There's no doubt in my mind: I saw the mouse exit the box on Day Two of my move into this house in Paso Robles, California. Considering that the furniture and boxes had been warehoused in Marseille, Anvers, Oakland and San Jose, there is no way of really knowing if this was an American mouse or an EU mouse.
I thought I saw him make a dash for the open door that allows the air conditioning and the dogs to escape. And the mice. In subsequent days, I thought I saw a shadow, but he was a quick one and I decided I was nuts.
Until last night. He seems to live in my bedroom now and likes to dart behind the desk, the bookcase and out into the hall. Back and forth. He's brown; he's sorta cute. He seems a little disoriented. Maybe it's cultural.
The dogs have not seemed to care. Toffee looked up at the movement once, slowly jumped off the bed, yawned and trotted over to his dog bed near the desk where the mouse lives. Junior Mint farted with boredom.
I have no picture to post. I cannot name the mouse Ratatouille, because that would be Rat for short. Besides, I was born in the Year of the Rat (like Shakespeare).
I am somewhat concerned about Bubonic Plague. I know that mice carry fleas and fleas are the vector for Plague. At first I thought maybe that was the same as free Botox, but then I realized I had Botulism mixed up with Bubonic. Now I need to find a bulging can of contaminated food, feed it to the mouse who can transmit it to the fleas who can...
You must visit Panne Olivo in downtown Paso. The owners, Didier and Beatrice Cop are delightful French people who have the best of French pastries to be found on the Central Coast.
ReplyDeleteHow did you happen to settle there in Paso? We visit often---perhaps we can meet at Panne Olivo for coffee and a croissant.