The New Pets

One of the joys of being out of town is discussing daily life with your childrens on the phone as opposed to face-to-face. This is a little gem was from late last week.

HannahC: "Dah, when you get home you have to empty one of the mouse traps."

Me, CherkyB: "Oh?"

HannahC: "Yeah. I checked all the traps, and there was this big, disgusting mouse in one of them. The one by the stairs in the garage."

Me, CherkyB: "Why didn't you empty it?"

HannahC: "Well Mom and I tried turning it over and shaking it, but it was really stuck in there. It didn't come out. It's really huge. Like, its nose at at the one end, and its tail is all the way at the other. And it's stuck. Momma said you have to empty it when you get home. So you remember as soon as you come home, empty that."

Me, CherkyB: "Uh. OK."

HannahC: "You know what else?"

Me, CherkyB: "No."

HannahC: "Do you want me to just tell you, or do you want to guess?"

Me, CherkyB: "Ummm...Momma yelled at you for not doing your schoolwork?"

HannahC: "Yeah, well duuuhhhh. I mean something unusual."

Me, CherkyB: "Momma didn't yell at you cuz you did all your schoolwork without complaining?"

HannahC: "No. Maybe I should just tell you."

Ya think?

Me, CherkyB: "OK. Tell me."

HannahC: "Well, when I was checking the mousetraps and I found that big, disgusting mouse, I also found these really neat little white larvae. I don't know what they are, but I saved them, and I'm going to raise them to see what they turn into."

Me, CherkyB: "Did you find those, like, on the dead mouse?"

HannahC: "Yeah, some of them. They're really cool. The squirm around a lot. I really like them."

Me, CherkyB: "Right on the dead mouse? Like, in the mouse trap on the dead mouse?"

HannahC: "There were some there, but there were also some just near the mouse. I scooped all of the ones up that were near the mouse, cuz I didn't wanna touch the mouse."

Me, CherkyB: "Uh, Hannie, those are maggots."

At least she hasn't made me take them to the vet yet.