Cirque du Mousie

I wonder if we're at the beginning of another epic saga at Adoro's house, something akin to the Saga of the Breadcrust from a few years ago? (hint: I linked only to where that particular Saga began...not where it ended...)

As you know well, Epic Sagas at my house always involve critters, even when they seem to involve things.

This evening I had to work late, and as I arrived home, as usual I hit the remote to open the garage door. The door dutifully opened as I dutifully turned at a right angle so as to prepare to enter the one-car space. Being that it's fall, there are always leaves scuttering about due to the entrance of near air into the garage space, but tonight one of the "leaves" caught my eye.

It wasn't rolling about randomly, but seemed to have purpose...and legs...and a tail....

Oh my!

I watched it run about in a panic, then finally shoot between a card table and the garage wall. I got out of my car and approached the area. The tiny black mouse started to leave it's refuge, recognized my human presence and the awful bright lights of my car and immediately dove back for cover.

Ugh. A mouse!

It's not even COLD out! It's still in the 70's and after 9pm! In October!

I live in a town home and wondered from whence this little intruder had come. In scanning my garage for garbage or anything that might look like a "tasty goody", I saw nothing, then wondered if the neighbors on either side had something to attract the thing. After all, our garages are adjoining. Cigarette smoke passes through my garage as if forced by a high-powered fan; clearly, mice can travel just as easily and often, and as mysteriously as smoke.

Because of an experience in the past involving my car and mice (when I was in Mexico for a semester a mouse made a nest of soybeans and other field material and blew out my engine. The car was never right from that point on. And I had mouse-nest material blowing through my car vents for the next few years, until I could get another car and finally trash that one.), I parked my car outside tonight. Besides, I didn't want the thing deciding to inspect my foot when I stepped out of the car!

>>>>> Enter irrational fear here. <<<<

Not that I'm afraid of mice; in principle, I'm really not. They're cute...but those are the mice bred to be pets. (I actually WANT a properly-bred pet mouse!) This one, though is a wild mouse and it isn't invited or welcome anywhere other than outside.

I came inside, disturbed, hoping the mouse has not breached the interior walls of my home. The thought is disturbing.  Having lived in a mouse-infested place for awhile, knowing what it's like to hear them scratching through the walls at night, let's just say I don't ever want to live in such a hovel ever again.

Mice multiply at an alarming rate, they carry fleas and disease, they eat through things that can be quite costly.

Where did this guy come from, though? I've lived here for 6 years now, and this is the FIRST mouse I've seen! How long has he been there?

I hate to say it, but I suspect my new neighbor. He hasn't lived there long, keeps to himself, and his garage is FULL of all sorts of stuff. He can't get his car in there at all and I'm not sure how he even walks through it! It's a perfect mouse-habitat, especially if that stuff was in storage before his moving here (which I suspect but won't go into detail as to why that is my suspicion.).

OK, so...it doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that I have a new uninvited guest. And he is most definitely NOT staying! There are no vacancies available for him! (The neighbor is fine; he can stay. But his suspected infestation is NOT part of his lease, I guarantee it!)

Tomorrow I plan to head to a store...somewhere...to find something to send Mr. Mousie to the big Cirque du Mousie in the sky. And maybe the rest of his family would prefer to go with him...?

The neighbor on my other side has a cat...is she [the CAT!] a mouser? I must inquire about that, and if so, let her [the cat!] go to work while keeping my dog well contained in the house.  Natural means are, after all, the best!

Speaking of the dog.....she's a born hunter, being a German Shepherd and all!

Acting on a hunch, I brought my dog into my car-less garage and ordered her to "Find the mouse! Where's the mouse!?"

And wouldn't you know it, but that dog put her nose down, made a beeline for where I'd last seen that little bugger, looked at me, put her nose back down and made a beeline to the other side of the garage, and given her intensity, I almost expected to hear a mousie-squeak!

Instead she continued to sniff intensely, ran her nose up the wall in that corner, then back down to the corner, focusing her "investigation".

One does not need to be an expert to realize that my dog, indeed, has found the scent and the mouse himself, perhaps.

That tells me where to put the trap. 

Sadly, though, it confirms what I believe: that the mouse came from my new neighbor, and that tells me there are likely more. I will have to be very aggressive in my initial breach of their nest to ensure they do not continue to reproduce.

Yes, I love animals, and this very evening I gave a short talk on Stewardship of Creation, part of Catholic Social Teaching.

We have to recall that good stewardship involves controlling animal infestations. The mouse population in the world is not in danger, and in fact, given the harm they do, I have no qualms about killing them. No, I am not going to use a "humane trap."  I am going to wipe out the mouse family. I'm sorry if you're offended by my position but it is not contrary to Catholic teaching in any way shape, or form. I reserve the right to defend my home from vermin in the way I see fit, and according to all applicable laws, religious and secular.

Had the mouse not breached my own property, he and his progeny would be safe. If I lived on a farm, maybe they'd be relocated, maybe not.  I don't know: I live in the city and in the city, mice are just plain dangerous and destructive.

But this mouse is NOT going to infest my home with its filth. Nor is it going to spread to my other neighbor. We live in very close quarters here, and something like this could all too easily get out of control.

The Mouse Stops Here. 

(To be Continued.....)
*

The Finch and the Sunflower

This afternoon, I sat down at my computer and pulled back the drape so that I could gaze out the window, and there, before my astonished eyes, was a yellow finch perched atop the sunflower.

Mystery solved.

I had actually feared that it was squirrels destroying the flower, but had been a bit mystified as to how those critters could climb the stalk without breaking it. But I also knew birds could of course reach the flower, certain, though, that I would never catch them in the act.

This afternoon though, I saw Mr. Finch, my friendly avian neighbor, happily pecking at his meal to his heart's content. I gazed at the sight in wonder, grateful for the gift of God's hand in motion, feeding the birds of the air; for this sunflower is His very hand.

Just as with the Parable of the Breadcrust, God is giving me a front row seat to the Parable of the Sunflower and through this, He is revealing his everyday glory. It is an encouragement to trust in His providence. Even as I look at the pecked over appearance of the head of the sunflower, I can witness the buds now blooming, I can witness their pollination, and when the time comes, I will again be witness to the feast laid out for not just Mr. Finch, but for his entire family.

It is a parable of trust, a witness to life, and a symbol of God's eternal love.

The Parable of the Breadcrust

Matthen 6: 25
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?
27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
31 So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'
32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33 But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, 19 and all these things will be given you besides.
34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil

A couple people expressed disappointment in the ending of the parable of the breadcrust. I imagine that in the time Christ walked the earth, many were also disappointed and went away not understanding. We as Christians often don't understand what is before us, but the reality is that God still speaks to us in parables, and sometimes these parables are humble stories that occurr right outside our windows. Those stories aren't always about us, in fact, they are rarely about us, but this is as it should be. In this way, God is inviting us to come out of ourselves and to come to him to experience his grace in wonderful ways.

I think the breadcrust was one such situation. By itself, it was meaningless. Who cares about a piece of discarded bread? I mean, really? Will this crust change anyone's life? Will it save anyone? If my house burned down and I had no food would this crust sustain me? Of course not. Then why was it important?

It wasn't. Not to me. It served as a "gimmick" of sorts, being that it mysteriously appeared in an odd location. I chose to leave it as it was, and over time, when it did not shift, it did not blow away, and it did not seem to be discovered by any creatures, I began to wonder what would happen to it. This silly object; a piece of stale breadcrust likely not fit for human nor animal consumption.

I don't think it was any accident yesterday that I got a front row seat to the workings of God's divine hand, in accordance with scripture. God always keeps his promises; the parable of the breadcrust is all about trust in God. I will explain.

Since it is becoming warmer even here in cold Minnesota, the animals have come out of hiding, the birds are more abundant, and as the food is not yet abundant, they are all fighting for survival. When people throw out the breadcrusts or birdseed, the animals flock to it it droves, trying to get there first to get their fill. Yet the crows, the avian mafia, continue to chase the other creatures away, squirrels included. Squirrels tend to run, find a perch, and scold the offending crows quite haughtily, which of course, the crows ignore while they munch away to their little hearts' content.

Sometimes, though, the creatures assert themselves a little more; I suspect the squirrels may have run out of their buried stashes, or at least forgot where the rest of them are. And of course, like humans, they are going for what is easy; the bread and the birdseed.

Yesterday, I think Mr. Grey Squirrel was chased away from the fresh bread but managed to escape the wrath of the crows with a crust in his mouth, which he dropped when he reached my ledge. He came back for it in his hunger, finding it was still there. The crows don't tend to hang out that close to the windows.

While there, he discovered the other crust, the one that has been there for awhile. So the little guy was able to avoid the crows and still feast on what was needed. He had to work to get it, but the food was there. He maybe wasn't the one who put it there, but that crust sure was preserved for that small creature through God's Divine Providence.

Do you remember my first couple posts on the breadcrust? I said, "God Provides."

I had no idea at the time what would happen, but as it turns out, that is the moral of our story. God provides.

He knew about the crust, He's likely sitting back laughing at our discussion about the crust, wondering if we're going to "get it." Will we really understand?

I think I understand, and I hope you do, too. The fact that we've all been able to watch this unfold before us is no accident; it is all about God, showing us that he provides for the smallest creatures, the most hated and despised creatures. He, who loves us so much, we, the only creatures with free will who freely choose to reject him, became one of us. He did not become a squirrel or a toad or anything else. God was born of a woman and became man. For us.

God provides for squirrels in mysterious ways we normally don't get to witness. If he does that, then how much more will He provide for us, whom he loves so dearly He suffered the agony and humiliation of the cross on our behalf?

Do not doubt the breadcrust; it's not about me, and it's not about you. It's all about the hand of God, the love of God, and a reminder that He knows of the most humble and insignificant things; and provides.

Trust God. Seek Him.

God provides.

Let us Bow our Heads...and then talk about dogs

The Saga of the Breadcrust has come to an end.

I just took my dogs out and checked on the remaining crust. It's gone. Mr. Gray Squirrel returned after I closed the drape and enjoyed his dessert in solitude.

So the crust has gone as quickly as it arrived, as silently, and ultimately, as mysteriously. For we cannot verify the coming of the crust, nor can we verify the demise of the crust.

Let us have a moment of silence in consideration of the crust.....




WELL! That's enough of THAT!

Let's move on to other topics...some of you have expressed surprise that I have a Greyhound. I also have a German Shepherd. Here they are:

I adopted the German Shepherd from the local Humane Society. She gave me "the look", much like the one in the photo. I didn't initially realize it, but it was all over. She was mine. She picked me, but that night my heart was broken because we could not get the paperwork completed before they closed, so I had to wait until TUESDAY morning to go pick her up! It was so hard to wait! In the meantime, though, I prepared for her, got supplies specific to her size and breed, and read over the adoption materials.

The form used to drop her off at the Humane Soecity was heartbreaking. Clearly a child had written it, and it was not the child's choice to give up her pet. Various questions were answered, such as, "Where does the pet sleep?" The child had written in, "With you." Awww...

I read through the form with tears in my eyes. The last line killed me: "What else do you want us to know about your pet?" Reply: "Just take care of her, please."

Awwwww!

Tikaani has been the source of both my consternation and my joy ever since I got her, and exactly two weeks to the day that I brought her home, she identified a problem with my furnace. Dogs are good at that.

When I adopted her, her name was "Sugar Bear." Clearly she had been named by children, but that name had to go. I re-named her "Tikaani" which is a native Alaskan language for "Wolf", and apparently a common dog name up there. She also goes by several nicknames.

Tikaani came with me to pick out my Greyhound six months later. I got him from our local organization, Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption, with which I am still involved. We love our meet-and-greets! Anyway, it was down to two dogs... "Davis" and "Fire". I asked Tikaani to choose her sibling. She sniffed Davis, they acknowledged each other, then as though she understood, she went to Fire,and they had some sort of canine conversation. Then she came to heel, sat down, and looked up at me. No choice made. She approved of them both.

The ball was back in my court. I liked both dogs very much, but their personalities were very different. I was considering getting into pet therapy so needed an outgoing dog..so Fire was my choice.

This guy's my buddy. His racing name was "Keystone Fire" and when I adopted him, he was four years old, indicating he had a decent racing career. Most adopted greys are between two and four years old; they are sent for adoption when they aren't successful on the track.

I kept his name, "Fire" because he responded to it, and it fit him. He has occasionally been called "Babbaloo", "Mister Hound", and "Buddy", among other names.

I must upload my story about how I taught him how to climb stairs.

I have TONS of photos of my dogs, and now that I have a scanner and know how it works, I promise to upload more photos of anything other than myself.

The Mystery of the Breadcrust

The mystery may be solved.

I was just sitting down at my computer to work on my paper this afternoon, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement which startled me. At first I thought it was a rat. It wasn't, altough some of you may disagree.

My computer is right next to the window, and just outside the window is a small ledge, and the bush containing my own personal breadcrust.

When I saw the movement, I looked up just in time to see a squirrel trundling by just outside my window, pause to glance in at me, and continue on as though he belonged there. He seemed to be quite comfortable with his location and the proximity to my window. After he had run away, I opened my door to see if my grill-cleaning thingie was still on the ledge; it was, but it was somewhat askew.

And the evidence next to it: a breadcrust.

The neighbors just threw bread out again today, this time very close to my door as well. (Which is really annoying as my greyhound always tries to eat that stuff and I'm not always quick enough to pull him away).

I suspect that the squirrel had been trying to take the bread but was attacked by the numerous crows that like to bully all the other suburban creatures. The squirrel headed for the quickest haven, that being the bush and the ledge, but in the process of escape, he dropped the crust.

Of course, that explains the crust that is now on my ledge, but it doesn't fully explain the one in the bush. Maybe the squirrel that put that one there was exceptionally adventurous? Maybe he was also trying to escape the crows and dropped the crust in the bush before scampering away after learning the bush would not support his weight?

You discern.

But anyway, my bread crust has now multiplied; I have two of them and some crumbs.

And bonus, I got a really good close-up view of a squirrel.

I found a camera I forgot about and took a few photos of the crust. If I can get to a one-hour photo place I may scan them in later today.

Thus you will be able to see that the breadcrust is REAL.

*
UPDATE: 5:15 PM

I got back from Adoration and errands, photos in hand. When I pulled the curtain back, I saw that the bread on the ledge has changed locations, moving further down and away from the grill brush. I opened the front door and observed that most of the bread is gone and that the adventurous squirrel ALSO ate most of the breadcrust in the bush. And the grill cleaning brush had been shoved a little bit and is precariously close to fallng to the ground.

That is one BRAVE little rodent!

So the infamous breadcrust is still there, lodged in the bush, but it has been discovered, it has apparently become food for my new "pet" squirrel.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS! 5:18 PM

While composing this update, I saw movement again. The squirrel came back for the bread on the ledge! I moved slowly and he didn't see me because he was intent on his dinner and his back was to me. Because he was also facing the crust in the bush, I watched to see if he would go for it next. He didn't, but rather, turned to go in another direction. He might have discerned movement behind the glass of the window and spooked.

I sat down again to type, and he scuttered by the window again. I'm a little disturbed by his location and the fact that he seems to be busy at the end of the ledge where I kept the grill brush. Suffice to say that the brush is going into the trash and will no longer be used to scrape/clean the grill.

But the remaining piece of breadcrust is still lodged in the bush. I wonder if the squirrel has given up on it? Or will he come back again yet this evening for dessert? He clearly knows it's there.

So thus the saga of the breadcrust continues, now with the addition of the antagonist, Mr. Grey Squirrel. Stay tuned...

Theology of the Breadcrust

In the beginning was God, and God made the wheat and declared it good. God gave the wheat to Man who threshed it to create sustenance for temporal requirements, and he declared it good. So thus in the beginning was the bread, which came from God who created all things, and the bread was reduced to crust and dwelt among us in the bush outside the door.

I am not God and I am not the bread, but I am a witness to the bread.

The breadcrust remains lodged in the branches of the bush, the mysterious appearance of which has not been solved. It has not been moved, and it is not appetizing to man, bird, nor squirrel. The meaning of the breadcrust is unknown.

We do not know from whence it came or where it is going; we do not understand the meaning of the bread but we know that God created the wheat that forms the bread and that the bread was baked by man. Thus we contemplate the mystery of God through creation of the crust.

The Breadcrust Again

A few weeks ago, I lost my rosary ring. It's a small ring with a crucifix and 10 little rounded nubs which I wore all the time. Part of it was the visible crucifix at all times, part was the discomfort caused by the little nubs against my other fingers - they reminded me to pray, and they reminded me who I represent.

I lost the ring one Sunday morning. I remembered having it before I left my house for Mass, but it was at Mass that I realized it wasn't on my finger. I thought maybe I'd dropped it when taking it out of my pocket as I got out of my car.

I realized in that moment that it was gone and I would ever find it. I did send up a prayer to St. Anthony, sort of half-hearted, but it was there. But the ring hasn't left my mind.

Part of my attachment to the ring is actually sentimental because the blessing upon the ring itself was an answer to a spiritual need.

I had purchased the ring during the week, and on Friday that week, I ran to the Adoration chapel to spend a little time with Jesus. I was feeling very unloved, very disconsolate, very frustrated with life in general. I really needed to know and understand God's love, so I went straight to the source and offered all of this up.

As I left the chapel, a priest, a local hospital chaplain, was coming out of the sacristy. He's from Africa, and has the BEST smile I've ever seen, which of course, really stands out! I didn't really know him, but his smile reassured me of his approachability, so I asked him to bless my ring.

I carefully held it in my hand and he exclaimed, "I can do more than THAT!"

So Father blessed my ring, and then placed his palm against my forehead and blessed ME!

I thanked him with tears in my eyes; God had answered my prayer, He had displayed His love for me, the reassurance of his presence and fidelity to us in even our smallest crises.

After that day, every time I looked at that ring, I saw not only the love of Christ who died for us on the cross, but the personal love for each and every one of us.

Then, this morning, as I was bringing the dogs in from our walk, I took a look at the bush containing my own personal breadcrust. It's still there, still lodged within the branches. I wondered if it would turn green or just disintegrate eventually?

From there, my eyes happend to drop downward to a stone at the base of the bush. And next to the stone, directly beneath the breadcrut, was a glitter of silver. I looked more closely...and it was my ring!

How on EARTH did it get THERE!?

I have no idea. I wasn't wearing the ring at the time I last passed through that door on the day I lost it. I don't wear the ring on dog walks, but only don it upon leaving for work or other things because of the design which has a propensity to get caught on things. I know for certain that on the day I'd lost it, it was not on my finger, and further, I'd been wearing gloves which I did not need to remove in order to open the door.

So how did the ring get there? Right there, with the mysterious breadcrust marking the very spot?

Thank you, St. Anthony. Yet another miracle to testify to God's love an fidelity.

Thank you, Jesus.

Bread Crust Update

It's still there, unclaimed. It weathered the first storm well (pardon the pun) and so far has not been released by the currently rushing winds. Is there a metaphor for my life there in that mysterious bread crust?

Bread

The piece of bread is still hanging on for dear life to the bush outside my door. It hasn't been claimed by bird nor beast.

And since I'm not quite sure where it came from, I'm not really claiming it, either.

But I'm glad it's there. The crust of bread is comforting.

God provides.

Just some observations

The piece of breadcrust is still stuck in the bush outside my door. It hasn't been claimed by human nor bird nor squirrel. It did shift position slightly, but it's holding onto the branch for dear life.

I'm becoming quite attached to my own personal breadcrust in a bush.

Next topic...


I took my dogs to the vet on Friday for their shots. While there, I realized that my German Shepherd is shedding already. We've been in the negative temps for weeks now, and this cold snap is really holding on. Quite normal, really, but I'm surprised she is already beginning to blow her undercoat. Not only because it's so cold, but because that doesn't typically start until closer to the end of February, well into March at the earliest.

So I am predicting an early spring. I learned from a very young age to tell the weather from nature around us, because God so ordered the world to react to certain climatic changes before they happen.

For example; I grew up near the Rock River in Illinois, and we used to look at the river to discern what the skies were going to do. A glassy river always made my stomach churn, for it portended a storm. It was the deceptive calm before the storm.

The churning, muddy river meant cloudy weather, but despite the appearance of the water, it was calming to me for I learned this was its latent state. A state of calm.

The river was really into reverse psychology, you see.

And when the ice broke in the spring...well, I wrote about that once. That's when the river was at its most deadly and most destructive. It was always the CRACK! that told us what was about to happen.

Other signals in nature; the animals. Birds returning, sometimes flowers poking through snow. Dogs and other animals shedding their coats, like mine is now.

This is a bit early to shed. Any other pet owners noticing early shedding? I'm just curious, but still, I predict an early spring.


It's just around the corner, y'all!

Bread Update

I checked the bush this evening. The bread crust is still there. Maybe a bird left it.

I've decided to see how long it remains there before "someone" discovers it in the bitterly cold days which are about to come upon us.

But it's still comforting to know that there's a piece of bread right outside my door.

God provides.

Our Daily Bread

I WAS just going to go to sleep, but I had to take the dogs out first. As we were coming in, something in the bush outside my door caught my attention, so I had to stop and do a double-take.

There is a piece of a breadcrust stuck in the bush. Near the top, in the branches. Just stuck there. And it's jammed in such a way that it doesn't look like anyone actually PUT it there because in order to do so, they would have caused the thing to crumble to nothing.

So is my bush now growing bread crusts? Just wondering.

Is a bread in the hand worth two in the bush? If so, what is bread in the bush worth?

Each day, I say the Our Father, usually more than once. "Give us this day our daily bread,"

This wasn't really what I had in mind when I asked God for bread. But just the same, I'm glad it's there. Now I'll sleep well, knowing there is a bread crust in the bush outside my door. Just in case its needed.

Thank you, God.

Good night all, God bless, and don't forget to pray for daily bread.