Replacing a Pet

Over the weekend we had tragedy. Someone (who has yet to confess) left the cage door to one of our parakeets open. As curious birds will do, our little blue friend ventured outside his lovely pagoda shaped home and of course our little Jack Russell terrier didn't approve of the escape. You guessed right! The dog caught the bird and poor little Reuben is no more. Luckily, this weekend was also a sale weekend for parakeets at Petco (you know, where the pets go), so we had my daughter pick out another bird. She picked out another one who looks very much like the one we had. Who would have thought parakeets would be so different. We knew they had different personalities, because we have another one that is very docile and like a mother hen to the other one. Anyway, "New Reuben" (my husband wanted to call him Twoben) is super boisterous and spills his water all over. His voice is different and he doesn't play too much yet. I guess I will get accustomed to him, but still, I miss "Old Reuben" and hope he is not too mad at us for not protecting him like we should have.

Eeeeeek! There's a Mouse in the House!

Well, it finally happened. Those telltale signs of the sneaky little varmint finally appeared in my house. I have been chasing and trapping and repelling mice in my garage since it first started to get cold. I trapped two in a glue trap, and tried to seal up all the gaps I could see in the garage. I also put out peppermint pouches since peppermint is supposed to be repulsive to mice. Things in the garage seemed to be better. No more little black mouse pellets. No more chewed cardboard. No more mice. Well, duh! The brothers of the two I trapped decided to move into the house where food is plentiful and it is much warmer. Thanks to my Jack Russell Terrier, I was able to find out where the mouse (mice?) came in. The only problem is, how do I get the stinker out? Jack Russell Terriers are really good at chasing down and capturing little critters; that is what they are bred for, but chasing down and capturing a mouse in a house with slippery wooden floors is a different game altogether. Poor little pup is going to pace herself into the ground until the pest is eradicated. For now, I have filled in the gap behind the refrigerator and set out a couple of glue traps at the entrance/exit of the mouse's route. Hopefully, with a little luck, quick Jack Russell feet, and some super sticky glue, the creature will be outta here before everyone returns home this evening!

I'm Ready for the Westminster Dog Show!

My mistress has stepped out to get the mail, so I thought I would take this opportunity to put a plug in for the Westminster Dog Show that starts today. All those snooty dogs! I'm just at pretty and smart as they are! As a matter of fact, I was just admiring myself in the window last night. I am looking better than ever! Who cares that my favorite thing to do is roll around in all that great smelling stuff the deer leave behind in my mistress's yard? I can't wait to see all those fancy pants dogs strutting around. I know I could do all that and more. I bet they can't wave, or sing or dance or play the piano like I can! Oh well, I can dream can't I? I know my family loves me no matter what. Here is a picture of me. I'm pretty cute even if I'm not Westminster Dog Show material!