Post by sinaedh on Aug 4, 2009 14:07:52 GMT -5
I'm not sure what's going on.
Let me preface this story by saying that I live in eastern Colorado, in a rual unincorporated town. Across the street is a stable of sorts, down at the end of the street is pasturized (yes, I made up a word use) open prairie surrounding what we humorously call a 'creek'. If you've ever been to the High Plains, you know this means the only place where trees live naturally, with no fish, and very rarely running water.
So to the happening: This morning I got up at the time I've established for my school needs (school has not started yet, I'm getting myself out of summer mode and into school habits). This time of the morning is also called zero-dark-thirty. At any rate, I walk into the kitchen in the dark and notice by the light of the nightlight that the dog (who is totally deaf and mostly blind, but that's another story) is staring at a spot on the floor. I notice that what I believe to be the cat's mouse toy is there. I don't know why the dog would do this, but shrug and move to turn on the light.
Upon turning back to the supposed toy, I discover that it is no toy at all. It is, in fact, a dead mouse. It doesn't look chewed on. I hope it hasn't been killed by poison (I don't know of any around the house, but my landlord is rather irresponsible, so who knows). It doesn't look old enough to have died of old age. So either the cat got it, or the dog got it, or it simply died of shock that the dog noticed it was there at all. I'm not really afraid of mice, I just don't like them in the house, particularly when I'm walking around with bare feet in the dark. I picked it up, put it in the trash, and took the trash out (it is garbage day today).
I remember thinking to myself I hadn't noticed any evidence of mouse activity. The sliding door was shut all night, but open in the evening and part of the day (it faces west, it was hot, another story as well). So the mouse might have gotten in through the extremely poorly fitting screen door. I also remember thinking that the poor garter snake I'd seen squished in the road out front might have taken care of the mouse problem given a chance (I don't actually know if garter snakes eat mice, but I'd like to think he would have done that for me after scaring the bejeezus out of me as I was mowing around the culvert). I remember thinking both things.
Now it gets weirder. I'm working on planning for classes, sitting at my desk. I don't want to do it, not very motivated, but I'd best get on the ball before it becomes panic time. So I'm getting some work done and decide to get a drink. It is getting toward noon, and I'm also thinking about lunch. I walk into the kitchen, and what do I see on the floor by a cabinet?
A snake. A garter snake. Not big enough to eat mice, I don't think. But did my thoughts bring it into the house? How did it get into the house? WHY?
I watched an episode of Dirty Jobs on Discovery where Mike Rowe was catching snakes in Ohio (I think) on the banks of Lake Erie. He noted that they 'poop' and the expert said yes, that was self defense. Well, garter snakes do that too. It has been over 40 years since I've caught one, I didn't remember that they did that. Maybe the snakes in NJ were nicer and not inclined to poop, or maybe they were just used to us kids catching them and not as worried as this one was. Maybe I've just forgotten. At any rate, I put on shoes, gloves, caught it, and took it outside. I didn't take it far, and now I'm sort of regretting that I didn't take it out to the culvert. What if it comes back in?
So now, every few minutes I'm compelled to stand up and go stare at the 3/4 inch gap at the bottom of the screen door on the sliding glass door. Will I see another mouse or snake come in? I know that's not likely, but it's hard to convince whatever subconscious that makes me do this. And I guess I'll be a bit more careful (and frightened) when walking around at night.
And to think... yesterday evening while playing DAoC on Gareth the only thing I was thinking about Nature is how high an opposing druid had specced it to get that wolf that was interrupting my healing.
Let me preface this story by saying that I live in eastern Colorado, in a rual unincorporated town. Across the street is a stable of sorts, down at the end of the street is pasturized (yes, I made up a word use) open prairie surrounding what we humorously call a 'creek'. If you've ever been to the High Plains, you know this means the only place where trees live naturally, with no fish, and very rarely running water.
So to the happening: This morning I got up at the time I've established for my school needs (school has not started yet, I'm getting myself out of summer mode and into school habits). This time of the morning is also called zero-dark-thirty. At any rate, I walk into the kitchen in the dark and notice by the light of the nightlight that the dog (who is totally deaf and mostly blind, but that's another story) is staring at a spot on the floor. I notice that what I believe to be the cat's mouse toy is there. I don't know why the dog would do this, but shrug and move to turn on the light.
Upon turning back to the supposed toy, I discover that it is no toy at all. It is, in fact, a dead mouse. It doesn't look chewed on. I hope it hasn't been killed by poison (I don't know of any around the house, but my landlord is rather irresponsible, so who knows). It doesn't look old enough to have died of old age. So either the cat got it, or the dog got it, or it simply died of shock that the dog noticed it was there at all. I'm not really afraid of mice, I just don't like them in the house, particularly when I'm walking around with bare feet in the dark. I picked it up, put it in the trash, and took the trash out (it is garbage day today).
I remember thinking to myself I hadn't noticed any evidence of mouse activity. The sliding door was shut all night, but open in the evening and part of the day (it faces west, it was hot, another story as well). So the mouse might have gotten in through the extremely poorly fitting screen door. I also remember thinking that the poor garter snake I'd seen squished in the road out front might have taken care of the mouse problem given a chance (I don't actually know if garter snakes eat mice, but I'd like to think he would have done that for me after scaring the bejeezus out of me as I was mowing around the culvert). I remember thinking both things.
Now it gets weirder. I'm working on planning for classes, sitting at my desk. I don't want to do it, not very motivated, but I'd best get on the ball before it becomes panic time. So I'm getting some work done and decide to get a drink. It is getting toward noon, and I'm also thinking about lunch. I walk into the kitchen, and what do I see on the floor by a cabinet?
A snake. A garter snake. Not big enough to eat mice, I don't think. But did my thoughts bring it into the house? How did it get into the house? WHY?
I watched an episode of Dirty Jobs on Discovery where Mike Rowe was catching snakes in Ohio (I think) on the banks of Lake Erie. He noted that they 'poop' and the expert said yes, that was self defense. Well, garter snakes do that too. It has been over 40 years since I've caught one, I didn't remember that they did that. Maybe the snakes in NJ were nicer and not inclined to poop, or maybe they were just used to us kids catching them and not as worried as this one was. Maybe I've just forgotten. At any rate, I put on shoes, gloves, caught it, and took it outside. I didn't take it far, and now I'm sort of regretting that I didn't take it out to the culvert. What if it comes back in?
So now, every few minutes I'm compelled to stand up and go stare at the 3/4 inch gap at the bottom of the screen door on the sliding glass door. Will I see another mouse or snake come in? I know that's not likely, but it's hard to convince whatever subconscious that makes me do this. And I guess I'll be a bit more careful (and frightened) when walking around at night.
And to think... yesterday evening while playing DAoC on Gareth the only thing I was thinking about Nature is how high an opposing druid had specced it to get that wolf that was interrupting my healing.
