I’m not sure what got into me yesterday, but I started cleaning out the upstairs linen closet. I pulled everything out into a jumbled pile of flannel and cotton and began matching up sets like pairs of socks. After a while, just like with socks, it became evident there were some incomplete sets. I decided to check the seldom-used downstairs linen closet.
Once I got started down there, I began wreaking havoc, pulling out sheets willy-nilly, triumphantly making a stack of the items to complete the upstairs sets. It was all going beautifully until I yanked on a sheet and a small yellowish item rolled across the wooden shelf.
What’s that? I wondered. I picked it up and brought it closer to my face to peer at it. Recognition hit quickly and unpleasantly. Ew! It’s a mouse head! (Well, to be more precise, a mouse skull.) How long has that been here?!?
“Ewwwww! Kurt, there’s a mouse skull in the cupboard,” I called into the living room.
He grunted.
“Did you hear me?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he grunted again.
Gingerly I pulled out a few more linens, realizing that laundry with hot water was going to the top of my to-do list. Then, nestled next to the striped twin sheet set, there it was–the rest of the body. A complete skeleton with long tail. Intact (other than the head/skull). In my linen cupboard.
“Kurt, there’s a complete skeleton in the closet.”
“Yeah.”
“A complete skeleton!” I repeated. “There’s an entirely complete skeleton in the closet!”
“Yeah, a Halloween one, right?” he asked.
What?! Clearly the man does not listen to me.
“No! It’s an entire mouse skeleton–right in the sheets!”
“Oh,” he said again, thoroughly unimpressed. “I thought there was one of those Halloween skeletons in there.”
What the heck is he talking about?
“How long has it been there?” I wondered aloud. “I mean I don’t mind the occasional skeleton under the stove or in the wall, but this is pretty disgusting.”
“We live in an old house, ” he said. “It happens.”
“I don’t know. I think maybe we need to clean more,” I announced. He laughed and laughed and laughed.
Looking for a different reaction, I snapped a quick photo to send to my neat-freakish sister. I prefaced it with this comment: “So, I was cleaning out the linen closets–matching sheets, etc…And I think maybe I need to do this more often…Because this…”
But, when it comes down to it, public embarrassment vs. a slice topic. Well, duh! That’s a no brainer!
Nix the comfort zone 
Oh, my! I now feel the urge to empty out my closets, too…though I’m concerned about what I may find there. Great post! I “ewwwwed” right along with you!
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Hopefully your most interesting find is a matching sheet set!
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That is horrific!! A whole skeleton? How long have you guys lived there? Did you put a mouse trap in there now to make sure no other mice get in and then perish in the linen closet? Great slice…but gross! LOL.
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We’ve lived here for over a decade, Kathleen, but I’m pretty sure the mouse hasn’t been there that long. lol. Our home is 200+ years, so there are many, many possible entries for mice. Our best defense is two cats.
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OK, quite literally, where did the rest of that mouse go? EWWW!
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I know, right!?! I will tell you that every sheet, towel, linen in my house is hot-water soapy soapy clean!!! And I think I scrubbed a whole layer off the wooden shelves!
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Oh my goodness! There is so much here… aside from the obvious! I love your husband’s reaction. I feel like mine would be the same. Also, your sister! The eww eww dance. I laughed and of course was horrified for your discovery.
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Glad you enjoyed it! I did hesitate to write about it (I mean…EW!) but couldn’t resist. I also loved my sister’s “eww eww dance” comment. Her response was much more satisfying than my husband’s! lol
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Such a sliceable moment! Thanks for sharing.
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I am still laughing about this whole event and a bit horrified as well.
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I’m wondering how often you do the “ewww ewww dance!” lol
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Your loyal readers expect nothing less than full disclosure. By the way, Hannah sets the mouse traps at our house. She has marks on the trap to indicate the wealth of her success.
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Sounds like notches on a bed post, lol!
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Aside from the ew factor, I find animal skeletons quite fascinating to study. How often do you get that chance to see the bone structure of an animal. I tend to save bones I find and share them with students. My husband thinks that’s disgusting.
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I’m always amazed by the delicacy of the ribs, the eye sockets, etc. and have often shared my “finds” with students. This one went straight in the trash though. lol
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I think I would’ve died right there, on the spot, if I had found that. (A dead mouse was once decomposing in one of my classroom closets. When it popped out, I was screaming on top of the desks. While happy to finally figure out what that smell was, I was in hysterics!)
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Sounds like you, too, could slice about a mouse moment, Stacey! lol
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OH! OH!! I started out right with you, thinking, “Yep, been there. Done that. Making a job bigger than originally planned” … UNTIL the mouse skull rolled out. Ew! I’m sure my husband would have reacted much like Kurt. Great job crafting this slice, and the text thread is priceless!
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Thanks, Alice. I knew I could count on my sister for a more dramatic reaction and she didn’t fail me 🙂
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Once again, I am laughing out loud as I read your slice, Molly! I tore my bedroom apart today trying to organize my books. No mice skeletons, but I did find some droppings. Now I’m afraid to start cleaning the linen closet!
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Usually droppings, not skulls, are the first sign. Good for you for organizing! Let me know how the linen closet goes. lol
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Thanks for the entertainment. I live in an old house too, and some of those long undisturbed corners are going to stay undisturbed for now! Not feeling brave!
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My husband’s trying to convince me that if it had been that long since we had opened the cupboard and looked for something, we clearly have too much stuff. I’m not buying it! lol
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[…] feel liberating (Yes, I know these are just things.) and can yield some interesting discoveries (ew!), but all these things he wants to trash/sell/giveaway come with memories attached. (See slices […]
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[…] “Kurt, the mice are back,” I sighed. (I’ve written recently about another mouse discovery here.) […]
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[…] some closets and drawers and finding all sorts of things. Some pleasant, and some not so much (here). I pick and poke through things and Kurt fills boxes and bags with wild, frightening abandon. (And […]
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