“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.”
~~James Cromwell
Hi all,

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete the Valentine's Vignettes that were supposed to be in this newsletter.  For one, I only just this morning finished rereading and documenting "A Thousand Years."  My memories of it were blurry and I needed to refresh them before writing the vignettes which are sequels.  I hope to send them in two weeks.

In addition, Jackie, my pet mouse of three plus years, passed away this past week.  I'm okay.  Her health and mobility were really declining and it was hard to see.  But I really miss her and my concentration has suffered.  Three years is actually quite a lengthy lifespan, especially considering she was an adult of indeterminate age when she showed up.  So she had a good, happy life and I believe she's now reunited with Gussie, her tankmate.  So in Jackie's honor and to give myself a bit more time to write and because it's Love Your Pets Day, I'm re-sending this excerpt from 2019's Christmas story, "The Glorious Impossible."

God bless,
Jenni

From "The Glorious Impossible":
Sunday, December 15th, 2019

Monica sighed happily as she raised her head from Arthur's shoulder.

"Thank God for Joshua," Arthur proclaimed before realizing how funny it sounded and beginning to laugh.

Monica joined in on his laughter. 

"Yes, indeed.  Thank Him for Him.  But now... we better go be social.  Besides, I want to go see the mice."

"The mice..." Arthur repeated, shaking his head.  "Andrew deserves to be sainted."

"You wouldn't do the same for me?" Monica asked with a teasing grin.

Arthur pulled Monica to her feet and embraced her.

"I adore you... and, yes, I would do anything I could for you.  But... I wouldn't like it."

Laughing, Monica looped her arm through Arthur's.

"I'm not so sure Andrew's too keen on it himself..."
*~*~*

Inside the barn, Andrew and JenniAnn were introducing Ibrahim to their many pets.

"And these are my goats: Gertie, Gracie, Glori, and Gwyn.  And Violeta's sheep... Mary and Silly are the mom and dad.  And they have seven children.  I'll let Violeta fill you in on all their names and idiosyncrasies later," JenniAnn promised.

Ibrahim laughed.

"Got it.  One question... how are you keeping them from, umm, getting with their brothers and sisters?"

"Well... we really wanted to get Silly fixed but Violeta refused.  So we made a compromise.  Silly's... parts... are safe.  But the offspring have all been fixed," Andrew explained.  "So no inbreeding."

"Ah good."

"Yep.  And this here is my horse, Starbuck."  Andrew stopped to stroke the horse's mane and give him some treats.

"Is he named after the coffee chain?"

The angel of death chuckled and shook his head.

"No.  I love the book Moby Dick.  He's a character in the book.  I named the horse after him.  I believe Starbucks is named after him, too."

"He's beautiful...  Can I?"  Ibrahim held his hand out towards Starbuck.

"Sure!" Andrew consented.  "All of our animals are friendly... maybe overly friendly."

"Such a beautiful boy..." Ibrahim complimented the horse.  "Very handsome!"

Behind him, a donkey brayed.

"Uh oh...  Jealous!"  JenniAnn opened Yonah's pen and stepped inside, nuzzling her donkey's neck.  "You're just fine...  Besides, you're not being neglected.  You have a friend."  She reached over and pet Yoktan then beamed at Ibrahim.  "This whiny fellow is my donkey, Yonah.  But this... this is Maryam's and Yosef's donkey.  Yoktan.  He's the donkey who carried Maryam to Bethlehem."

Ibrahim gaped.

"You can pet him," Andrew encouraged.  "He loves people."

Dazed, Ibrahim moved into the pen and rested a hand on Yoktan's back.

"Hello, Yoktan.  Wow...  You're quite the celebrity!" 

"Yoktan made a few appearances in St. G's Jesus Christ Superstar," Andrew relayed.  "He's a real crowd-pleaser."

"And very sweet..."  Ibrahim smiled as the donkey affectionately nosed his shoulder.

"He is.  Yonah's always so happy when he comes to visit.  Although he and Starbuck are quite the friends, too."  JenniAnn smiled at their menagerie.  "They all get along pretty well.  We sometimes have to be a little careful that the goats don't push the sheep around.  But other than that.. one, big happy family!"

"And then there's the little family..."  Andrew winked at JenniAnn then, once Ibrahim had bid adieu to the animals, they exited the barn where Arthur and Monica were admiring the latest addition to the building... several tiny houses built along the side of one wall.

"We've seen a couple scampering around," Monica shared.  "Just moving between houses."

"A couple of..." Ibrahim prompted.

"Mice!" JenniAnn proudly declared.  "Andrew built a mouse village!"

Arthur chuckled as Andrew let out a sigh.

"Yep... I did that," he admitted.

"Oh... don't be like that!  It's just more proof of how absolutely awesome you are, my love."  JenniAnn stretched up to kiss the angel of death's cheek.

Andrew smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her.

"You know what they say: happy anam cara, happy life."

Arthur laughed.

"A little clunkier than the original rhyme but sure."

"Okay... how did you end up building a mouse village?" Ibrahim questioned.  "You obviously love animals but..."

JenniAnn looked dreamily up at Andrew.

"He's wonderful..."

"And she's got a big heart," the angel added.  "Even for very, very small things.  The mouse village came into being after we had a pretty bad cold snap in October..."
*~*~*
Thursday, October 17th, 2019

Andrew was putting a final coat of stain on a special-order chair when his carpentry shop's door flew open.  A moment later, a sobbing JenniAnn was at his side.

"Laja!  What's wrong?  Are the kids..."

"There are baby mice in the barn!" the woman wailed.

Andrew cocked his head.  He was expecting something of greater import.

"Well, Laja... it was bound to happen sometime.  I'm actually surprised we haven't found mice in there before."

"I didn't see the parents!" JenniAnn added, tears still pouring down her cheeks.  "What if... if they got trampled or... or eaten!  And now the babies will starve and..."

"Eaten?  Laja... I really don't see any of the other animals eating mice.  Or even catching them.  Mice are so quick.  Our animals are, well, lazy."

"Well... I don't know!  But I didn't see them!  And they're tiny, little pinkies and all wiggly... so... vulnerable."

Andrew gaze her a hug and kissed her hair.

"Laja, please take a couple of deep breaths.  Then show me where they're at."

"Okay..."

Andrew took JenniAnn's hand and followed her back to the barn.  When they entered, everything seemed as it should be.  Yonah appeared a little antsy but Andrew put that to distress at seeing his beloved JenniAnn run out of the barn in hysterics.

"Where are they?"

Her hand shaking, JenniAnn pointed to the corner of an empty stall where they kept feed.

"All right."

Andrew crept forward and peered into the dim corner.

"I... I had to use my cell phone flashlight to see them."

"Okay."  Andrew turned his on.  He shown it into the corner and, sure enough, saw a writhing mass of baby mice... suckling.  "Laja...  their mom's right here.  They're nursing."

"Really?" JenniAnn checked, immediately perking up.

"Yeah...  Maybe they were just covering her when you looked.  Come here."

Kneeling beside Andrew, JenniAnn followed the beam of his flashlight.  She smiled when she saw the little creatures. 

"Aww..."

"Yeah..."  Andrew frowned.  "But where there's a mom and her mouselings... there's probably a dad and the rest of his harem."

JenniAnn giggled.

"Harem?"

"Or whatever you want to call it.  They're not monogamous."

"For shame, mousies!" JenniAnn jested. 

Suddenly, another mouse scurried around the two and nested down with the mother and babies.

"Where did that come from?" Andrew asked.  He shown the flashlight into the aisle between the two lines of pens.  After a moment, another mouse scurried across.

"Yay!  They're not abandoned!" JenniAnn cheered.  "And I think that one had some straw.  They're building up the nest!"

Andrew dragged his hand through his hair.

"I wonder how many of them there are?"

"Probably not many since we just noticed them."

"I hope not...  I'd rather they not be getting into the food although... given where they decided to hunker down... that ship has probably already sailed."

Andrew rose and carefully lifted a bag of feed.

Nothing.

He lifted a second bag and, as he did, the feed began to pour out of a hole... seemingly chewed into the bottom of the bag.

"Great..."

"Do you think they harmed the food?  Should we throw it out?" JenniAnn asked.

"I don't know...  It's probably fine...  Anything they would have come into contact with, the pets would have likely come into contact with while grazing and roaming, anyway.  Still...  Not loving this." 

"Well... maybe if... if we just leave food out... especially for them... they'll stick to that?  I mean... they probably only came in here because they were desperate.  It's so cold... imagine those tiny, naked babies outside..."

Andrew couldn't help but chuckle as JenniAnn's lower lip began to tremble.

"Oh, Laja...  I think you're smitten.  Most people would be freaking out right now... and buying traps."

"No traps!"

"I'm not suggesting we get traps.  Just saying...  Most people wouldn't be brainstorming ways to make mice more comfortable but..."  Andrew crouched back down and squeezed her hands.  "I suppose I should be glad you view what so many people are repulsed by as lovable... be it mice or, I dunno, an angel of death."

"Aww, love..." 

Andrew leaned in for a kiss and was just about to go in for another when he heard the unmistakable sound of a mouse squeaking.  Looking down, he saw two more were in the aisle... glaring with their black, beady eyes.

Releasing JenniAnn, Andrew stared the pair down.

"Listen... if your pack is going to be having babies in my barn... the least you can do is keep quiet and let me kiss my girl."

JenniAnn laughed so hard that fresh tears trailed down her cheeks.

The mice made no further noise but scurried past them, joining the others.

"Good job.  Stick up to those bullying mice!" JenniAnn kidded.

Andrew smiled at her.

"They are kinda cute, huh?"

"Uh huh..."

The angel again dragged his hand through his hair.

"Well, I guess we have to just let them be for now since the babies are so tiny.  But we need to get them out once they're more mobile and the weather improves.  I don't want them driving the other animals crazy... scurrying over them and startling them."

"I suppose..."

"Laja... they're not pets.  We can't keep them."

"I mean... maybe not exactly keep them as pets but...  There's this guy in the U.K. who I follow on Facebook.  He found some mice in his garden and he made them the most adorable little houses.  He takes photographs and actually makes a bit of money on them.  They're so precious!  Maybe..."  JenniAnn looped her arms around Andrew's waist and peered up at him.  "Maybe my very talented carpenter anam cara could make me some mouse houses for Christmas?"

Andrew stared down into her pleading, hopeful, amused gaze then laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Fine.  I'll make some mouse houses for our little intruders.  But not as your Christmas present.  That should be for you... not for vermin who just so happen to be cute."

JenniAnn shrieked with glee and flung her arms around Andrew's neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I love you so, so much!  I don't think many men would put up with this sorta weirdness!  But I just... they're so cute!"

Andrew smiled and returned her embrace.

"Many men would be missing out...  You're worth a little weirdness, Laja."

"Love..."

Andrew once again moved into kiss JenniAnn and succeeded... only to be interrupted by another squeak.

"Seriously!?" he demanded as JenniAnn laughed.
*~*~*
Sunday, December 15th, 2019

"We never did find out which of the mice was a little prude.  But... I got the houses built... right alongside the barn so they get some heat.  And, once the babies were grown, we left a trail of food to the houses, they followed, and... here they are."  Andrew waved to his handiwork.

"Isn't it cute?"  JenniAnn smiled as she studied the little houses then giggled when a tiny nose poked out of a window.  "I'm excited for Spring.  I think we'll see them out and about a lot more."

"They are very, very blessed mice," Ibrahim pronounced.  "I assume Joshua knows about this endeavor?" 

"He probably helped with some of the houses, didn't he?" Arthur asked.

"I showed him some designs so I could get his advice," Andrew replied.  "But... I wanted to make them myself.  For Laja.  And it was actually good practice.  Now that Belle's a bit older and more careful with her things, Laja and I wanted to give her a nice dollhouse for Christmas.  So... I used these to test some ideas on."
*~*~*



This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for inspiring so many of these stories that I can find an excerpt to suit just about any occasion!
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(Photo Credits: The photographs used on this page are from Touched by an Angel and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions.  They are not being used to seek profit.)