For those of you familiar with the first story, this will come as no surprise. We’ve had another mouse in the house. Shocking, but I guess that since we’re one the ground level and near some uncut grass, trees, and the like, I guess they just naturally explore their surroundings – which includes us. However, these mice are in for a rather large surprise. They duck in the house and think to themselves – I’ve hit the mother load: Food and water lying out in easy to get to spots, plenty of things to hide under, etc. Then, probably 20-30 minutes into their revelry, one of our 7 cats notices them. As you might guess, this is probably quite a shock to a little mouse to see several sets of rather sharpish teeth coming at them rather quickly. Being that mice aren’t particularly good at defending themselves, they tend to run like hell and hide under something until the cats get bored. However, cats don’t bore easily when there is food available…

However, for this particular incident, I have to first take you back to a day prior to the incident. As is normal for my job, I’m up and out of the house almost prior to the sun rising while Amber gets to sleep in until 6:30. So, while on the way to the first appointment, I give her a wake up call. After waking her up, I’m informed that I’ve disrupted her dream and she’s lost her mouse. Her mouse that was wearing a nice suit and carrying a suitcase. A mouse that she picked up at the airport and which subsequently fell through a crack in the floor. A mouse that she was trying desperately to find. Now, I’m thinking that this is a rodent and that loosing it somewhere other than in the house is a good thing, but who am I to comment. However, Amber heads off to work and I put the dream out of my head. Later that night, it comes up again. She is really distraught over the fact that she lost her mouse in a suit with a suitcase. Nevertheless, the evening proceeds as normal and we go to sleep.

As luck would have it, I have to be at an appointment rather early again, so I’m up while Amber’s still sleeping. On the way out the door, I notice that Stinky, our tortoise-shell, is next to one of our bookshelves huffing away. Upon closer inspection, I notice that this is due to the mouse hiding there. Now, I have to leave so I can make my appointment on time, so I let Amber know that there is a mouse in the house – again. Since she’s in a deep sleep, I’m not sure it registers, but I do have to leave.

About 45 minutes later I get a call. Amber’s caught the mouse with a yardstick and a paper towel. However, she didn’t catch it normally. She had to move the bookcase by hand, block the mouse’s escape route, use the yardstick to wedge him up against the wall, then wad him up in the paper towel like a snowball – all while keeping several VERY interested cats away. This, in and of itself, is a rather amazing feat. However, the next part is what was a bit more, well, odd.

Amber then takes the mouse outside and holds it in her hands so she can look at it (she does have a thing for ‘cute’ animals. In hiking through the wilds of everywhere, any animal she sees tends to get the “ohmygoditssocuteletmetouchit. Touch it. TOUCH IT” treatment.). After petting it a few times, the dream comes back to her. This is her mouse in the suit with the suitcase. She’s saved it and now she’s setting it free. The world is now safe for democracy and puppies. We can all sleep safe now. And most importantly, the mouse with the suitcase and the suit is free…