The Mouse Ate My Mail: Creating A Tall Tale

Going to the mailbox it typically a non-event for most everyone. But living on a farm, we are always in for nature’s surprises. Have you ever found a visitor? Would love to hear your story.

Our morning routine is to leave our house, drive up our long farm road, and get our newspaper and the mail on the way to the gym. I cross the street, careful that no cars or pickup trucks are coming down the winding road. I fling the door open quickly when I approach the mailbox, usually startling a mouse or two snuggling inside. This particular morning was a challenge since the mice didn't seem to want to leave. The shreds of the mail piled up in a cozy nest for the two dwellers of the mailbox. As I shoed them away, I noticed the tiniest tiny newborn mouse in the corner. No wonder the mice were reluctant to leave; they protected their newborn. But can I leave them be and use the excuse that the mouse ate my mail instead of the dog story?

Did You Know the phrase "the dog ate my homework" comes from an English expression that schoolchildren make as a common, poorly fabricated excuse to explain their failure to submit an assignment on time? Even beyond the educational context, the phrase is referenced as sarcastic. Much like the excuse "my dog at my homework," a mouse explanation might be considered false. However, the destruction of my mail is now a daily struggle.

I asked USPS about my dilemma. They recommended aluminum foil since mice supposedly hate the foil. Unfortunately, our mice find it a decorative addition to their nest—the shreds of aluminum sparkle amongst the dull pieces of mail.

Peppermint is another recommendation. Instead of killing the mice, it offers a successful natural remedy that works to repel them. It has to do with the nature of mice; they rely on their sense of smell instead of their vision. Mice have an incredibly weak vision but a robust and keen sense of smell. That makes sense why mice typically go for a large chunk of stinky cheese, right?

It brings to my mind the book "If You Give A Mouse a Cookie." A circular story about never being able to make the mouse happy. The tales continued from the author who subsequently published "If you Give a Mouse a Brownie" and "It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse." In reality, it should be if you give a mouse a piece of stinky cheese or other smelly foods. Maybe that would have satisfied the mouse instead of a cookie, brownie, and pumpkin. But to spark the imagination of children, it is the tall tales that stimulate their interest.

So the mundane task of getting the mail can become an adventure for a child. I decided to focus on the peppermint route for a "Did You Know" lesson by explaining the factual information about mice's sense of smell. Then, a children's story about mice to be read out loud. I recommend "Mouse in the House" since the story's theme is to get rid of the mouse instead of making it happy.

You can create your own story about "The Mouse in the Mailbox." By supplying children with paper and crayons, and their imagination, a tale is brought to life. For pre-made coloring pictures, go to CJCorki.com.

If you don't actually have a mouse in your mailbox (lucky you), you can always buy a cute plush one. It can become a game of Can You Find. You could put it in the mailbox or the house. An exercise similar to the Elf on Shelf but played year-round.

This concocted fairytale can be created with many day-to-day, seemingly dull events. "Give a Mouse a Bath" could explain how mice are good swimmers. Did you know they can swim for days on end? "Mouse Manners Matter" can be a name of a story about teaching manners. And "Adding Bling to a Mouse Home" can conjure up a tale about aluminum foil decorations. The possibilities are as endless as you and your grandchild's imagination. Make up a tall tale today! You might even solve the "Mouse Ate My Mail" story. But at the very least, you will develop a bond with your grandchild that will last a lifetime.