Of Mice & Men

I had no idea what a vole was but suddenly they started ruling our life.  I guess a vole is field mice, not sure exactly how different they are from regualar mice.  But apparently in the winter they can't find food or shelter in the fields so they come to people yards and burrow all these holes eating up there grass.  Well the minute Bart discovered we had fallen victim to these things.  IT HAS BEEN ON!!!!  Everyday he comes home from work, I hear the garage door go up, but it takes about an hour before he actually makes it inside.  I know he's circleing the yard and counting and evaluating all the holes.  He comes inside "all worked up."  These little things have started a slight war at our house.  Bart has been desperately searching for a solution and has come up with these poison contraptions of pvc pipe with poison in the center.  He's hoping to create a tunnel for them to come and meet there match with the poison.  I think it's been working cause Bart said he's found some few dead mice in the yard.  I've let him know that as soon as Owen is running and playing outside this poison cascade is OVER.  (I just hope the mice are gone by then?). 

Last Sunday he turned over to the dark side.  We were having dinner at our house with my family.  And one was spotted out on our hill in the back.  My brother Brian then took off to fetch my other brother, Jeff's, air soft pellet gun.  He brings it back and I had no idea this thing was basically a rifle to shoot plastic BB's.  So Bart and Brian took off on a hunt on the hill.  Bart popped one.  I never thought I could ever feel bad for these little rodents, but I did. 

Later that night he showed me an add for a BB gun for $150.  I just looked at him like, "Are you serious?"  That is NOT in the budget.  (Maybe it could go under lawn and garden, but you have to draw the line somewhere).

I never thought I would have such a determined mice hunter on my hands.  I hope these things learn real fast that they DO NOT want to mess with Bart.

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely not happy about what they've done to the yard, but I'm even more concerned at what they've done to my husband...

Here's some pics of there handiwork.

This actually doesn't do justice to what the rest of the yard got and it looks better because these pictures came after Bart raked it all up.

Out by those rocks used to be filled with good looking grass, now nothing.