The Peanut Butter Wars

There is a war happening in our classroom. 

Battles rage, unseen in the crevices and corners of our room. 

Most of the action happens at night or on the weekends but, even though we can not see or hear it during school, day-by-day the war proceeds.

My weapons are simple: Peanut Butter and traps.

So far the mice are winning, but they have taken losses.

Every morning I check my traps and, usually, the peanut butter is gone and the traps have not been sprung. Clever little rodents these mice are…

Every few days, however, the mice have another casualty - five at last count.

To be fair, the war pales in comparison to last year’s epic battles. During the 2017-2018 school year, I trapped 11 mice. If I sat in my room quietly, I would often see them scurrying between the lab tables. I even saw one as I was teaching a class. They were a brave lot.

It’s a never-ending struggle for supremacy. The humans bring tasty snack foods and diabolically simple, yet effective traps. The mice bring stealth and the ability to wriggle though impossibly small openings. 

As the weather warms, the mice will begin to migrate back outside where the hawks, owls, and foxes will pick up the gauntlet. Just one more reason to look forward to Spring, and the end of this dreadful conflict.