The Biggest LOSER Today Was Me - Which Isn't So Bad!

I worked on the sprinklers out front today as they haven't been working in a few weeks. Thankfully we have had rain so I haven't had to stress much about it while I was getting Princesses off to college. 

Three of the solenoids were rusty so I thought it was probably that. I changed them out, bought new ones and it still didn’t work. As I was working on it, my neighbor brought over some mini tomatoes and decided to help me. 

At this point, I had already taken Princess Five, (dressed like a Princess, tiara and all) to the kids read-a-thon at the elementary school where she read to kids for a few hours. She called asking for a ride home. 

Earlier, when I dropped her off and went shopping for the solenoids and mailed a bill, my car stalled while I was driving.  

Back at the house as I'm leaving to pick up Princess, my neighbor says he wants to help me. I have bunko that already started so I suggested he go get the little covers for the connections he said he had while I go get Princess Five from the read-a-thon. 

I am driving back with the sun in my eye and I start screaming. Now, this isn't a little squeak scream, this is a blood curdling scream. Princess Five is freaking out and saying “Why are you screaming.” I continue screaming and hit the brake as a mouse has crawled out onto the hood as I was driving and is dancing all over the hood. She starts screaming and we are both in the car screaming as the mouse then retreats to under the hood. 

Now of all the things that could have gone through my head at the time, the first was "If I get out, how do I get it off the car hood?" and the second was, "It would have been so funny if I had a camera in the car as we were both screaming and freaking out and this poor mouse is doing breakdancing on my hood!" as it was hopping about trying to get some traction but we weren't going fast enough for my stopping to get it off the hood.

At this point, I am freaked out that it will works its way into the car. I get back home and she tells me to open the hood. I am not going to open the hood and put my hand anywhere near where that mouse retreated. She tells me all I need to do is pull the switch in the car. So I tell her I'll pull the switch and she can reach under the hood and find the little leaver right next to where the mouse went in by my headlight. She quickly changed her mind about doing that. 

My helpful neighbor who has been checking my connections in the sprinkler box opens the hood after I pulled the hood release so hard in the car that I pulled off the plastic cover, now I am really freaked it will be able to get in and be near my feet while I am driving. 

My  neighbor looks in and as I lean in, he hits the side of the car and hollers. Of course, I jump back and scream. He thought he was hilarious. He is lucky he didn’t hear some choice swear words that escape when I am scared sometimes! 

I don’t see anything and leave him there looking while I go unplug the power to the sprinkler timer and remove the batteries. I check the outlets by plugging in my sewing machine so I know the outlet is good. I plug the timer into another outlet and it doesn’t work. I then take the plug from my other timer and put it on the unit that isn’t working and Yahoo, it works. 

I guess the power outage that reset all my clocks while I was gone fried the power supply on the sprinkler timer. I thank my neighbor and tell him I will buy a new plug tomorrow and he leaves. 

I rush to Bunko as Princess goes to a student council meeting. I tell the women at Bunko about my mouse and one of the ladies proceeds to tell me about one time they were driving to church and a mouse climbs out of the hole where the seat belt comes out on top and lands on her husbands shoulder. He freaked and it went flying into the back. 

Of course, now I have NO desire to get into my car but figure that is why my car stalled today and that it is probably making some great little nest in my car engine. 

I was jumpy for at least an hour or so while we played Bunko. I didn't have my "Game on" tonight but I guess it was an "off" night for lots of us as we had a four way tie for the biggest loser prize. We had to roll off and I won the loser prize at bunko with a roll off by rolling a one so I am the grand loser. That wasn't a bad thing as I got the cute sign pictured at the top so perhaps that little mouse helped me win the prize! Still, I don't want him in my car and pray he finds his way out to get a drink and finds a home somewhere other than my car! 
  
Unlike the sign at the top, the thing I love most about my car isn't who I shared it with today! I will love it much more when the little guy departs far from it!