things that go bump in the night...(or, under the stove!)

How many of you like to reach your hand into small, dark, hidden places? (I'm thinking Indiana Jones here and cockroaches, rats, etc!) Though I'm pretty brave about creatures and crawling things, I do have my limits. I don't like any bug with too many legs or those which look like something from the prehistoric eras, for example--earwigs, cockroaches, centipedes, cave crickets, jerusalem crickets (hey! those aren't JUST in caves or in Jerusalem!), etc. I think you get the idea.

I don't normally mind soft furry little creatures that many women scream about like mice or moles or shrews or even bats. (sidebar: for some reason, though I had terrible nightmares about vampires through much of my childhood and, as an adult, I steer far clear from ANYTHING at all vampirish, I LOVE bats!! Sorry, Mom!) I do, however, prefer not to stick my hand into dark places where these things may be residing.

Well, a couple of nights ago, I was making a cake, and I needed my little cooling racks. I have an electric stove with a big drawer in the bottom, and that's where the racks live. When I pulled out the drawer to get the cooling racks, one of them slipped behind the drawer and fell into the darkness of "UNDER THE STOVE!" HORRORS!!

I was going to have to reach my hand into the dark and potentially creepy netherworld of "UNDER THE STOVE!" Now, I know, I could have pulled the drawer completely out of the stove, so I could see behind there before sticking my hand in, but well, have you ever tried to get those drawers back on the tracks correctly?? And, I know, if I were a bit more obssesive-compulsive about cleaning UNDER the stove and refrigerator, perhaps this little venture wouldn't be quite so intimidating. (do any of you really DO that??!)

So.... all that said, I decided I couldn't possibly have anything THAT scary under my stove and reached my bare hand back behind the drawer and into the darkness UNDER THE STOVE. I tentatively tapped around with my fingertips in the general vicinity of where I thought the rack would be. I couldn't feel it, so I reached further into the darkness and used my whole hand to feel around.

AND
THEN
IT
HAPPENED!!!

I TOUCHED SOMETHING SMALL AND FURRY!!!

I yelped and yanked my hand out of there so fast! That weren't no dust bunny under there, folks! It was something much more solid, much more furry feeling!

Needless to say, I decided to wrangle the drawer out of the bottom of the stove so I could get a view of what I had touched or would be touching on my next attempt to get the rack. I pulled and tugged and wiggled it until I had it off and lying in the middle of the kitchen floor. On hands and knees, I bent over and cautiously, yet oh so bravely!, peered into the darkness UNDER THE STOVE.... and this is what I saw :

Wha..????

Wait a minute....

ok... so, it IS a mouse!!...

...but NOT quite the mouse I was expecting!! :)

This was one of my cat's old toys she had lost under the stove!

I decided to let him help me write this post...

You just gotta love a good laugh at yourself!!

...and maybe you better check under your stove...