Monday, January 19, 2009

Bear Mice

No, No, Bear! NO, NO!

Bear! If there are any more mice in there, cough 'em up right now mister!!

Saturday, Mrs. FC, Junior, and faithful Junior buddy Jonathon, spent all day working in the yard, house, and barn while I was out of town. It seems they noticed all the little jobs that had been piling up on my "to do" list and decided to knock them out for me as an early birthday gift.

Bear was present during all of this of course, ... chasing chickens, catching chickens, being chased by Junior to rescue chickens, wandering off, being searched for, shredding things, moving neatly stacked trash back into the yard, and generally driving the good deeders crazy.
I missed all this, but I can relate as this post was prepublished briefly thanks to a Bear paw and the writing of the post was interrupted by a good 15 minute chase through the woods when a certain hard headed dog refused to come when called.



Anyway ... where was I? Oh, yes ... a mouses tale.

Late Saturday afternoon, Mrs. FC called me to tell me that Bear had discovered a Momma field mouse with babies during the clean out of the barn area. Before they could stop him he scooped up the mouse madre with babies clinging to her back and took off.
Junior and Mrs. FC gave chase of course.
Bear responded with that "YES! A GAME OF KEEPAWAY!" look and easily outran them even with a mouth full of mice.

When they finally caught him, the mice were gone and he was in some trouble.
But then, Mrs. FC found a tiny minimouse by backtracking the chase route. So she, Junior, and Jonathon brought it inside and placed it in a little Tupperware container with some bedding material. The lid was perforated for air and snapped on securely.

The young mouse took some half and half with honey through a syringe, and then fell asleep, no doubt exhausted from it's harrowing adventure.


Later, she called me back to say she had walked into the kitchen where the mouse container sat upon the counter to find the mouse on the floor. So, she scooped it up and popped open the Tupperware container only to find the original mouse still where she had left it.


Now there were two baby mice. Where the second one came from is a bit of a moustery. Was it clinging to Bear somehow and they missed it in his dense, dark fur?



Or, did he keep it in that soft Lab mouth of his unbeknownst to them?

I guess, we will never know, but as of today, there are two tiny mouse snuggled in the kitchen awaiting eventual release at some distance from the house.


Of course, while all this Ursus versus Mouse chaos was occurring, I was across the state in St. Augustine. It was a chore weekend at Mom and Dad's for me. The gutters needed cleaning out and a huge, wickedly prickly holly needed to be pruned back from electrical wires and the eaves of the house.

I did get to the beach after working though and Mom fed me roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and fresh green beans so it wasn't all work and no play.



And... there were those 100 Toll House cookies she bakes me every year about this time. I swear they deserve their own post. The ultimate cookie.



Back to the beach ...


Which gull above is menopausal?
Any husband who has literally frozen alive while his ... ahem, mature wife complained about the heat, can answer the question for you.

Saturday was cold and windy in St. Augustine, so of course I pointed the JEEP towards the beach after I finished cleaning out the gutters at Mom and Dad's house.

The last time I did that, it was cold, windy, misty, and grey. Saturday had only the first two characteristics beneath a brilliant blue sky and bright sun.





The Ruddy Turnstones were wading about feeding while the gulls were mostly resting, bills tucked in tight for warmth. Of course, here in Florida, we don't have stones, so these are Ruddy Turnshells while on their winter vacation.

Other important things we should talk about since I missed posting for two days ... the horror!

  • It seems that Wren and the nice folks at Nature Blog Network have picked ol' FC for an interview ... this is my 15 minutes of fame and I'm soaking it up. Thanks Wren for thinking of Pure Florida!
  • Porki, the FFA pig is recovering nicely from pneumonia and she sends her thanks for all your concerned comments.
  • I missed announcing my oldest buddy Kevin's birthday back on January 12. I always razz him here at PF on that day and totally let it slip this year. Kevin, I'm not worthy.
  • Dad's broken leg is seemingly mending well, he's not in pain, but he is restless due to the need to stay off of it. It's been a month now and he goes to the Doc on Wednesday, so I will update y'all on his progress. Mom is taking great care of him and working hard, but she is doing great too.
  • This last news is something I have been sitting on, waiting to get a picture of the happy couple, but we don't cross paths that often and I have failed to get that shot. So, I'll go ahead and spill the beans now ... my big brother is getting married to a wonderful woman next month and we are all thrilled and awestruck as we had given up hope on this guy ever getting married. He hit the jackpot this time as Annette is a sweetheart. I'm sure you will see wedding pictures here sometime next month.

22 comments:

Dani said...

You're a SUPERSTAR!! :)
Glad to hear your dad is doing good.

Caroline said...

Your mom is a hero! My dad was the "handmaiden"(his words) to my mother after hip replacement, patients who are not used to being made to sit still are not patient. Not mean and ugly, just impatient to be on with things.
If she fixed you roast beef, mashed potatoes and fresh green beans AND a bazillion Toll House cookies, she is a double hero.
Hope Dad is on his feet soon, he has a wedding to dance at, it seems.
It is 50 degrees here at 44W 103N here today, a bit of open water on the Creek, but no one is wading in it.
Caroline

Miz S said...

Lots o' news there, buddy.

Congrats to your bro, and continued good wishes for your dad's recovery. Sounds like he is doing very well.

Hey, do you think Bear's small victims will make it without their momma's milk? Is honey and evap milk what I should keep in mind if I rescue a small mammal? Naughty, naughty Bear.

Anonymous said...

Oh, poor mama mouse. What happened to her? I feel for her and her empty nest. When you started talking about weddings, I thought that it was about one of your girls. Congrats to big brother. Happy early birthday. Oldest, who shares your day is headed home to gather up his car and birthday presents and head back to Pensacola. Love won out over Hawaii.

Anonymous said...

PS Nice interview. We will be able to say, "We knew him when..."

threecollie said...

So much in this post I don't know what to comment upon first. Congrats on the interview...it was really neat. Glad to hear your dad is mending. Love the beach photos....

robin andrea said...

You're not going to keep those little mouse babies the way you kept the baby turtles, are you? They're awfully cute and photogenic. I think Bear grabbed them for you. Really.

Glad to hear your dad is recovering well. Hope his report on Wednesday is excellent.

I didn't know that gulls experience hotflashes too. Wow, learn something new everyday!!!

Unknown said...

Any other mice show up yet?
You are a good son.Now,if you could just get our 2 to think like you(they're really not too bad).
Ummm-not too sure about the menopausal quote tho.
And the word verifications says "flake".....LOL

Anonymous said...

OMG You have been keeping a "single" brother hidden. I had a friend---- If he is even a wee bit like you then she is a lucky woman. Every happiness to them both. So glad your Dad is doing better. Good luck being a mother mouse.

Kimberlee said...

Great moustery! They really are cute little guys.I can relate to the anguish of losing the rest of the family. My lab used to regularly sniff out and devour tundra lemmings before I could do anything about it. She even taught my mixed breed non-hunting variety dog to catch them. He never even noticed the lemmings before! I'm afraid labs are at the mercy of their noses. Everything smells like dinner or a toy.

Doug Taron said...

Glad to hear that your dad is doing well and that your mom is being an über-mom. I can practically smell the cookies from here. Really good interview on NBN. Congrats.

h said...

My guess would be the little mouse was stuck tween bear's cheek-and-gums like a plug of tobacco.

Deb said...

Oh, labs...what will they think of next?

Congrats to your brother! It's never too late.

And congrats on the NBN interview. I enjoyed it.

R.Powers said...

Dani,
Not hardly, but thanks for the support!

Caroline,
She is a double hero for sure! 50 is downright toasty for you guys isn't it?

Miz S,
Well, I had to make up for missing two days! These mice were pretty developed and chewed on some cracker so they are now out there on their own in my barn.

Cathy S,
Must be love if it won out over Hawaii! Not sure about the mama mouse due to the extended chase Bear caused.
Thanks on the interview.

3C,
Thanks! It's always funny to me when you post about seagulls, because I never picture them inland up north ... which is silly, I know, but they seem out of place.

Robin,
I'm hoping Dad's report includes a shortening of the 12 week original stay off it diagnosis!
The mice are already free!

Chris and Jon,
Look at the gull pic. All the gulls are cold with bill tucked under, except for one with bill out into the wind.
Thanks!

Ark Patti,
He's a much,much, much better surfer than me. Thanks for the good wishes!

Kimberlee,
Profound Lab knowledge! Very true.
Enjoyed your Alaskan beach post!

Doug,
Thanks! These cookies are amazing. My son will be my main competition for them!

Troll,
LOL! I think you are probably right!

Deb,
Whatever it is, it will be a minor disaster. Labs!
Thanks!

Aunty Belle said...

all happy news--youse in a good slough at the moment!

Kudos to Mom fer good care of Dad, way to go Dad!

Delighted mouse babies survived, but do ya plan PBS syndrome counseling?
(post bear stress)

High fives to Junior, Junior's buddy Jonathan, and Mrs FC fer tacklin' yore TD List while youse hepin' Mom & Dad.

Glory! Ever'body moves ahead a notch. Felicitations to yore Brother an' Annette.

Ericka said...

oh bear. poor little mousies.

i'm glad your dad's feeling better, and you got cookies and congrats to you brother!

Anonymous said...

Congrats to meeses on surviving, Bear on being cute, dad and mom on recovering, you on being a great interviewee, and your brother on getting hitched.

Did I miss anyone?

Thunder said...

Glad to hear that your Dad's leg is mending! Tell your brother congratulations too! 50 days and a wake up and I'm on my way back state side!

tsiya said...

FC, just so you'll know, I was taking bird pics at the Premium Outlet Mall retention pond yesterday and they sent a security rentacop out to chase me off. It is, I suppose, their right, but it's my right to award them a bad neighbor medal!
Maybe my oxygen bottle looks like a terrorist bomb, LOL!

Rurality said...

I can commiserate with that poor gull - you should make sure to cut Mrs FC some slack!

Those mice are cute.

Congrats on the interview!

R.Powers said...

Thanks Y'all!
Aunty we are mighty proud to have her join our clan.

See you then Dave!
Rurality, I cut her slack all the time, she just keeps tightening the rope!

Ericka.
good news and good cookies!

Wren,
You covered the spectrum!

Tsiya,
mall cops...

Anonymous said...

Hi!!! I'm Kathy...Annette's Sister In Law...I think she is an amazing woman and think the world of her...I'm sure you already know that your Brother is a really nice guy, but I'm going to tell you that anyways... :) ...
I am really happy him & Annette are going to get married...I truly wish them the very best...
I hope your Dad continues to recover and all is well in your family...
Your blog makes for enjoyable reading...I will return often...