Stephen Gilberg (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deckardcanine) wrote2005-12-18 08:46 pm
deckardcanine) wrote2005-12-18 08:46 pm
(no subject)
'Twas the week before Christmas, and deep in the house, one creature was no longer stirring: a mouse.
That's right. This morning, for the first time in all the 20 years we've lived in this antique house, we found a mouse. Mom called me into the basement to check if she was in fact seeing a dead mouse next to the furnace. At first I couldn't see it -- it was so tiny and dark-furred -- but Mom kicked it over and we confirmed her assessment. We're not sure how it died: there was no sign of violence, so we ruled out Millie (I really don't know how she'd react at her age anyway), but if it were sick, we'd expect it to crawl to a far corner somewhere. Whatever the case, we're contemplating mousetraps for the first time. It was found near the fuse box, after all.
I decided it was better to find a recently deceased mouse than a live one, so long as it wasn't in a toaster or something (good thing we have a toaster oven), but we did feel sorry for the cutie. When my sister heard the details, all she could iterate was "WE HAVE MICE?!" -- with an elated grin, until we reminded her that in practical terms, it was not good news.
This evening, my family hosted a holiday party with the theme of exchanging past gifts that we don't want but think someone else would like. It was not the first time we did this, but I don't remember the "regift" tradition, so I was probably absent the last time (and surely the times before, having been at college). There were five children age six or under, who came to me for help in cutting open bags of candy or mini toys. Next year we'll try to keep them occupied with A Muppet Family Christmas. Or at the very least, we will fastforward past Bach and Tchaikovsky in Fantasia. I should have thought of that beforehand.
You've probably inferred, correctly, that I spent more time with the kids than with the adults. I have a few reasons for doing this: (1) someone oughta, (2) I seem to find it easier to connect with youths in the short time we have together, and (3) they're frequently cute. But lest you worry, I did get in a few minutes of conversation with some of my parents' coworkers who'd heard about me. That has its rewards.
That's right. This morning, for the first time in all the 20 years we've lived in this antique house, we found a mouse. Mom called me into the basement to check if she was in fact seeing a dead mouse next to the furnace. At first I couldn't see it -- it was so tiny and dark-furred -- but Mom kicked it over and we confirmed her assessment. We're not sure how it died: there was no sign of violence, so we ruled out Millie (I really don't know how she'd react at her age anyway), but if it were sick, we'd expect it to crawl to a far corner somewhere. Whatever the case, we're contemplating mousetraps for the first time. It was found near the fuse box, after all.
I decided it was better to find a recently deceased mouse than a live one, so long as it wasn't in a toaster or something (good thing we have a toaster oven), but we did feel sorry for the cutie. When my sister heard the details, all she could iterate was "WE HAVE MICE?!" -- with an elated grin, until we reminded her that in practical terms, it was not good news.
This evening, my family hosted a holiday party with the theme of exchanging past gifts that we don't want but think someone else would like. It was not the first time we did this, but I don't remember the "regift" tradition, so I was probably absent the last time (and surely the times before, having been at college). There were five children age six or under, who came to me for help in cutting open bags of candy or mini toys. Next year we'll try to keep them occupied with A Muppet Family Christmas. Or at the very least, we will fastforward past Bach and Tchaikovsky in Fantasia. I should have thought of that beforehand.
You've probably inferred, correctly, that I spent more time with the kids than with the adults. I have a few reasons for doing this: (1) someone oughta, (2) I seem to find it easier to connect with youths in the short time we have together, and (3) they're frequently cute. But lest you worry, I did get in a few minutes of conversation with some of my parents' coworkers who'd heard about me. That has its rewards.