behind the fridge.

So, I was painting behind the fridge when-

Okay, yeah, I was painting behind the fridge. I was being thorough. I mean, there was this little part that you could see behind the fridge. It was totally noticeable if you happened to look right at it. I know that it would have bothered me if I didn't paint it.

Anyway, I was putting some painter's tape on the floor behind the fridge when-

Well, okay, you could only see a little bit up towards the top. I didn't really have to paint anything besides that strip. But, you know, it's nice to be thorough. And the fridge is on wheels, so it's really easy to just scoot it out and get in behind there. It was pretty dusty, but fine. No big deal. I'm sure lots of people paint behind the fridge.

So, yeah, like I was saying, I was in the space behind the fridge, putting painter's tape on the floor when-

OKAY, FINE, I bought too much yellow paint and I used it to paint behind the fridge, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? Can I PLEASE tell my story?

ANYWAY, I was sitting on the floor behind the fridge, where I noticed that there was no trim on the bottom. Apparently, this is officially the Fridge Spot, because this little area was not meant to be seen by the public. It was very dirty and gross, lots of dust and cobwebs in addition to a sort of unfinished look created by the naked wall not being quite connected to the floor. I see why they invented trim.

And the weird thing was, there a couple of areas were the wall was a little worn away. Like just a little arch of space, very small, but strange nonetheless. It reminded me of something from my childhood.

But surely it wasn't that. These were very small, less than an inch high. Besides, that was just a cartoon. I'd never actually seen a mouse make a hole like that, despite having lived in places that definitely had them. That's just the way it is when you live in the country. So I just shrugged and forgot about it.

And then, later, I was painting a closet in the spare bedroom, because it looked like it hadn't been painted since the house was built and also because I still had almost a whole gallon of yellow paint left. There is thick carpet in here, but again no trim. I guess the carpet was supposed to bridge the gap. The floor was filthy in there. I assume the previous owners had not bothered to vacuum it before they left. I was covering the carpet with more painter's tape when I saw another one of those funny little holes in the wall. I thought again about Saturday mornings of my childhood.

And then I realized that this closet shares a wall with the kitchen, and would be approximately on the other side as the area behind the fridge. I also realized that the carpet was filthy with tiny long and black bead-like things. I did not need to pick any up to figure out what they were.

Sigh. I possibly have a pet mouse, though it's also feasible that he's already moved out (or died in the walls somewhere, heaven help me). So, the solution is to vacuum the closet and maybe tape over the hole. We will know the present residential status based on whether the tape gets chewed or tiny long and black bead-like things reappear.

Here, for your enjoyment, one of my favorite Tom & Jerry cartoons. Sexy lady cat, dog named "Killer," pogoing on a double-bass, ridiculous violence, and a great song. What more could you want?