Everyone’s a Critic – Even the Squirrels
Today we are getting squirrelly with, Pauline Baird Jones. I am sure you will enjoy today’s conversation as Pauline tells about her PETS IN SPACE story, The Real Dragon and her squirrel critic. Please be sure to visit Pauline’s webpage http://paulinebairdjones.com/
Everyone’s a Critic – Even the Squirrels
I have been owned by many pets, but I have also—entirely without planning—coexisted with what the hubs and I like to call our “wild kingdom.”
Since we have mostly lived in cities since our marriage, I did not expect to have trouble with critters in my house. The worst of our wild kingdom“roommates” were the woodpeckers that moved into our attic for a brief time. Right above our bedroom. My head still aches remembering.
Most startling award goes to the squirrel who moved into the vent hood above the stove. When said vent hood quit venting our cooking smells, I didn’t give it much thought. Until the day I was cooking something or other and the vent hood—hissed at me.
Now I’ll admit what I was cooking was not up the New Orleans standards. But it wasn’t that bad.
I tipped my head, took a closer look. Noticed little bit of straw poking out the edges around the filter and saw…
Eyes.
My vent hood was looking at me.
I might have emitted a startled exclamation. Or a scream. I know I backed up until I could back no more.
The Hubs came running.
He got hissed at, too.
We removed the food we no longer wanted to eat and discussed what to do for long enough for the elements to cool.
And then we made a…tactical error. I say “we,” even though it was the Hubs that did because I didn’t stop him.
He released the clamps on either side of the filter.
All kinds of nasty crud fell out.
And a squirrel.
She didn’t fall all the way out. She was clinging to the vent hood motor which had dropped out with the crud. They both swung gently above our stove. Her tail just brushing the surface of the stove. I am glad it wasn’t hot because who knows where that would have sent her.
I honestly don’t know how long we stared at her and she stared at us. Then the Hubs backed slowly away, left me alone with the squirrel long enough to get a box. He crept up on the squirrel and eased the box under it. Then knocked it down and slammed the lid shut. He took it outside and released the squirrel and…
…before the Hubs could get back inside, the squirrel had re-entered our vent hood—and fallen out again.
So, we did it all again, only this time, I re-secured the filter on the vent hood and the hubs explored how the squirrel was getting in.
And discovered her babies.
So yeah, it was a while before we managed to move them out.
After that, I tried to up my game with the cooking. It was not the first, nor would it be the last time, I felt judged by an animal.
Have you ever been given a review (good or bad) by a pet or wild critter? Did you recover? Change your life? Become a better cook?
In my short story, “The Real Dragon,” Emma’s pet bearded dragon is a bit pet, a bit wild critter and, in his own dragon way, all hero.
If you like stories of romance, action, adventure and PETS, I hope you’ll check out Pets in Space. Not only will you get EIGHT original, never-before-published stories, and ONE expanded story, 10% of the first month’s proceeds will be donated to Hero-Dogs.org, an organization dedicated to training dogs to help Veterans.
“ So, you ’ re not dating Ted? ” Peddrenth broke into what had turned into a long silence.
It wasn ’ t that I ’ d run out of questions. I think I had maxed out my ability to process his answers. Here I sat in my bedroom, dealing with the fact that my dad was getting married again, my dragon had taken an accidental trip to space and back, and all I had were book boyfriends. I glanced around. And bedroom that hadn ’ t been updated since that night. And who was Ted?
I started to ask, but then I remembered. The me before the accident had thought Ted might ask me to the senior prom. He hadn ’ t, of course. I ’ d been in the hospital with a concussion. And our “ dating ” had been as imaginary as my book boyfriends.
“No…I’m not dating Ted.” From “The Real Dragon,” Pets in Space
Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance. You can find out more about her books (and get a free story for subscribing to her newsletter) at: http:///www.paulinebjones.com
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