It Might As Well Be Spring

No better mousetrap. (Click for larger view)

"A mouse-trap; easy to enter, but not easy to get out of.
~ Mrs. Clara Lucas Balfour

When I was almost six months pregnant with Nyssa, my colleague and Ob/Gyn decided that I should have an hour of bedrest in the morning and one in the afternoon. Before I could blink twice, he arranged it with the other pathologists in the group and the labor and delivery nurses. I guess he didn't trust me to do it. So, I would get my morning work done and head up the L&D where the nurses would take my blood pressure and call Dr. Coggins. (He really had a problem with trusting me, wonder why?) The labor rooms were decorated in bright colors; flowers, butterflies and other murals painted on the walls. Someone decided that decoration was needed on the ceiling as well, so large posters were placed in a position over the hospital bed. You remember those cute posters with a baby animal or cartoon character and a witty saying or quote? Yes, those. One day after hitting most of the others, they put me in the largest labor room. There on the ceiling was the poster showing a cute little beagle puppy, his feet in the air and head hanging out of a big bowl. He was covered with spaghetti and tomato sauce and looked absolutely miserable... he was stuck. And what witty saying did they have printed in bold letters?

"There are some things in life easier to get in to, than out of!"

Now! Does anyone out there think this will comfort any woman in labor? I didn't think so! A man probably wrote it. I was surprised some mother-to-be in her 24th hour of hard labor had not already torn it to shreds!

Pregnancy is much easier to get into than out of, so is a mouse trap. Once that spring snaps the mouse or rat or even your own fingers are stuck. Ouch! This winter there has been an influx of roof rats in the area, so we had to get these large spring traps and bait them with ... well, actually we baited one with cheese and one with dog biscuits. That is how we discovered the rats were getting into the garage through a small hole at the side of the door. These critters consumed a two pound bag of dog biscuits in three days. Counting dog biscuits hasn't been a top priority so it took two bags of them disappearing in the twinkling of an eye, to make me take notice. These look the same as they did fifty years ago... no one has made a better mouse trap. All I can say is ... they still work!

Have you figured out what this has to do with "spring"? This new photo meme is really going to be a hoot to do. At first you think the topic is one thing but you have to read the instructions completely. He usually takes the topic and goes in a tangential direction, as here. The topic for Shutterday this week is "It Might As Well Be Spring"... and the pictures? Anything with a "spring".... just NOT the season. So I leave you with these words of wisdom regarding the spring mouse trap....

"A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep." ~ Author unknown, but wise.

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