new edition

Well, the latest entry as promised hasn't exactly happened yet. I was going to do it tonight, but something else happened instead -- I became a new mother! No, not that kind. Good grief. I can barely take care of myself, let alone an actual human infant. No, I'm talking about being a different kind of mother. I mean, of course, a momma to a mouse!

I don't even like mice. They're cute from far away, but up close they stink, bite and poop little gross brown pellets everywhere. I'm not scared of them, but I'm not a big fan of them, either, at least as pets.

However, while climbing up the four flights of stairs to get to my friend's apartment tonight, I noticed that a cage with a white mouse curled up inside was left out on the stairwell. There was no food in the mouse's cage, and the air around it reeked of urine and mouse hair. I thought the creature was dead, since it was curled up so tightly and fast asleep.

I felt horrible that someone left a dead mouse on the landing, and when I knocked on my friend's door a moment later, I immediately asked "what was up" with the dead rodent. I was assured the mouse wasn't dead, but it wasn't being taken care of or loved, either. My friend and her sister had been trying to leave water and food for the mouse the past few days, and had no idea who had gotten rid of it so callously and carelessly. It appeared no one was caring for it, and it was strange to see it sitting out in a tiny cage on the top floor of an apartment complex.

Me being me, I decided something had to be done for that poor animal. Much later, as I was leaving my friend's apartment, I decided to 'mousenap' the caged animal and be his/her foster mother for a few days until a suitable new parent could be found.

It looks like I have a friend who wants to take over mouse parenting responsibilities, so I'm very glad I rescued the animal. Oh, and the first thing I did when I took it was home was clean out the cage, put in shredded toilet paper for bedding (it was too late to go out and buy cedar shavings), gave the mouse some fresh water and a bowl brimming with food. After realizing he is a nocturnal creature WHO DOESN'T STOP SCRATCHING AROUND, I placed mouse and cage on my fire escape where he will be safe for the night, and out of harm's way (i.e. within feline reach).

Seriously ... my paranormal entry will come SOON!