Tenting to Escape the Mice

(2. Slept under the stars ... not quite ... part 2)

In continuing my version of the meme that I started in my previous post, I have another tenting experience to relate. I have to say "tenting" because it wasn't camping as such. It occurred more than twenty-five years ago, about a year after my close encounters with the mice, and, once again, it put me close to being under the stars. As with the previous post about camping in Algonquin Park, I thought that I had blogged about this before, but, once again, I can't find it. However, Cuppa related much of the hilarious background story in full detail in Mouse in the House.

My condensed version: mice were always a problem in Cuppa's parents cottage, which really should be called a cabin ... or shack. It was a primitive place with no plumbing. We'd go into town, which wasn't a town at all but just a tiny hamlet, with jugs to obtain drinking water, and we'd wash up in creek water, which was pretty clean but not potable. Both we and the kids were young, and we had a great time roughing it. But, as I said, the mice were always lurking ... which was okay as long as they left us alone. Well, I shouldn't say, "Okay," but we tolerated the situation in order to enjoy the general setting of a cabin in the forest by a lovely creek with a wonderful, little waterfall.

However, on one fateful night, I awoke to something crawling around in my pajamas, whereupon I leapt out of bed, slammed my legs against the door jamb on my wildly hysterical exit from the bedroom while rending my pajama top in a frenzy of terror. (You really should read Cuppa's full narrative.) My feelings for the place were never quite the same after that incident, but we did return the following summer — with our trusty tent this time.

You see, it was still a great spot, but none of us (meaning me, the chicken-livered one to whom they were most attracted) really wanted to share our beds with the mice, so we slept in the tent. We'd use the cottage/cabin during the day and do all of the holiday-ey, cottagy things that one does on vacation: basically laze, swim, read, and eat. However, come bedtime, the four of us would head out to our rodent-free tent and sleep blissfully, once again almost under the stars.

I slept much better not having to worry about trespassers in my jamies.