We have three rats as pets, and tonight I decided we need to formally acknowledge our fourth rodent in the house. There’s a tiny brown mouse who’s been living in our basement for the past few months. I’m not sure where he hides, exactly, although on two occasions I’ve heard him scratching around inside the ceiling of my office.
A few nights a week, at about 9:30 Laralee and I will settle down in the family room to watch TV. Inevitably, during the show we’ll see the little guy pop out from under the basement door and zip across the floor to the laundry room. Then he’ll round the corner into the family room and go behind the TV. After a few minutes it’s over to the back door, then quickly under the couch. A few more minutes pass and he darts into the kitchen before heading back downstairs. It’s really quite funny because he always takes the same route. I imagine he’s just looking for a way out of the house. We’ve made a few attempts to catch him but he’s really fast– sometimes he’ll make a sharp turn on the hardwood and his little feet can’t get a good grip so he sort of slides a bit, frantically pumping his feet to get traction again.
I think I’m going to just go ahead and open the doors one of these evenings, and see if he takes the opportunity to escape.
Oh, and I decided to name him Franklin. No idea why– it just struck me.