Mice Troubles (and Random Photos Because You Don’t Really Want to See Pictures of Mouse Poop)

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Skip forward if you’d like to go straight to the very pleasant baking photos. Below is a section most accurately described with the question: Have you ever tried to fall asleep while listening to a mouse (or maybe more, I’m trying not think about it) scurry on the floor of your bedroom?

If not, try to avoid it. It can be a very distracting sound. Especially when you have already discovered their ability to climb up onto the bottom bunk of your bunk bed. Thank god I chose the top bunk.

The mouse problem at Boghill apparently occurs ever winter. Boghill is a very clean place and a wonderful hostel, don’t get me wrong, but the mice in Ireland are just too smart. Even when all of the food is saran-wrapped or in containers, they still find a way. They literally chew their way through plastic packaging to get to closed food…and we frantically go around setting up mouse traps that the mice subsequently outsmart.

At first it was kind of funny. This was back before I had actually seen any of the mice. I had heard Josie scream at the sight of one on the kitchen floor, and I saw the empty mouse traps. It didn’t seem like a big deal- maybe one lone mouse.

Then I started to hear them in my room and found my unopened bag of nuts spotting a giant hole in the middle. Ew.

Tonight has been even worse. After finishing a movie in the living room, I came back to my room to read for a while in the warmth of my many blankets. I kept seeing something out of the corner of my eye though. Finally, I looked over fast enough and saw a mouse scurrying around the corner.

I’ve turned off the lights so I can’t see it, but:

#1 I know it’s there.

#2 I’m left to wonder what it’s doing/finding/pooping on in my room.

And #3 I can still hear it.

I’m going to turn on some music really loud and hope I fall asleep quickly.

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Here are some baking photos to make this post a little more pleasant:

Carrot cake for today’s group (pre-icing). It turned out a lot better than my first attempt a few days ago where after a couple of hours in the oven it still wasn’t cooked all the way through.

Coconut circles, also for the group in today!

Speedy Seedy Bars (that’s just the name the recipe gave) for a group last week.

My one attempt at cooking rather than baking. Homemade pizzas!