What spurred the rodent contemplation was my encounter with squirrels found in Western Michigan. Typical (or at least where I live) squirrels have different shades of brown fur like the one below.
However in Western Michigan they are black/dark brown. At first sight, it is very startling. I think they look like devil squirrels.
I don't mind squirrels. They are cute enough with their fluffy tails and I always do my best to avoid hitting them with my car. But I cannot say I love all members of the rodent family.
I have an incredible fondness for chipmunks. I don't know if it's the way they gnaw on acorns or how their little tail goes up when the scurry across the ground, but I want to keep one in my pocket and feed it little treats. Maybe it could sit on my shoulder. My love of chipmunks is curious because I am deathly afraid of its cousin the mouse. I ask myself, do I like chipmunks because of the cuddly characters Chip and Dale?
However, there are plenty of mice depicted in cartoons and Mickey Mouse has not helped me cope with my fear in any way. I try to tell myself that it is foolish to be scared of such a small helpless creature. And then I imagine one crawling up my pant leg or getting stuck in my hair and all rationalization is thrown out the window. Sick. I think it's their little finger-like claws/paws and the scratching noise they make. Gross. Do I like the popular hamster? No! They are mice disquised with jew-fros. Disgusting. What about rats? While I prefer to avoid them at all cost, they are not as scary to me because of their size. I feel like I could kick a rat like a football if I needed to. But tiny little mice are much harder to catch. What about beavers? Best rodent around. They are smart enough to build dams, have that big whopping tail, and the likelihood of encountering on EVER is very low. Luckily for you and me, I will soon return home with less time to ponder rodentia.
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