The Mouser Strikes Again!

I have been awake since 1:45 this morning.

I was actually very excited about going to bed last night. I had changed my sheets and the window was open a little bit and the fan was spinning overhead and so both the breeze and the temperature of my bedroom were ideal. And, I mean, everyone understands that clean sheets are one of life's small pleasures.

Before turning off the light and calling it a day, I checked my email and realized that it was Harvey's birthday! The vet's office had sent a birthday greeting and I felt rather sad that I hadn't realized it was Harvey's birthday, so I called for him and he sashayed in, settling himself against my side and dozing with his belly upright to face the fan. His beautifully soft fur swished in the breeze and a gentle purr rumbled in his chest. He is oft times the epitome of perfection.

Harvey slept with me all night. I know this because, as I've already said, I woke at 1:45. I'm not entirely sure why, but I did. And I wasn't overly upset about being awake because I enjoy lying in my bed and making up stories about Sebastian. Last night, he was touring out west with the rest of Flannel Lobster. Nothing much happened, and I'm sure the scene will never appear in a book, but it's yet another chapter in what I like to refer to as My Head Story.

Anyway... I lay awake until about 3:00, which is when I decided to do some online shopping.

Then I made up more stories about Sebastian.

Then, around 4:15, Augusta started barking and carrying on for no apparent reason. I told her to be quiet. She listened for a brief time and I dozed off for about fifteen minutes, but then I had a dream about dogs barking and the dream happened because my dog really was barking, and so I got up and let both Augusta and Arlo outside.

Outside, Arlo started barking and I had to reprimand him through the open window. Every bit as stubborn as his sister, he didn't listen, and so I got out of bed yet again to let the dogs back in.

With Augusta now available for visiting (it was at this point after 5:00), Harvey decided he ought to relocate and spend some time with his terrier friends. I was sad to see him go, but Petey showed up shortly thereafter and started playing at the foot of my bed.

For those of you who regularly follow my blogs, you're probably experiencing a peculiar sense of deja vu. For those of you who don't, you may want to skim an event that happened in March because just like then, Petey was having a great time down there beside my feet...

Suspecting the problem, I tuned my senses to detect a soft squeak.

Then I swore.

And then I turned on the light to find... a LIVE mouse pinned under Petey's paw!

I like mice and have no major problems with them. I don't necessarily want them to reside in my home, but I also don't want my mouser of a cat to kill them. So I scooped up this little guy (who, after a quick examination, appeared to be totally uninjured) and took him outside to be released among the daffodils.

Thank goodness it was still dark; I was wearing little more than my underwear.