A Mouse Told Me…
Over the weekend, my cat Socks was twitching in front of the refrigerator. I recognized the feline focus, and heard that gutteral uck-uck-uck cats display when stalking a prey.
A mouse. That’s what it had to be. I had been working on my tablet pc when all this occurred, and returned to typing when a loud screech emanated from the kitchen. I rushed back in, just as I saw Socks tossing a small gray mouse up in the air with great vigor and relish (actually, not like pickle relish, but relish like great enjoyment).
“Socks!” I cried with chagrin. “Let that mousie go!” Because I so startled my cat, she ran out of the room like a hockey player chasing a puck.
The mouse was just ready to hustle back under the refrigerator when I said, “Hey, wait, stop! I have a question.”
Believe it or not, the mouse stopped. Normally, most mice do not respond to human requests, unless a significant amount of cheese is involved.
“Yeah, mister, what is it?!” the ungrateful little rodent uttered.
“I just want to know, ungrateful little rodent — do mice regularly blog?”
“Do they what?” the thing said, with a look of bland curiosity on his ugly whiskered face.
“Blog, blog, blog,” I repeated.
“You sound sick, mister, your stomach hurt?” the mouse quipped.
“No, a blog is an Internet thing. You’d love it! There’s all kind of information on the Internet. And if you blogged, you could engage other mice of your specious and genus in intense dialogue about how to stay away from cats,” I said helpfully.
“Blogging, huh? Well, how do I start, because I like this idea of creating a community of like rodents who establish patterns of complex escape from the felines that pursue us with a vengeance normally reserved for old Westerns.”
“I’m glad you’re willing to give it a try. I’ll talk to Willy about it tomorrow,” I responded.
“Thanks, mister. But now I have to go — I smell your cat creeping back into the kitchen like a tunafish trying to crawl back into the can.”
I didn’t get that part, but I could tell he was grateful. Later, I saw a new blog as I was playing around on my tablet. The name of it? “How a Mouse Can Stay in the House But Keep the Cat on a Mat Near a Hat” It wasn’t poetry. But it must be working for him.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
I am sitting here with a sleeping cat on my lap, getting a wonderful laugh from this writing (and she’s not even stirring with the laughter). Obviously, the mouse caught on much faster than the cats to the idea of blogging. Perhaps if outsmarting becomes the game, that will influence that cat blogs to begin! And if the mouse poses as a cat to chat…well, now…that will be very interesting and all manner of sneaky cat maneuvers might be discovered!
November 13th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
hi that is so funny and and i love that
November 13th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
i have two cats one is black and white and the other one is black and they love mice
November 14th, 2007 at 12:17 am
Yes!
One of the many wonderful things about your approach to blogging is the fact that you have students reading and responding. The delicate balance that you set between the humourous descriptions of your cats and the hidden metaphors is fabulous. Even if the metaphors are understood or realized, you have an audience that is both young and old as well as a fan base that is READING.
If you know any mice that need some help with the process of blogging, then send them my way. I am not sure if I can guide them in terms of the what/how to write (direct them to MH, DP, Emma, Lizzie, or yourself), but I am more than willing to show them the technical ends and outs of blogging.