a tale

this is a story about a dog, a cat and a third four-legged creature. i'm not sure what to call it, but i'm sure you'll form your own opinion once you read this post and i'd love to hear that opinion.

a few weeks back, we had the back door open as we were making dinner because it was a beautiful evening and this way the animals can easily go out or in depending on their mood. we don't have a screen door on this door, but will someday. i put a new rug down in front of the sink admired it briefly and then left the room briefly. when i returned, my music man said to me, "i'm not sure i want to tell you what i just saw." now, i thought that the dog peed on my new rug which wouldn't be the end of the world except for the fact that she hasn't peed in the house for like a year. sorry, back to the story....

but tell me he did. evidently our precious laila was playing with something over by the OPEN door. when she lost her grip on it, it ran straight for the stove and dove under. all that was seen was a tail and some legs. eeek!! a mouse? well. ok. let me get back to the story. so we tip-toe around the stove for a few days, then sorta forget about it. then remember, you know how it goes. then one day, fina is sitting on that new rug (which she NEVER does) and is staring under the stove. hmmmm. then she gets up and starts smelling under the fridge. hmmmm. we're guessing she might have seen our visitor. ok. this is good. this is what a cat does. so i make a deal with her. if she catches the thing, kills it and DOESN'T leave it dead on our pillows, i will feed her wet food for a week. i think she understands.

again, we kinda forget about our visitor. and then 4.30 one morning we are awakened by a squeaking coming down the hallway. my music man jumps up on the bed, turns on the light. and sure enough, there's fina with the visitor in her mouth. ok, decision time, does he pick her up and put them both outside all the while taking the risk that fina will keep the thing in her mouth? no time to think because fina drops it. the visitor runs into the bathroom (the one without a toilet -- that's a story for another time) and fina runs after it. remember folks, it's 4.30 IN THE MORNING! my music man grabs the bucket and the plunger and tries to catch the thing. it runs out, into the bedroom, then into the closet. at this point, i say, lock the cat and the visitor in the closet, shove a towel under the door and let them have it out. we'll deal with it in the morning. but no, my hero goes in there after it. catches it and throws it outside. we're back in bed by 4.45.

phew that was a close one.

but now the question is, was it a mouse? was it a rat? was it a field mouse. this sucker was not one of those cute tiny mice you see at the pet store. this was a fat sucker. without a tail (we think fina may have gotten that in the scuffle). i guess we'll never know.

PS - camping photos