JERRY AND LADY BUG (UPDATE)
Jerry the mouse has now become an official family member . . . with everyone looking out for his daring and illusive appearances, calling him by name, teasing him when he peeks his little head out of the ivy, tweaking his little nose at us. We all thoroughly enjoy his and Lady Bug’s dog and mouse antics. Lady Buggie is tiring of Jerry’s elusive game, but she continues to eventually give in, chasing him into the ivy, where he plays his hide and seek mind games with her.
A few days ago, I turned on the automatic watering system to water the shrubs, trees, and flowers in the backyard area. I completely forgot Jerry was eating seeds sprinkled on the ground from the bird feeder where my husband has (accidentally . . . on purpose . . . ) begun to add small little tidbits of mousey stuff he knows the little guy likes. Jerry has never ever come within fifteen feet of me as I sit on the swing, enjoying the sunshine. He’s content to play his hide & seek games with Lady Bug and leave the human beings alone.
The water was running full force, and I was sitting on the dry side of the sprinkling system swinging on my glider, when Jerry ran out of the ivy to within a few feet of me. He looked up at me with his big eyes, shaking his head piously back and forth, glaring at me in anger. I laughed at him, but he stared back at me . . . eye to eye . . . until he felt he had gotten his message across. Turning the water on while he was eating his lunch was a No – No! I had interrupted his schedule, his lunch, and his hide and seek game with Lady Bug. Besides, he didn’t like getting his fur wet! I was on notice. No water sprinkler when Jerry was eating lunch!
He then scampered away from me and ran to the various patio tools on the dry side of the yard, making his way up and along a wooden plank on the wall . . . then . . . down the plank and into his clay pot home to wait for the sprinkling system to finish its job.
All the humans in our household now water the backyard when we’re sure Jerry is on the dry side of the yard, safely napping in his pot. We wouldn’t want to intrude upon his eating and playing schedule now . . . would we?
Trained by a little field mouse! I’ve hit a new low!