Cinderella's mice....

The first thing I did this morning was pick up a dead mouse in the garage.  Not exactly one of my favorite things to do.... and I don't touch it...... I use a clippy-thing that's about four feet long, with a handle on one end that opens and closes sort of a clipper on the bottom end that lets you pick things up without using your hands.  I use that clippy-thing to pick up trash that's on the road.... and it comes in handy for picking up mice that our cat Mickey leaves for me in the garage.

Mickey used to be an inside cat..... he's the last cat from our house in Clear Lake.  In his older years, Mickey started doing stupid cat tricks inside the house, which resulted in him being banned from the house.  He spends his days out in the yard and on the porch, but at night (when the coyotes come out to play) I keep Mickey in the garage, where he also has access to the fresh air in the old chicken coop. He goes in and out of a little Alice-in-Wonderland-sized doorway to get from his inside space to the outside-but-fenced-in space.

The garage has become his territory, and when Gatsby (our other outside cat) goes into that garage, Mickey's little kitty nose goes up in the air and he's very unhappy.  Since the Spring-time, when we decided to keep Mickey outside, both he and Gatsby have had to work things out..... Gatsby is King of The Porch, Mickey is Prince of The Garage.  They both seem to be happy with that arrangement.

But..... the mice.  Who knew that Mickey would be catching mice?  I guess even after being an inside cat for nine years, his instincts kicked in and he's been catching lizards and field mice just about every day. Usually, the mice are outside on the property..... Mickey catches them and brings them underneath the bushes and he doesn't kill them.  He lets them go, they run, he chases them and brings them back to the bushes... they run... he chases. And on and on, until Mickey gets tired and goes to sleep.  However, in the garage.... Mickey doesn't want visitors, and if mice get in there, I'm sorry to say that Mickey does kill them, and he leaves them by my car or my husband's car..... as a gift.

I'm not a big fan of mice.... but I can tolerate looking at them, and picking them up with that clippy-thing.  Cinderella had mice who made her a beautiful gown with pretty bows all over it.... so thinking of that while I'm putting a dead mouse into a trash bag helps somewhat. How's that for a Disney moment?