Peanuts in my shoe !

ChrisMusic

On the subject of being brought food... Our cats, from times past, and one in particular, would often bring back mice, sometimes dead, oftentimes perfectly alive, drop them at our feet, and look up as if to say "well, you feed us, so we brought something special back for you, go on, eat up ! ".  Or, occasionally, look at you in that way that only cats can, "this one's alive, so you better get practicing catching your own dinner, that's why I worked hard all day to get this for you, so you had better get on with it, chop, chop!"

A small distraction usually saw the mouse extracted from the situation, along with the pretence of gratitude, and a returned favour of some food for our maternal mog.  Always enhanced if the mouse was brought back unharmed to encourage the opportunity to return them to the wild rather than dispose of the sad corpses, or even worse, having to dispatch them humanely ourselves.  BTW, I am only too aware of the dichotomy of protecting life and having cats as companions.  

Anyhoo, catching live mice was always interesting, and usually played out at the most inopportune moment too.  And then there's the story of the rabbit with a star on it's head.  But I digress...

Thankfully peanuts are a bit less controversial  

Emp_Fab

ChrisMusic said:

(continued from the OP)

So, loving a mystery, and a bit of sleuthing (our old R.E. teacher kept wonderfully effective order in class by delivering spellbinding orations of Sherlock Holmes), I put the peanuts on one side for the day.  Yesterday evening I returned them back to my shoe, covered by a sock as it had been the night before.

You don't keep seeing this guy on your way to work do you ?

ChrisMusic

The story so far...

ChrisMusic said:

So I put my shoes on just before leaving yesterday, walked across the room, and, hmmm, that's a bit uncomfortable...
Lumpy, bumpy feeling.
Took one shoe off, and that's why ~ five peanuts languishing inside !

Uncooked stylee, still covered in that thin red membrane, so they must be meant for the birds.  No birds in here.  No peanuts in the bird feeder outside either.  (We normally put bread out in the winter to help our feathered friends through the tough times, but no peanuts right now.)

So a bit of a mystery unfurls !

ChrisMusic said:

(continued from the OP)

So, loving a mystery, and a bit of sleuthing (our old R.E. teacher kept wonderfully effective order in class by delivering spellbinding orations of Sherlock Holmes), I put the peanuts on one side for the day.  Yesterday evening I returned them back to my shoe, covered by a sock as it had been the night before.

Maybe our mystery house guest(s) would be gracious enough to bring me enough to make a peanut butter sandwich?  I do love peanut butter, so that might worm their way into my heart and let them stay.

Then it was just a matter of waiting for the reveal...   :-SS

"So, it's all set up, what happens next?" I hear you all screaming in anticipation...
  (or not, as the case maybe)

Peanuts back in the shoe, and off to bed. ~  I awoke from a dream of something climbing up and over the furniture around me, maybe not surprising given the circumstances.  Was it real sounds waking me, or just a dream ?

Torch on, so not to disturb things too much, and go and check my shoes.  Where once were five, now there were only two peanuts !  No sign of the intruder, but things were afoot  (a foot ! ~ oh well then, suit yourselves).  I have to admit to feeling a little cheated, why no more votive offerings*, and where have the missing peanuts gone?

(*A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favour with supernatural forces.) 

Back off to sleep then, and wait for the morning light.

NO peanuts in my shoe, well that restores the balance of universal harmony I guess.  No evidence of the intruder either.  So just supposition left then Holmes.

MICE ~ well, it was going to be mice, wasn't it?

We have a semi resident house mouse, tiny little thing, we often hear it around at night, and sometimes see it during the day too.  Sits and watches us sometimes.  It probably comes in from the house next door.  Old Grade II listed houses, which used to be one, until badly converted, with interconnecting floor voids I suspect.  It has been around more in the really cold weather, can't say I blame it to be honest.  It would be better than a few degrees above outside temperature if our landlady would fulfil her legal obligations and get the malfunctioning boiler fixed, then we could all be warm.

My best guess is that it uses us as a way into the surrounding gardens, collected dropped peanuts from a bird feeder, and either brought them back here to store (which would be odd as my shoes are out in the floor, not packed away in a secluded spot), or was using my shoe as a temporary staging post, and was always intending to retrieve them and move them somewhere more secure.  I wonder if we will come across a stash somewhere else later on?

Anyway, this whole episode caused a few chuckles, and more than a little wonderment chez Music, all at a rather bad time, so nature created some much needed uplifting entertainment.

Was I wrong in hoping the little blighters might bring me a banquet over a few days ?

FYI ~ I used to live trap them and put them out, but we just live in peace with them now, as long as they don't get up to too much mischief !

FazTheWookie

Leave shoes in the usual place, but put a light dusting of talc around them and check for footprints?

Sassafras

They like the smell.

Emp_Fab

Nobody got my reference ?  ....or was it just rather unfunny ?

usedtobe

Emp_Fab said:

Nobody got my reference ?  ....or was it just rather unfunny ?

I didn’t get it. 

Sporky

Emp_Fab said:

Nobody got my reference ?  ....or was it just rather unfunny ?

Got it, didn't get it.

Hootsmon

Peanuts in a shoe? must be sneakers

ChrisMusic

hootsmon said:

Peanuts in a shoe? must be sneakers

What can I say Hoots ?   Just a well earned    X_X

Your earlier PM to me was spot on about the mice though, cheers

ChrisMusic

Emp_Fab said:

Nobody got my reference ?  ....or was it just rather unfunny ?

Not sure I got it either Emp.

I'm guessing it's about groundhogs, ground nuts, ground squirrels etc ?

Your talent is wasted on us  

57Deluxe

At least you didn't Peenuts

Paul_C

ChrisMusic said:

On the subject of being brought food... Our cats, from times past, and one in particular, would often bring back mice, sometimes dead, oftentimes perfectly alive, drop them at our feet, and look up as if to say "well, you feed us, so we brought something special back for you, go on, eat up ! ".  Or, occasionally, look at you in that way that only cats can, "this one's alive, so you better get practicing catching your own dinner, that's why I worked hard all day to get this for you, so you had better get on with it, chop, chop!"

A small distraction usually saw the mouse extracted from the situation, along with the pretence of gratitude, and a returned favour of some food for our maternal mog.  Always enhanced if the mouse was brought back unharmed to encourage the opportunity to return them to the wild rather than dispose of the sad corpses, or even worse, having to dispatch them humanely ourselves.  BTW, I am only too aware of the dichotomy of protecting life and having cats as companions.  

Anyhoo, catching live mice was always interesting, and usually played out at the most inopportune moment too.  And then there's the story of the rabbit with a star on it's head.  But I digress...

Thankfully peanuts are a bit less controversial  

could be worse . . .

https://imgur.com/gallery/uTgG6 

ChrisMusic

Utterly astonishing @Paul_C , a single WOW is nowhere near sufficient...


For anyone reading this thread, do yourself a MASSIVE FAVOUR and click on Paul's link above.
The short picture story will restore your faith in what it means to be alive, and our place in the world, IMHO.



Thanks Paul, do you mind me asking how on earth you stumbled across such a gem ?

snakemanStoo

Wow!!

And a bit scary.

Emp_Fab

Well, I searched for ages for a shot of Bill Murray breaking a pencil on his bedside table but I failed, so Ned Ryerson it had to be.  (Groundhog Day fillum).  It was supposed to be a mirror to peanuts reappearing in your shoe.  i.e. are you just reliving the same day over and over again ?

Emp_Fab

Poor penguins :-(

Paul_C

ChrisMusic said:

Utterly astonishing @Paul_C , a single WOW is nowhere near sufficient...


For anyone reading this thread, do yourself a MASSIVE FAVOUR and click on Paul's link above.
The short picture story will restore your faith in what it means to be alive, and our place in the world, IMHO.



Thanks Paul, do you mind me asking how on earth you stumbled across such a gem ?

I browse Imgur a lot

I'm fairly sure that I found Imgur after someone here linked to a picture of their guitar on there !

johnnythefox

Leave the peanuts in the shoes, pour in a little chocolate,give a little shake and they will come out a "Treat"
i'll get my coat