I Wasn’t Expecting This Surprise When I Opened My BBQ Grill

I've addressed this whole idea of adventures in adulting and homeownership a number of times now. Who was supposed to teach us how to do ALL the adult things, and is there a book out there where we learn how to manage all the things that homeowner life throws at us, like my latest dilemma...

A family of mice living in by barbecue grill.

REMEMBER WHEN: I Found A Snake In My Wappingers Falls Home

How Did I Not Notice What Was Happening On My Deck?

I had my gutters replaced earlier in the summer and had moved everything on my deck to one side to make room for the company to work. My grill was facing out into the backyard with the cover on it kind of pushed into a corner. Well, life happens, and time went by and I hadn't used the grill in weeks, actually, probably more than a month.

I took out some meat and marinated some veggies to throw on the grill earlier this week. After going outside and swinging the grill around back where it belongs, I noticed some grass and twigs poking out of the side of the cover. Not thinking twice, I ripped the cover off and there it was, a giant nest on the shelf on the right side of the grill.

I tossed the cover back on and screamed (naturally). Eventually, I bumped into my neighbor outside and asked if he would mind taking a look and what was going on. After explaining what I saw, he said it was probably a mouse nest but no big deal.

I stood at my sliding door (at a safe distance) while he took the cover off the grill, exposing the nest I had seen earlier, confirming it was a mouse nest. He then opened the hood of the grill, and there was little pepino the mouse INSIDE my grill, with an even larger nest inside.

HELP: A Family of Mice Has Taken Up Residency in My BBQ Grill

Since I was inside the house watching from a distance, I thought my neighbor was messing with me, but I came outside, still at a distance, and he opened the grill again, and there stood a little (but totally brave) mouse, staring back at us, just next to the giant nest inside the grill. It seems like this little guy isn't alone, perhaps the whole family is now living in my grill and this mouse just wanted to make sure we weren't there to evict them.

I've decided to let the mice do their thing, I'm just not comfortable using the grill ever again so they can hang out for now...but in the meantime, I've been doing my research on how to avoid putting myself in the situation again.