Our little friend Cornelius

The house we live in is more of a log cabin than anything else. Some would say it's small, but I think it's a perfect size for us. There are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen, a sizable living room, and a loft. Plus a screened in porch--one of my favorite spots (and the only place I can mooch off someone's free internet). It's an old house that easily accumulates cobwebs and dust, but it has charm.

We also have a nice little yard with a white picket fence and a beautiful hydrangea tree that makes me wish I knew how to paint so I could capture its beauty on canvas. There are lots of bushes and small trees and marsh plants surrounding our yard. When I sit out on the porch I can watch birds flit from tree to tree and insects buzz up against the screen. On a clear night I can see the stars. Something I really appreciate coming from a place where you see about 5 stars at most due to light pollution.

Something I don't quite appreciate but have learned to live with are the little creatures that find their way into our home. We have too many spiders to count. In every little corner and crevice there is a little spider crawling around. Someone suffering from arachnophobia would not survive in this place.

And then there's Cornelius. We found out about him one night about two weeks ago. My boyfriend, for lack of a better term (I won't go into this tangent right now, but I don't like the label--I find it juvenile and lacking. It does not do our relationship justice. However, I have not found a better term so I guess it will have to do), was visiting. He and I were sitting on the couch in the living room watching Casablanca when all of a sudden he said "You have a mouse." I hadn't caught a glimpse of him, but apparently a little mouse had scurried across our kitchen floor from under the cabinet to under the fridge and back again. The next day my roommate also spotted him. I didn't get to see him until a few days later when she and I were sitting on the couch watching yet another black and white classic. He is long and skinny and brown. I don't mind sharing our house with him as long as he doesn't get into our food or defecate in our pots and pans. In fact, I think he's kind of cute and it seems fitting that we would have a little mouse in this house. So, I decided to name our little friend and a few days ago "Cornelius" was what popped into my head.

We actually haven't seen Cornelius for a few days now. There was a strange smell coming from the kitchen and I feared he had died tragically, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Anyway, I hope he's alright and that we will catch a glimpse of him again soon. Perhaps we'll pop in another black and white movie tonight, since that seems to be when he likes to make an appearance.

Until next time...