For you amusement and comment... Mice....

Only one smell worse than a mouse piss mess made in your truck/boat/man cave/ recliner, and that is a poisoned dead mouse rotting away inside in an inaccessible area. I had a poisoned mouse die inside a sheet rock wall. Smelled terrible. Every time the humidity got about 50% the smell would come back. Finally filled the wall cavity with expanding foam to entomb the smell. I run a trap line now because I want to be able to retrieve their sorry carcasses.
 
Red and Grey Fox can do much to solve the problem, but in most places are in short supply. Which is not the case were I live now. Thank God. Mice do more to transmit Lyme D. than deer.
 
Had a clicking in the blower motor for the truck heater. Took it to local mechanic.

"Figured out the problem, mouse nest"

"Really? little bastards. I know they like the engine block"

"Yup. See this a bit now and again, but can't say I've ever had the mouse jump out at me...."

*Rob writes check for whatever mechanic man charges

Worst ever, sort of mouse, but cat:

Boat is in storage, covered with trailer cover. Barn cat gets in boat, up and under bow seating storage. Has litter of kittens, but apparently can't figure out the seat AND getting kittens out. Abandons kittens.

First voyage of the year, pre-scrub from post winter, just to check systems, have a beer and drop a line.... what's that smell?

Sank 3 or 4 mushy, thawing kittens in the lake.

Keeping my stomach that day was tough!
 
hopefully have closure on the situation... Truck is back in the driveway and the experience ended up at costing around $800.

I ended up having the mechanic fix the wires and not put new harnesses in. The three harnesses just parts would have been between 5 and 6K and a couple days of labor. It turns out that the visible damage was the extent of the damage (between the nest and the ability to see in, you could only get a look at about an eighth of the wires and everything that was out of view was undamaged). In the end, I could have done it myself with what I had on had if I had the guts to pull it apart myself - that and I wanted to be able to make an insurance claim if the damage was bad enough to justify replacing the harnesses. Hope it doesn't bite me in the ass later, but I can't see replacing 5K if wiring to fix a half a dozen wires even on someone else's dime. Repairs were soldered with shrink tube.
 
Repairs were soldered with shrink tube.
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What flavor shrink tube did the tech use? I hear "spicy onion" is popular with east coast mice.
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No scented tube, but he put peanut butter on them - said it works out great for him.

I actually have a question for you.... I have a 1/2" and 5/8" hole in an aluminum block (say 2" x 2" x 2" alum. block) that I'd like to open to 13/16. I have a drill press and a good vice for the drill press. Should I so straight to 13/16 or work my way up? Haven't drilled a hole that big in metal other things like 1/4" plate or angle.
 
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Tod,
Going straight from 1/2 or 5/8 to a 13/16 hole may give you a bit of wobble at the top of the hole. Best thing would be if you have a large chamfer bit which you can go in and open up the top of the hole to size then follow with the thru hole. A drill press and vise gives you a good start on getting a decent job done.
 
Tod,
Going straight from 1/2 or 5/8 to a 13/16 hole may give you a bit of wobble at the top of the hole. Best thing would be if you have a large chamfer bit which you can go in and open up the top of the hole to size then follow with the thru hole. A drill press and vise gives you a good start on getting a decent job done.
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Thanks Dave. It is for some UHMW sleeves, so I have some wiggle room, but I'd like it perfect just because. Will do it as you suggest, I can do that. Appreciate it.
 
My wife had a mouse die inside the air vent someplace in the car. Every time she turned on the heat or A/C it smelled like rotten mouse.
 
I could maybe mail you a few cats if my crazy cat lady neighbor wouldn't miss them. I doubt she would...it has to be hard to keep track when you get close to triple digits. It does seem to help control the mouse population in the area.

Tim
 
I could maybe mail you a few cats if my crazy cat lady neighbor wouldn't miss them. I doubt she would...it has to be hard to keep track when you get close to triple digits. It does seem to help control the mouse population in the area.

Tim
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I'm surprised you didn't offer up the crazy lady herself AND the cats :).

Truck made out of town (and back) for a few days of canoeing and camping. Lake was very stingy. Gus caught a nice snapping turtle (maybe 20 pounds) and amazingly landed it on 6 pound test - so at least the kid made a good memory. Damn loons woke me up every night.
 
Damn loons woke me up every night.
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Maybe you're not the outdoorsman type. :>) :>)
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I'll tell you what - the way our fishing was... I'll agree. I've never fished so hard for so few fish.

I blamed the loons for waking me up and eating all my fish!
 

I'm surprised you didn't offer up the crazy lady herself AND the cats :).

Truck made out of town (and back) for a few days of canoeing and camping. Lake was very stingy. Gus caught a nice snapping turtle (maybe 20 pounds) and amazingly landed it on 6 pound test - so at least the kid made a good memory. Damn loons woke me up every night.
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Tod I like you too well for that. She is in every way what you would imagine a crazy cat lady would be. Well except she doesn't wear a large flowered moo moo.
I guess she has moved out to make more room for cats. Some day that house is going to make a very smelly fire.

Did you butcher the turtle for Gus? I've only had snapper once but remember that it was very good.
I'm fairly certain they taste better then Loons.

Tim
 
If either one does ever wear a moo moo I'm not lifting it up to see which one it is.

Tim
 

I'm surprised you didn't offer up the crazy lady herself AND the cats :).

Truck made out of town (and back) for a few days of canoeing and camping. Lake was very stingy. Gus caught a nice snapping turtle (maybe 20 pounds) and amazingly landed it on 6 pound test - so at least the kid made a good memory. Damn loons woke me up every night.
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Tod I like you too well for that. She is in every way what you would imagine a crazy cat lady would be. Well except she doesn't wear a large flowered moo moo.
I guess she has moved out to make more room for cats. Some day that house is going to make a very smelly fire.

Did you butcher the turtle for Gus? I've only had snapper once but remember that it was very good.
I'm fairly certain they taste better then Loons.

Tim
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I thought about taking the turtle, but the thought portaging it out would suck. I have wanted to try turtle, but the only ones I see here come from some more contaminated waterbodies (PCBs) and given their age and diet, I'd think a big old one would be loaded with nasties.
 
Well, it could always be worse-I had a mink get into my garage a few years ago, it was quite the Keystone Cops scenario chasing the little bugger around the garage. He finally ran up between the body and frame of my wife's SUV, no way I was reaching in there to get him out, so I drove her car out into a field and left it there for a day or two to give him time to clear out. This past weekend I was pulling out all the cabinets in my garage as part of a remodel and uncovered what must have been his nest-the smell of a winter's worth of mink piss was just as strong today as it was 4 years ago! At least minks don't seem to have a taste for electronics though.....good luck with your mouse battles Tod!
 
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