Eye to Eye

The week before we leave, I go here and there, checking this and putting away 

that for the winter. Dachshund Cassie was on the porch with me. 

She kept jumping up at and barking at the covered propane barbecue. 

I lifted the one edge of the cover and found myself face-to-face 

with a white-footed deer mouse, who was STANDING ON HER HIND LEGS!

Almost like the one at this link.

She was behind and a little to the side of this nest. We just looked at each other.

And looked. Who was more surprised?

Then I put the cover back. Thinking: that little creature has carried every tiny bit 

of this nest material up the legs of the barbecue and made a comfy nest; 

Now I think I even see some mouse fur-lining in the lower part of the photo.

So I left it there for several days, but Cassie never again barked at the barbecue.

So the mouse had gone to look for a better location.

And I didn't have to decide whether to keep a vermin-nest undercover on my porch,

even when the vermin had such dainty white legs and is so incredibly cute!

This is a picture of the nest after I had scooped it out onto the porch floor.

Then I went for my camera! Then I heartlessly kicked it off the porch into the weeds.

Trip Note: We finished Day Four of the Trip West.,

Tonight we are at the Kelly Inn in Billings, Montana

watching Game Four of the World Series, which

was pretty bad, but now has suddenly caught fire.

And so good night!

No poem, just the poetry of baseball!