This little guy is mouse #14. I should start naming them like they do for hurricanes, although that might make it too personal and harder to kill them. I came home and found he had moved the sticky trap clear across the kitchen floor and it came to rest on one of my boots that I'd left out. It scared me at first because I looked and didn't see the trap where it had been and then I realized how close I was standing to this mess.

So after some careful thought, I spent some quality time on my hands and knees with a pack of steel wool and some spray foam insulation going along the undersides of my kitchen cabinets and all behind my stove.

Feeling good about filling the holes, I went to bed that night around 10:30 only to jump out of bed 5 minutes later when mouse #15 ran across my bedroom floor and behind my dresser. I waited to see if he would stay in the room or leave again and a minute later he stuck his sneaky little head out from behind the dresser and ran back to the living room.

I tore apart my couch to see if he went in there as I have found droppings there from time to time. Then I was back on the droppings search. Follow the poop, find the holes. I found two more spots that needed to be filled and was more than generous with the wool and foam. Feeling satisfied, I climbed back into bed for a quiet night's sleep.

At some point I was up to go to the bathroom and in the silence I heard chewing. I figured it was the guinea pig, but as I listened more closely there was no way it was her. I put my ear up to the bathroom wall that is shared with the kitchen to hear #15 gnawing away and trying to get out. No sir! Trapped you will remain!

It's been a full 48 hours and no signs of my furry visitors. I have also added fresh mint to my arsenal as I hear they don't like it. The floor and countertops remain free from droppings, traps haven't moved and I have, thus far, found nothing suspicious.

Heaven help the next mouse to enter my space!