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Miss Mousie (House Mouse, Mus musculus) in our grill in her nest of pink insulation after I had removed her nest and five tiny mouselettes so I could use the grill. She and her mouselettes were lucky the insulation kept the third burner from lighting before I saw her nest of insulation and turned off the other two burners.

Little Miss Mousie faced the flames of hell
Under cover of an accommodating grill
The third burner it didn’t light
Covered in insulation she stole in the night
Mouselettes were lucky they were not well done
As I gathered them up one by one

I moved them to a waiting pan
With pink insulation she had on hand
I put them in a safe place well hidden
While I grilled the thighs of a Costco chicken
Cleaned the grill shut off the gas
With the mouselettes tucked deep in the grass

I put things in order, went in for the night
I fed the cats, I turned out the lights
When morning came I wasn’t thrilled
To find that Little Miss Mousie was back in the grill.

Silver: “You saved mouselettes instead of grilling them for me? What kind of low life, pathetic, paparazzo, loser of a cat herder are you, anyway?”

Me: “I’m not going to murder innocent little mouselettes who you wouldn’t eat, anyway! Besides, Shey’s Dudes would never forgive me.”

Silver: “Well I think I’m insultated you morbid, mouselette mothering Monothelite!”

Me: “Do you mean ‘Philistine’? I’ve never heard of insulting anyone by calling him a ‘Monothelite’ other than by you completing an alliteration!

Silver: “Are you saying I’m ‘alliterate’? Now I’m doubly instultated! You profligate, pink, pasty skinned prelate of Peromyscus!”

Me: “OK! You’re not ‘alliterate’! BTW, while on the subject of morbid mothering, Silver, the last rather large mouse you carried in the house from the catio like it was a wee little kitten is still hanging out under the stove in the kitchen.”

Silver: “I thought that was a gopher? My bad!”