Fog…and a Visitor (Mar 2014)

As expected, the weather has been all over the map.  A few days after we got home from San Diego, most of the snow was melted and we had fog:

JR was out of town for work, the fog rolled in, and I couldn’t see any of the neighbors homes for most of the day.  I also knew I couldn’t get out of the house without getting stuck in the mud that used to be Scilley Mountain Vista Road.  Talk about feeling isolated!  The day prior to fog day, I had been in town.  When I tried to get home, I came this close to getting stuck in the mud right outside of our driveway.  Knowing JR was out of town and our neighbor was also not around, I floored the gas pedal, mud flying everywhere, car sliding from side to side, and blasted my way through.  It made me jittery after, but I was glad I wasn’t stuck.  Jen 1, Mud 0.  I’m pretty sure this won’t be the final score.  Unfortunately, I’m not even sure who will win by the end of Spring.  Please root for me!

The other thing that got the jitters going that week was the little “visitor” that paid a call to the Lazy J.  I was minding my own business, working in the office, when I kept hearing a strange scratching sound at the door.  It was definitely not Scarlett.  I opened the door to the garage, and right on the threshold was a mouse!  Ahhh!!!  I slammed the door shut quick and hard!  Oh my goodness, if he had run into the house…I don’t want to think about it!

I thought, “Great.  Well, my day just changed.”  I put on my shoes and went out the front door and around to the garage and started mouse hunting, pushing aside various items with a broom.  I caught sight of him behind the garage freezer.  Mind you, we (me and the mouse) are on the side of the garage farthest away from the garage doors.  Crud, I thought.  There’s no way I’m going to shoo him all the way to the other side.  I’m going to have to kill that little creature. Gah, the thought gave me chills.  So, I went and got a shovel.  Gah, again, the thought.  I spent 45 minutes moving stuff around the garage looking for that little, ahem, guy.  I was trying to reconcile myself to give up while still knowing he was lurking somewhere and may be around any corner from now on.  Yuck…chills.  I went to put the shovel away and VOILA!  There he was, outside the garage door!  Yea, he shooed himself out.  Except, WAIT, NOOOO, he ran back in the garage.  I yelled and kicked and scrambled around and he ran back out. (Can’t you just picture this.  Oh my goodness).  I shut the doors so fast!  I went out after him and tried to scurry him away from the house.  He kept trying to get back in, but he eventually ran off.  Oh, the relief.  He was gone and I didn’t have to smash him.  I texted JR and told him we were getting a barn cat ASAP.  Why does this stuff only happen when I’m home alone?  Honestly.

By the way, back at the beginning of this story when the mouse was on the threshold, you may wonder, where was Scarlett?  ASLEEP IN HER BED, ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALF AWAY FROM THE MOUSE.  Hello?  Get the mouse?  Bark?  Something?  I would not have been mouse hunting if Timber were still around.  And, what, you may ask, was she doing during the mouse hunt?  Looking around, generally being in the way, with a look on her face asking, “what are we looking for?”

Verrrrry helpful, Dog. Very helpful.