A Stiff in the Back Yard...

Sunday after dinner we all went out into our back yard to enjoy the cool evening. We were all on the trampoline playing and taking in the sunshine before the misquitoes come out. The shadows were starting to get longer and the air started to get cooler. Adon got tired of jumping on the trampoline and he decided to get off. He can get himself on and off now with just the help of a little plastic chair courtesy of the neighbors. We have a big back yard that is now covered in grass. He started walking across it to get to the slide, swings, and sand box. I was holding Collin as it was getting closer to bedtime. In the shadow of the house Adon picked up something. "Mouse" he yelled to me. Although I would never claim to have good vision, this thing that he called a mouse was waaaayyyy to big to be a mouse and looked nothing like it. Just to be cautious and worried it may be something like a mouse I told him to put it down and go play. He did but kept looking at it and, again, said "mouse". Being the lazy person I am, I layed back down on the trampoline in the warm sun and forgot about it. A few minutes later I couldn't see where Adon was playing, nor could I hear him. Motherly instincts kicked in and I pried myself off of the warm trampoline to go and check on him. As I crossed the back yard, I was curious to see what exactly it was that Adon had picked up. I found it. "Aaron" I yelled, "its a RAT!" Not just a rat, a big, fat, stiff, dead rat and my little two year old had picked it up to show me!! Aaron started to laugh. "This is not funny" I said to him, which only made him laugh harder. UGGGgg! I was mortified. Okay, we live near many farms and I'm not doubting the existance of rats in the area because we have seen all sorts of animals; birds, snakes, mice, bugs, spiders; everything. This was definately a rat. I have to admit that the only live rats that I have seen were at the zoo and one an old school mate had as a pet. This thing was huge. It wasn't even bloated, this was a fresh kill. As fresh as a dead rat with a stiff, scaley tail, and flies could get. Yes, my little boy had found a "mouse" a big one, and he wanted me to know it. Yuck! I'm pretty sure we owe thanks to Carmel our neighbor's cat who is a Really good mouser.