British staff members were trying to get a mouse out of my cabin with a broom and a flyswatter.

Yes. A flyswatter.

That is a story for another day.

Well, imagine the nervous knots that I had when I hear that the scratch, scratch, scratch of some little claws on the metal of that downspout.

I tapped the spout.

scratch scratch scratch

I wiggled the spout

scratch scratch scratch

Then a little head peeked out of the end, and went back in.

This called for drastic measures. I called Andy.

Here's how it went:

A: Hi honey
K: Hi....there is something in the downspout of the gutter
A: OOOOKAAAAYYY (standard Andy response to most things)
K: I've tapped it and shook it and nothing.
A: Well, does the downspout come off?
K: Yes. Hold on.
K: OK...it's off.
A: And?
K: Nothing
A: Why not tap it again
K: (tapping it) Nothing. Just scratching
A: Take the spout, turn it upside down and scoot the thing out
K: HUH?!?!?
A: (laughing) Well, you want it out don't you?
K: Yeah, but what if it goes up my pant leg?
A: (laughing still) It just might!
K: But if it's stuck it will die, so what do I do?
A: (laughing harder) I'm not sure. You'll just have to decide that won't you
K: (slight scream) OH MY GOD!!! IT'S A GOPHER!!! IT HAS JUST COME OUT!
A: (still laughing) Where did it go?
K: To the neighbors....OK...we're good now...talk to you later


I'm sorry, but this is just another reason why I don't like the Minnesota Gophers (besides, I'm biased, I went to the University of North Dakota....GO SIOUX!).