Time to Bring out the Big Guns

June 9, AHS report

Did what I thought was a routine security escort for mom, when she went to close her greenhouse. (She's now referrin' to it as the "tomater vault". She opens it up durin' the day, but locks all them 'tomater plants up at nite for security reasons). 

 I don't know about your moms, but mine...once she gets outside, she very seldom goes from point A to B. She went into the green house, came back out w/a lil' spray bottle....an' headed back towards the patio. Seems she saw somethin' was makin' the leaves curl on her lil' lime tree.
 
When she got there, I heard a gasp an' some adult words. Then she reached in an' plucked a lime that had been gnawed on. As she held it up to show me...I had no time to look...I spied the perp makin' a getaway...an' I was after him. He ran behind mom's pots, but I headed him off...he ran back the other way...but I was ahead of him (an' yes, mom was still standin' there w/that gnawed lemon in one hand an' that spray bottle in the other an' thankfully stayin' outa my way...for a change).

Once more, I almost got him..but then he ran up a branch an' got on that fence rail.
I ran along the fence as fast as I could....but then...he went up a tree an' sat, of all places...on the tippy top of mom's greenhouse! Just sittin' up there....mom could see him....I backed way up...an' I could see him. 

 Then mom looked at him...got that squinty eye look she gets..an' looked at her lime. That big rat was lookin' back at both of us...He really shouldn't have done that...mom took it as a..."nah nah nah...you can't get me!". I didn't like it either...an' told it so..loudly! But there it sat...right on the top of mom's greenhouse...just sittin' there...starin' at us.

Well, like I said...mom had that squinty eyed look an' that usually means somethin' not good for somebody. She went back to the house, hollared at dad to get her pellet gun..an not to shoot her greenhouse. 

 Dad doesn't even question mom about stuff anymore..he's learned over the years. He just went an' got it, while me an' mom an' the rat had a stare off. (I've told ya'll before about mom not goin' halfway about stuff). When he came outside...mom showed him her gnawed lime an' pointed to the rat. There was a lil' "pop" an' we all watched the rat roll down the other side of the greenhouse. 

 I took off & went behind the greenhouse an' found it. I sure wasn't starin' back anymore. I did drag it out from between the shed an' the greenhouse, so dad could dispose of it. Mom gave me a big chunk of cheese for a job well done. (an' she did tell dad he did a good job, too, especially since he didn' shoot a hole in her greenhouse.)

Where was my assistant, Lexie? Snoozin' in mom's bed...she missed the whole thing!