Hi Gordon:

Yes you can use it as you see fit and no need to credit me with it.

Here is another little one.

I recycle as much as possible and as such I reuse the plastic grocery bags for kitchen garbage.

A few winters ago I got lazy one night because it was frigid outside and snowing like a banshee. Instead of walking across the deck to put the garbage in the bin I just set it outside the door on the deck.

The next morning when I went to pick up the bag I noticed little tracks in the snow going to the bag and a small 1 inch hole chewed in the bag....so out of curiosity I just left it there and checked the next morning.

More tracks. So set out a soda cracker and piece of cheese that evening.

Next morning food was gone with tracks leading back to the bag....that was mid January.

For the next 2 months I put out food every night to feed the little mouse that had made the garbage bag his castle for the winter.

By the end of March the weather had started warming. The garbage having sat there all winter was getting pretty ripe with the thawing temperatures. Also, the food put out the night before had not been eaten so figuring the mouse had moved on I disposed of the bag.

Stepping backwards for a minute...the night before I removed the bag of garbage I had gone out to check the property along with my puppy dog - aptly named Snowy - a pure white 85 pounds of terror when allowed to be. While out noticed she was tracking a scent.

Back to day of the garbage bag removal....after putting the bag in the bin I walked around the deck to the side of the house and there in a pretty mangled mess was a plump little mouse.

Presumed it to be the deck guest of the winter due to its well fed size.

I had fed it and fattened it most of the winter...and then my dog had used it as a throw toy....kind of ironic, sad, and yet a little funny.

She is allowed to defend herself with dogs (hasn't lost a fight yet) but I had trained her to - leave the rabbits and birds alone, retreat from skunks (this one was absolutely necessary as she got sprayed as a puppy), opossums, raccoons...and chase the cats. But I never thought about mice.

C.