A Cazadero Mouse moves to the city
Thom, Hudson and I finished off a great two week stay at Elements, and did the usual pack up and started our drive into the city. We have done it often, and each of us settles into a routine. Thom catches up on email while I drive. And Hudson barks at cars with headlights on, until one us “growls” STOP.
Since I was concentrating on the road I didn’t notice anything unusual until Thom, quietly uttered, “don’t get excited and take your eyes off the road”. (You can feel your muscles tense as someone says those words), and then the real news, “we have a mouse crawling on the dashboard”.
A mouse on the dashboard, the mind reals at the thought of the mischief and suddenly we were both stunned at the same time. Stunned silence at 60 mph. Thom had noticed him on the dashboard, but couldnt see him again. He searched to the limit of the seat belt, bravely pushing an envelope across the dash. Terrific news, he announced its seems the mouse has gone into the ventilation system. We both laughed nervously, and I for a moment I felt something crawling up my leg, and jerked my trouser leg up to be sure. Nerves! We talked about when and where the mouse (now named Austin for Austin Creek), had gotten in, and even how long ago. I even mentioned that I was going to have to set a mouse trap in the car.
It was then Thom saw Austin and gasped, he wasn’t inside, but riding the air-current behind the windshield wiper on the right side! But then, suddenly Austin was gone, and had probably ducked down under the hood to stay warm. One could only surmise that it was far to windy and the mouse was hunkering down.
A couple of times during our 70 mph drive into the city you could see Austin the mouse run back and forth looking carefully over each edge of the car, from the safety of his “turret” the windshield wipers. Again and again you could tell it was a “no go” decision, but he was getting braver as we got slower in city traffic.
We hit fog, and then drizzle as we approached home in the city, and you could tell Austin didn’t like the weather change. Neither did we, summer in Cazadero is shorts and a T-shirt, no coats, and never cold this time of year. Both Thom and I completely understood it had to be a tough decision when our brave mouse jumped ship, just as we headed up Market Street. We were sure the increasing cold, the drizzle, and maybe even the gentle windshield wipers had everything to do with Austin’s sudden departure. That bold leap was the last we saw Austin, as he skiddled (skidded) off the left front fender. He landed on all fours: and the last we saw he was heading towards the bright lights of the Castro.
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