Ah, Rats!

Happy New Year!!! Still catching up…

The rat battle wasn’t won easily. Each morning I’d arrive to Swell to find a new trail of munched and pooped on items. I imagined them at night, passing the cashew bait they’d stolen off the trap, kicking back on my pillows, chuckling and reminiscing about the good ol days when the freaky blonde girl was still out of town.

Thus far, they hadn’t eaten through any wires or equipment that I knew of, but as I continued to find and remove the edibles, I was afraid they’d start in on the vitals…They’re incredibly crafty creatures. Despite not wanting to share my home with them, I was certainly awed by their skill and prowess at evading the traps and accessing seemingly impossible locations. I finally determined that they were actually coming and going from Swell via the roof of the boat yard garage, next to which Swell was stationed. One night I was working late aboard Swell and I heard a thud on the cabin top, then the scurry of little feets. Ugh, another visitor.

After almost 3 weeks, I was beginning to really sympathize with Tom in his never-ending pursuit of Jerry…it was time I pulled out some higher artillery…poison? No, sticky traps…too cruel…I gotta get into the mind of the rat…

Ah ha!! I pulled out some thread and set to tying a cashew to the rat trap before setting the spring-loaded arm into place. I carefully whipped the thread around the metal piece that engages the trap so that they’d have to tug on it and hence set off the trap. It was Friday afternoon and everybody was gathered at the garage drinking the customary Friday Hinano or two…and so I left the cashew-strapped trap in a high traffic rat zone aboard Swell and headed down to hang with the crew. An hour later I climbed up the ladder…low and behold, there was rat #3! I did the rat mortality ritual, re-tied the cashew for security, and went back to the party. Another hour passed…and I went back to find the same!! Rat #s 4 and 5 also deceased that evening, the last being decidedly bigger than all the others…It was clear that I had murdered 4 teenage rats and then the mother! I could hardly live with myself, but what could I do? I clinked a Hinano with the boys to celebrate what I thought was the last of the rat saga and hoped they were all reunited now…munching on the ‘great cheeseblock in the sky’.