January 31, 1936
"This is the ending of the coldest January in my memory, especially the last half. Once early in the month the ground was thawed through in places. We had several mud messes at that time. No fishworms or Robins this year but solid earth and snow and arctic temperatures. The morning was 4 degrees below. This evening is standing at 4 degrees above zero.
I've been carrying on a mouse trapping crusade in the cellar, having caught 25 or thirty of them - mostly young ones in wooden spring flip traps. Ritz has been guiding me to their hiding places. I thought that I had them all. Then last night E. and I were eating supper. On the cupboard, there was a glass of jelly in front of me. I saw a peculiar shadow movement behind it. I took several slants at it to decide what particular light condition caused the moving shadow. Imagine my consternation on looking closer when I saw a mouse head sticking our of the jell. Ella asked me what was the matter, I said: "Look there, I've caught another mouse." We had just been discussing some of our relatives slovenly house keeping. This disgraceful episode coming on top of our own patting of our heads left us much chagrined. I set two traps in the cupboard by a piece of cheese, catching three mice in an hour. Today, I stripped the cracks and now we are out from under the stain of mouse taint in the cupboard."
January 31, 1936
D.C. Richard's Journal
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