I captured a shrew in my house today. We seem to have these creatures every few years. Has anyone else?

I don't think the shrews are going to bite your grandchildren unless they are catching the shrews and handling them. They would probably not be able to catch one. When was the last time you were bit by a mouse in your house! They are not going to attack or anything...they are going to try to avoid you and much as you would like to avoid them. Try to find where they are getting in and block the entrance. Put out Sherman live trap, this trap does not kill them, catches them so you can relocate them far from your home.

http://www.shermantraps.com/

Shrews seem to have a burst or bust life cycle so there will be a whole bunch and then the population will drop, which is may they only appear every few years or so. treat them like you would a mouse and get a trap. Since you have grandchildren i would recemmond against poisons or anything like that as it is much more likely that the children would get into the poison and harm themselves than getting bit by a shrew. Their bite also does not have mild venom. But like mice, fleas and mites live on them so dont keep them as a pet. Also, check your house for any obvious points of entry and food sources (are they eating your ceral or anything?) Mowing can also reduce their occurance. A novel idea would be, if it is possible, to contact a bird rehabilitation center to see if they have any barn owls that can be released around your house. Build an owl nest box (very easy to do) and let the owls take care fo them naturally. But remember, THEY ARE NOT VENEMOUS and they usually dont occur in great numbers so dont beat your head against the wall over this, your granchildren will be fine

Well your experiences can be explained away with thought and logic, (before you give me a thumbs down read the rest). Your sighting of an angel could have merely been sun reflecting on the mirror, also many people later confuse childhood dreams with actual events as they get older. As for you second sighting, this hooded character sounds like a result of sleep paralysis. Let me explain, when you fall asleep your brain places your body in a state of paralysis to avoid injuring yourself while dreaming. Sleep paralysis is when you regain consciousness, but your body remains in this paralyzed state, which in most people causes confusion, fear and hallucinations. These events usually last just a few seconds. Sleep paralysis is surprisingly common and most people(like yourself) mistake it for some kind of attack by a demon or other evil mythic creature.

Do you have a cat? I'm not sure I've seen a shrew (do we have them in the U.S.?) but I know that I have had many moles caught by cats, and I think moles are similar. They sound nasty!

I don't believe I ever had them in the house,but I used to have hundreds of them in my yard. I thinned the heard everytime I mowed the lawn. Other then that I don't know what to do to them