We had an unexpected pet that came along with us on our camping trip to the North Shore last month. A mouse had taken up residence within the back door of the mini-mini-motorhome.
Smokey first met Mr. Mouse (or Miss or Ms. or Mrs.; we never knew) the first afternoon we were at the campground. He (Smokey) was lying on the bed in the back of the mini-mini-motorhome playing Solitaire on his netbook -- yes, we are THAT exciting -- when he saw this cute little mousie face peeking out at him from an opening in the inner panel of the back door.
Let me explain: Smokey likes mice. He sees them as cute and furry little critters that could be a fun pets, never mind hantavirus or any other nastiness they might carry. Happily, he does not care to share his bed or his kitchen with them. He may be easy, but he is not crazy.
We saw Mr. Mouse a number of times in the van. Once he even ran across Smokey's leg while he was napping. Eventually, however, Mr. Mouse appeared in the right place at the right time -- when a door was open -- and he was evicted. We wished him well, figuring that he could easily adapt to his new MN, as opposed to WI, woodsy home.
The next day I picked up Lucy The Wonder Dog's water dish from the ground by the picnic table to give her fresh water. Guess who was hiding next to it? Apparently Mr. Mouse felt the need to stay close to something that smelled, even vaguely, like home.
I saw him again a couple times in that same part of the campsite, but he never made it back into the van. I hope he enjoys his new home on the North Shore. Lots of people would give their left arm to live there, and he even got a free ride.
