Of Mice and Men

As previously stated a few days ago, it has been
incredibly cold lately. The cold snap is yet to
break - and thus, things start to get interesting.

For instance: I had a mouse in my house.
Doubtful it is only one mouse, as I truly believe
there is no such thing as A mouse. The cold drives
them to warm and often dangerous places. This
house is very dangerous as we have two cats - both
of whom are avid hunters (much to our chagrin).

The poor little bugger came running full tilt down
the upstairs hallway this morning, squeaking all
the while - a great hulking cat on its tail. It nestled
itself between my feet as I sat at the computer.

Cat, temporarily confused, decided it best to beat
a hasty retreat just in case. I am, after all, the bigger
of the beasts - and what's in my house belongs to me.
Clyde, the cat in question, was not happy about the
situation, but knew there would be other chances.

The tiny rodent sat for a moment, looked up at me,
then made for the safety of the space behind my
bookshelf. Being temporarily stunned by this sudden
turn of events, it never occurred to me to try to
catch the damned thing.

I have no fear of mice or any rodents for that matter.
I simply don't relish the idea of sharing my living
quarters with them. They can be noisy, destructive,
and disease-ridden. Hmmm...sound like children.

Anyway...

The Man and I tried to coax and cajole the creature
into the kitchen where it could be easily herded out
the door. With the assistance of two very keen cats,
we got him to the kitchen - then lost him under the
pantry door. Gah!

Thank goodness we feed the birds. Mr. Mouse was
very quick to find the large bag of birdseed in the
bottom of the pantry.

I've come to realize that mice and men are very
similar. The way to a man's heart is through his
stomach - I think the same can be said for mice.

Mr. Mouse was released back to the chilly wilds
intact and incensed. He gave us more than an
earful as The Man put him outside the back door
into the snow. Better to be cold than cat food, I
think.