I smell a rat

Bookworm had her end of softball season party Tuesday. We got home a little after 9pm. I had not had a chance to grab our mail, so I went and got it. Studmuffin had pulled into the garage and he and the girls had headed inside. Of course, he left the garage door up so I could come in easily.

I was strolling back from the mailbox when I saw a dark figure running down our sidewalk and around the corner of our house...Right for the garage. I did what any responsible adult with an attack dog would do. I started screaming, "KELSEY! KELSEY! GET IT! GET IT!" at the top of my lungs in a shrill Marilyn voice, that gives me shudders every time I hear it come out of my mouth....

Kelsey and Holly came barreling around the corner, and skid to a stop. The gate was closed, so they could only get so close to the intruder. Kelsey immediately assumed the position: crouched low, hackles raised, teeth bared. Holly fell all over herself and Kelsey trying to see what the occasion was. I continued to shriek and holler. The dark object must have been terrified by all my carrying on. It ran right past the open garage door....


Under the gate to the back yard....

And straight into the jaws of death.


Umm, no.




I did not take a picture of our intruder either in life or death.




But it was a rat.




And it was big.




And I screamed like a girl.




But now it's dead.




And Oliver was on the front porch sleeping through the whole thing. Big ol' worthless ball of fluff.



The end.


Wait!!!

Did you seriously think I would let you off that easy? I remembered that I have to add this: Kelsey is my faithful sidekick in yard work. She roams the yard while I work. When we are out of the gate, I put a leash on her, but don't actually hold it. As long as the leash is in place she stays near me. As soon as it's off, she is gone baby gone.

Well, last summer after our farmer behind us plowed up his field, we had a rodent problem. I would be weeding the flower bed, see something small and furry and begin to shriek, "Kelsey get it!" And she would. And it would be dead. And I would be glad.

The end.

For real.

Why are you still reading?