Mostly Harmless

I seems like it was a couple of weeks ago — probably because it was — that the wall of my shower unexpectedly caved in… although, on second thought, the fact that the soap dish spontaneously fell off the aforementioned wall about nine months ago should have been a clue that something wasn’t quite right.

The wall of the shower was constructed of a rotten sheet of plywood (or similar pressboard type stuff), a layer of grout, and a bunch of six-inch square ceramic tiles.

Now, I don’t know about you, but if you want to build a wall that’s gonna last you don’t make it out of wet, rotten wood.

There is also the theory that the wood became rotten from water seeping through cracks in the grout; but I wouldn’t put anything past those construction companies.

The wall has now been rebuilt, but since I didn’t watch the guy put in a fresh piece of plywood (or drywall, or whatever), I have no idea if he used the good stuff or the rotten stuff — but it feels solid so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

So, back to the “cave-in event.” I was taking a shower (duh!) and leaned against the side wall… much to my amusement a dozen tiles, and the wall, gave way and formed a “V” in the wall. Some tiles took that opportunity to fall off and into the tub. Other, more persistent, tiles, needed only minor coaxing to be removed (with my bare hands).

At this point I have a dozen tiles piled up in the back of the tub, and various bits of rotten wood clogging the drain. The water is rising ever so slightly.

I finish washing my hair and end the shower with water about ankle deep, trying not to step on too many ceramic tile fragments.

Surveying the damage later I notice a circular hole in the exposed wood and I guess, correctly, that it is the work of a mouse.

I know I’m correct because when the maintenance guy came to rip 11 square feet of tile off the wall (44 tiles) you could see the little mouse tunnels and nesting places in the insulation. Cool.

There were no mice actively in residence.

I also didn’t see any mice over the week and a half that I spent taking showers with a big sheet of plastic over the wall (so it could dry out, and they could forget about it, and I could remind them, and they could come and fix it.)

As I said, the wall is now fixed — ready for a new family of mice to set up housekeeping.

There are mice living in your walls too, by the way. Sleep well tonight.