We haven’t had any new snow for a few days, and the animal tracks are telling stories. Here is an example of a heavily-traveled route that little mice or chipmunks have been using between the woods and the field.
I have been watching the snow around the barn to see if they are going in and out of there, but can’t see any traces. Inside the barn, however, there are mouse droppings on everything. They have even been sitting on the sink, gnawing on a sliver of soap. Yuck. Joe put antifreeze into the toilet and had to cover it with cardboard because we kept finding drowned mice in the bowl.
Well, everyone has to live somehow. I did take steps to put my harvested sunflower seeds into a sealed plastic jug that I don’t believe they are smart enough to chew into. Joe took his jeep in for service and they replaced the air filter that had bits of chewed insulation that the mice had dropped into it when they considered building a cozy nest on top of the motor.
Bluestem Pond 
Ugh, I can’t stand it when mice get into the house or garage. We caught 3 mice in traps in our house this winter!!! We discovered they were climbing in through the dryer vent which is just a few inches above the ground. Apparently there was no mouse guard inside the ‘flaps’. I went to Meijer to get more traps and the shelf was empty so I asked a very young employee when they would be getting more. His answer: “Well mouse traps are a seasonal item and they are stocked just before summer when the mice come into your house.” You KNOW I had fun setting him straight : )