Morty

I came into the kitchen this morning and noticed the sink was full of dirty dishwater from last night. Ugh. Cold, slimy, filled with food debris. Why didn't I drain it?! Well, it had to be done, so I pulled up my sleeve and plunged in, feeling around for the washcloth and any small dishes that might get sucked into the garbage disposal. I felt something like a lucky rabbit's foot and lifted it out of the water. In my hand was a drowned mouse.

Oh my.

I screamed and dropped it back in. All the kids got excited. Now what?!

I used a strainer to scoop it back out. We admired its perfect little form, all stiff and wet. James remarked this was the first time in his life he'd ever seen a REAL mouse. No one was disgusted. No one was scared. No one felt pity for the poor creature. All four kids were 100% curiosity and excited questions. James asked about the mouse's tail sticking straight out. We talked about rigor mortis. Then we named the mouse Morty.

No pictures this time. Didn't want to make light of the mouse's suffering. I'm glad the kids didn't either.