mole infestation

A few weeks ago we had a baby mole infestation at our house. We live in a country neighborhood, and often see examples of nature in and out of the house. We also have a predatorial house cat, and she prides herself in bringing us gifts.

Well, I’m not sure how these moles came into our house that day—whether the cat brought in a pregnant mother, or the mother or the baby moles came in on their own—but they were definitely in my kitchen under the refrigerator. Four of them. One by one they appeared. It was easy to distinguish them from mice because of their slowness, their stumpier tail, their internal ears, and their claws. They have very limited eyesight, so they couldn’t see us and weren’t afraid of us.

Not that they needed to be afraid of us. We usually just try to take critters that have made it inside, for one reason or another, back outside. But, they DID need to be afraid of Leah, our Queen cat, as we like to call her.

Well, let me recount the story to you. One morning two little moles introduced themselves. They just meandered under our feet, as if it was the most natural thing to do. Upon a few shrieks from us, and apparently catching the scent of the nearby cat, they scurried (if you can say that?) behind a large basket on the floor in a corner. My husband rather easily scooped them up in a large cup and carried them outside.

The next morning, we saw another one walking across our living room floor. And then yet another in the kitchen again. Now, these two creatures could have been the brother and/or sister of the original moles, or perhaps they were the same brave creatures venturing back into dangerous territory. Regardless, they were back. And it seemed each day they grew larger and faster and braver.

We lived with these moles for about a week. They would shuffle just out of reach when we would try to capture them, and we had a difficult time trying to keep them out of our cat’s way. However, one poor soul met his fate in the middle of the night. I heard the battle from my sleeping bed, unsure if it had been a dream. The next morning, though, I happened up the dead body on the floor of our living room. Dear Hubby rather unceremoniously threw it in the woods, leaving its brother or sister alone in the house.

The remaining mole, in its newfound independence, decided to explore the house. It adventured into my closet, under the vanity, under my nightstand and bed, and finally, down the steps into our school room. My eldest son saved the day and the mole when he caught it in my sneaker. He covered the shoe opening with a cloth and carried it outside. We were finally mole-free! Yea! (Later that day a mole was lying dead in our driveway—I can’t say which one it was.)

Now what did I learn from this experience?

First of all, don’t leave your exterior doors open, no matter how nice the day is. Secondly, just like these moles, we tend to venture into dangerous territory sometimes—whether by chance or choice.

For me, I have to stay out of clothing stores and book stores, or else I will spend way too much money. I also have to avoid turning on the TV late at night when I’m preparing for school. The shows I find myself watching (criminal and justice shows) do absolutely nothing to edify me. I also have to guard myself from being alone with chocolate or potato chips.

These temptations for me are strong, and Satan especially knows my weaknesses. He knows how easily I stumble in these areas, so he is relentless in tempting me. For other people it may be some other urge or even addiction. We all have our vices.

So what can we do to avoid these temptations? What should we do when these urges strike? First of all, we should stay where we are safe. In other words, don’t put ourselves in a risky situation.

And if we end up by accident in a precarious place, we should not avoid God’s help. The moles ran from us when we tried to help them, and we often run away from God even though He is so ready to help us out of our perils.

And let’s face it, ladies, as PWs we are being watched, as unfair as it may seem. Not only are our children watching and imitating everything we do, but so are our church members. We have a great responsibility to not stumble ourselves, and to not be stumbling blocks for our congregants.

For me, memorizing and quoting scripture is a powerful tool. And prayer, of course, avails me to God’s amazing strength. I also must carefully listen to His leading, because He promises to not lead me into temptation.

What are some of the spiritual weapons you use to keep yourself safe?

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