Never Too Busy

Have you ever been so busy that you didn't have time for anything more? That's the way I felt last night. After all, I am getting ready to take a plane to Colorado Thursday morning. Who has time for anything else?

Still, I wasn't too busy to notice the dog pacing the floor, smelling under the coat closet door. Her ears perked up and she continued sniffing. I stopped what I was doing and took the time to watch. Sydney had never acted this way before. She must be on to something.

No writers, no matter how busy, can ever resist a mystery. Carefully I opened the closet door. I was sure something was going to jump out at me. This isn't an ordinary coat closet. It doesn't just hold dozens of coats, but it has five tables, and 20 folding chairs, some step stools, lawn chairs, rock salt, a shovel, and the family garbage (where else do you put it when you have a dog who loves dragging stuff all over the house?)

The dog started sniffing the floor, so I pulled out the garbage can and put it into the kitchen. That gave her a little more room to move. She crawled under the row of folding chairs and backed back out. I pulled out a couple of card tables, and continued to watch the dog running all over, sniffing everywhere.

By this time, it was getting interesting so I called to my granddaughter to come watch. The dog was hilarious as she ran from one table to another and back to the closet. This is one distraction that I needed. It was fun watching, and I was in no hurry to get this show over.

After a short time, my granddaughter and I started taking the chairs out of the closet and stacking them against the wall in the kitchen. We then pulled out the larger tables. When I cleared that area of the closet, I walked to the back of the closet and lifted up a pair of long coveralls that were hanging to the floor. Sure enough, there was the culprit. It was a tiny, darling gray mouse.

Alexia and I closed the door on the dog and mouse and expected Sydney to do her job. There was no noise, nothing, except silence. We waited and still nothing. My daughter came to pick up her daughter and almost freaked out when we told her there was a mouse inside the closet.

Unwillingly she took the broom and agreed to keep watch. I opened the door and the dog escaped. My daughter told me she thought I should take everything else on the floor out of the closet so I started pushing and handing things to her. Every time I picked up something, I expected to find the little creature hiding beneath it. Everything was out of the closet, and it had disappeared.

Just at that moment, my daughter screamed and she went running after it with the broom. I was right behind her, but we never did catch that critter. Evidently, it had hitched a ride on one of the lawn chairs. Now it's somewhere in my house. Annette's sure she smacked it good with the broom, but there was no body.

Annette and Alexia’s adventure was finished and they hurried on home. For me, it was another couple of hours before I, armed with a caulking gun, and mousetraps had the little closet back in order. Now it’s time to get busy and get back to real life.