Don't forget to look in the washing machine

"The good news is we have one fewer rats around here. The bad news is that we have yet to find it," I called across to Mom from my ground-level view. I had been looking for the last 15 minutes under and between and behind the rows of boxes in the garage, trying to find the source of the smell.

Two nights earlier, Mom heard the rat trap snap out in the garage. I had placed it near the birdseed supply after seeing a rat departing from that area earlier. But it was empty when I inspected it.

Today, I smelled an odd smell. Mom and I agreed it "had the smell of death," and thus began my exploration, my seeking the little frame that had only gotten so far.

As each of us circled the paths in the garage, we observed the smell was strongest at the end where the dryer and washing machine and freezer are. I looked yet again under each of these with a bright light. Then Mom sniffed the kitchen rags she'd lain in the washing machine. Whoa... Note to self: rags used for cleaning up after cooking fish should be washed a tad sooner.

We're probably not down one rat afterall.

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Nov 8, morning: Caught/disposed of one rat last night. Reset trap. Fresh rat this morning. Reset trap.
Nov 8, evening: Put the trap out on our awning. Snap! Three in less than 24 hours. Cool. (Okay, except for the creepy disposal part.)