Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday the 9th day of December, 2018.
The sun is now shining and the sky is clear.
What a Saturday I had …..
Master Teddy slept over on Friday night so I had both of the pups here yesterday.
We were up a few times during the night as I mentioned yesterday.
So the baking and laundry got off to a late start but a good start.
I somewhere along the line decided to change up the cookie menu and make the following:
Raisin Nut cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Coconut cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
After the first two cookies were baked I took a break and we went for a walk.
It was so nice out.
Me and the pups went for the full 1/2 walk and it was great.
Once back to the house after checking and doing more laundry, it was back to the cookie baking.
The time past and then it was time for the boys to eat.
I opened the pantry door which is on the interior wall in the kitchen to fetch the food.
Note: that I had been in and out of the pantry all day long.
The pups did not act any differently than usual BUT when I moved the plastic container which housed Al’s food I saw something move and I freaked screaming so loud that I
almost gave myself an anxiety attack.
The pups stopped in their tracks.
I grabbed the rubbermaid container that is currently housed the excess baking supplies and placed it in front of the pantry door.
Knowing full well that it did not completely block the opening at the bottom of the door.
I need weather stripping.
I grabbed the phone and started calling neighbours and by the fifth one I finally reached someone at home.
It was my friends that helped with the dryer, installing the trap door by the dryer vent on the deck and so on.
My friend “N” came over shortly thereafter.
I wasn’t even sure it was still in the pantry but when he opened the door …. yes it was still there.
It moved.
I screamed.
He tried in vain to catch it with his gloves ( it was very small ) but it ran under the basement door and the chase was on.
I kept the dogs away.
My friend followed it down the stairs and watched it run to the bottom and into the family room.
He asked where the light was and I yelled down where it was …
I got up the courage to go down the stairs not quite to the bottom but I could see over the stairway partial wall what was going on.
I said to close the door to the furnace room as the carpet is so thick he would not be able to run under the door.
There were a few boxes stacked in the corner by the trunk and he gingerly removed each one looking for the little creature.
ARGH.
He said we should try and catch it in the vacuum.
I took the vacuum down and plugged it in removing all of the extensions so it was down to the handle portion.
We did not see it for awhile and then it came out and ran along the wall.
I screamed.
The chase continued.
After several minutes of chasing the mouse from one side of the room to the other.
Under the television stand and around and back, my friend caught the mouse in his big thick gloves.
I ran FAST up the stairs to unlock the back door and back to the living room to keep the dogs away and to be at a safe distant.
My friend, the male friend who is older than me – did not quite get how absolutely terrifying this was for me.
So he went to show me what he had in his gloves – I screamed and he went to the back door and threw it onto the snow bank.
Which in hind sight was likely not the best plan as I watched from the bay window in the kitchen, at a safe distance …. it running down the snowbank toward the house.
I felt coldness fall over my whole body.
My friend had shut the door and was checking the weather stripping to ensure it could not get in that way and determined it likely came in when I had the door open for the dogs.
He determined that it ran under the deck at the house by the garbage can and just told me to leave the door closed and perhaps take the pups out the front if they had to go.
Not really that easy.
Anyway for a moment I calmed down.
By this time, I lost my desire to continue with the baking and felt sick and drained.
I cleaned up the kitchen.
Made sure that the boys had supper.
Made a bit of supper for myself when Teddy’s Mom and Dad arrived to pick him up.
I told her quickly and she said that she could stay with me if I wanted and I gratefully said no, that is okay.
After Teddy left …. I ate supper….. we just left all of the lights on as I heard they do not like bright lights.
I settled down later to watch a movie when the phone rang and it was my friend who was on her way home from Calgary.
He had arrived home and saw that I had called … I had not left a message.
I retold the story and she had some ideas.
After a lengthy conversation I told her that I had been watching a movie (rented one) and it was getting late by then so had to go.
Thanking her for her call.
What a night.
WHEW.
I must get this show on the road as I am once again baking and have a long list of things to do.
I know what it is like to be so terrified of something that it stops you literally in your tracks.
So scared that it is hard to think straight.
I know in my brain that it is silly to be scared of something so small when I am so big.
Perhaps it is because they are so fast.
Perhaps it is because they can carry disease.
Perhaps it is just because I had two, no actually three bad experiences when I was a child.
Scarred for life.
Special Hello to: all those folks who have fear for something …. I know your pain.
Always, Carol & Alvin
My New Life @ 51 