The Tale of the Nor’ by Nor’ East Caravan Critters
The Tale of the Nor’ by Nor’ East Caravan Critters
Written by Carol Montague
Apparently in St John, New Brunswick, Canada, 3 or more mice decided to join the Big Benders traveling on the 2007Airstream Nor’ by Nor’ East Caravan. One mouse hopped aboard Jay and Elna Thompson’s trailer. The other two (perhaps husband and wife or maybe brother and sister) thought Mac and Mary Palmer’s trailer looked like a nice new home. They all played happily until mouse #1 became a little too brave. One evening Elna washed dishes and left some water in the sink. Off she and Jay went to dinner out with the Group. When they returned she noticed that there were some Canadian maple cookies (mmm, good!) open on the counter. She reached into the sink to let the standing water out and when she reached for the strainer she came up with a handful of soft wet, drowned mouse. Suppressing a scream, she dropped the mouse back into the water. When Jay came in, she asked him to let the water out of the sink without telling him. Suspicious, he noticed the tail floating near the top. Out went the mouse! Thinking there may still be another mouse he set out a trap with peanut butter as bait and carefully placed it in the cupboard.
Mouse #2 quickly bit the bullet. BANG went the trap that had been moved to Mac and Mary’s from Jay’s and Elna’s trailer. The trap was placed in the Palmer’s rollout pantry after signs had been seen and remnants of food had been found. Mouse #3 was smarter or so he/she thought! He would not be caught. The trap was again set – same place. The temptation was too much. Mac, being tired that evening, hit the bed early. Mary said she heard noises , but wasn’t about to check. The next morning, while both were in the kitchen area, Mac heard noises. Opening the drawer there was the trap upside down and moving. Mouse #3 was caught by his tail – still trying to get away. According to Mac, Mary ran – ran as fast as you can in a 28’ trailer. He did say she didn’t jump up on the bed. Mac carefully did away with Mouse #3.
We heard there were rumors of Mouse #4. Could there be yet another? John and Judy White reported Mouse #4. He waited to appear until Halifax. If he joined the caravan in St John he certainly hid well. John borrowed two traps that Mac had bought as precautionary equipment. John set them with peanut butter and waited. The next morning there the traps were with all of the peanut butter gone and no mouse. John says he did take the staple used for packaging off so the trap would work. Apparently the White’s mouse stayed only one night and moved on to Bobby and Pat Laycock’s trailer. (He must have known they were from Florida, not Georgia, and thought being a snowbird would be nice.) The Laycock’s noticed the tell-tale signs and set traps but after one evening’s visit he moved on to other more destinations, California perhaps.
The Martinys have other critters visiting them. At the last caravan stop in Cornwall, PEI, Judy was outside talking with a little squirrel. He chattered at her extensively. She had trash she had placed outside their trailer door. Thinking that perhaps that was not such a good idea, she placed the bag back inside the trailer before joining a number of others for breakfast in the campground. She left the main door open with the screen door closed. When she and Dick returned an hour later there was a hole the size of a baseball chewed through the bottom of their screen. Mr. Squirrel had chewed his way in to eat the Georgia peanut shells he found in the trash. We kept noticing him and he scolded Judy a few more times as he looked for another way in. Dick carefully repaired the screen with duct tape.
John White’s twin brother Jack and his wife Sherry joined us in PEI. They reported that perhaps this very same squirrel was caught climbing up their screen door. When Sherry hit the door with a fly swatter he jumped down swiftly but the language he used should not be repeated.
Hopefully no more varmits for Big Benders!! However we hear more and more Airstreamers are buying mouse traps as standard RV equipment.