Adventures of Mr. Mouse
The story of Mr. Mouse started when I decided to build a little mouse house in the staircase at my cottage with my then 8-year-old grandson, Ty. I cut a hole in the riser of the stair and built a little living room scene behind the staircase complete with chairs, a couch, a coffee table and magazines that he could peer into. We then started setting up various scenes - Mr. Mouse preparing Easter dinner, Mr. Mouse cleaning the dishes after hosting Easter dinner, Mr. Mouse working in his workshop, etc.
Before I knew it, Mr. Mouse had a whole life of his own and I started building a story around him. Mr. Mouse, whose first name is Orville, is a widowed mouse. His wife, Ethel, passed away 2 years ago and he lives in a rambling old house on his own. He is a retired carpenter, so he busies himself with carpentry projects in his workshop. He has many other hobbies such as cooking, painting, fishing and hiking but often feels lonely and would like to find a Mrs. Mouse to share his life with.
The stories follow his adventures and his pursuits in finding the perfect mate.
The Adventures of Mr. Mouse Book
Alice wrote a book called The Adventures of Mr. Mouse. Page samples are below. Order the book here.
Twas The Night Before Christmas
T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for Mr. Mouse.
He was busy wrapping Christmas gifts for his friends and neighbours. A baseball bat for Ty who delivers his newspaper. A catcher's mitt and ball for Ty's sister, Klara. A new camera for his friend Erv. He had already sent a parcel off to his niece and nephew, Charlie and Loretta hoping it would arrive on time for Christmas.
There was a toaster for his elderly neighbour, Eddy. What Eddy really wanted was a new fridge but Mr. Mouse couldn't afford it on his meagre pension so he thought a toaster would be the next best thing.
He was still putting the finishing touches on the dollhouse he was building for the twins, Patty and Betty so he knew it was going to be a late night.
Once they were all wrapped, he would dress up in his Santa suit , fill his red wagon and by the light of the moon, and secretly deliver each gift to his friend's doorstep to be found on Christmas morning.
Christmas Carolling Party
Every year Mr. Mouse would invite his friends and neighbours over for his annual Christmas carolling party which he has been hosting for over 40 years..
His best friend, Erv, played the piano while Miss Mary, after a few drinks, hopped up on the piano and entertained the group with her boozy version of "Baby It's Cold Outside".
Christmas Cards
Every December, Mr. Mouse sits down at his desk with a hot cup of tea and spends an afternoon writing out Christmas cards to all his friends. It's a tradition he has kept up for over 40 years.
Mr. Mouse Loves Winter
Mr. Mouse loves winter! When the snow appears, the first thing he does is build a snowman!
T’was the night before Christmas
T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for Mr. Mouse. The house was decorated, the tree was lit, the turkey was thawing ,the gifts were wrapped and Mr. Mouse was finally able to sit down with a glass of Chardonnay while he waited for the last of the shortbread to bake in the oven.
Plenty of Mice
With spring finally here, Mr. Mouse was able to spend time
in his garden again, raking and clearing debris left over from the long winter.
It was not to soon to start some of the early crops like lettuce, kale, radishes, beans and brocolli. Inside his house, his windowsills were lined with tiny pots of sprouting seeds – basil, parsley, tomatoes, and peppers which he would later plant outside when he could be sure that the risk of frost had passed.
Mr. Mouse was happiest when working in his garden, listening to the birds, enjoying the sunshine and alone with his thoughts.
Today he was giving a great deal of thought to his idea of dating again. While pulling weeds and raking he composed a short profile about himself in his head:
“My name is Orville P. Mouse. I am a retired widower looking for that special someone to share my life with. My hobbies include gardening, carpentry, cooking, reading, playing Scrabble, cycling , going to garage sales and long, romantic, moonlit walks on the beach.. My favourite t.v. show is Antiques Roadshow. I am looking for a companion who enjoys similar activities. If you think you might be that special someone, please send me a message.” Later that evening he registered his profile on plentyofmice.com and then he waited.
Quarantine
Mr. Mouse apologizes for not being in touch lately, but he has been in quarantine In a sparsely furnished cabin on a cruise ship at Ogden' Point in Victoria, B.C. There have been 3 mice on the cruise who have come down with the Corona Virus so as a precaution, the authorities have put all remaining passengers in quarantine. Sadly, one of the of the infected mice has since passed away and was dumped overboard.
Mr. Mouse is being well fed by the crew and has been passing his time watching reruns of "The Micky Mouse Club" on t.v. Although he does not have a room with a balcony, he is grateful that he at least has a porthole to peak through, if he could only reach it...
Going to the gym – pre-covid
Here is a Mr. Mouse memory from a year ago for you, Joseph Cull. Mr. Mouse is anxious to see you again.
Mr. Mouse enjoyed his fitness class at the Y with his favourite instructor, Joseph. Joseph's joi de vivre and sense of humour always seemed to make the time go faster.
Mr. Mouse .was surprisingly strong for a mouse of his age, but his joints were stiff and his balance was not what it used to be . He was not particularly fond of the large exercise balls . He had a hard time balancing on them while doing the required exercises and would often roll off and hit his head.
Although Joseph was an easy going fellow, he would not tolerate any socializing during his class. He often had to separate Mr. Mouse and his friend, Marge, because they had a tendency to chatter rather than concentrate on their diddly squats.
Joseph was impressed with how Mr. Mouse paid such close attention to his instruction, but in reality, Mr. Mouse was just watching the clock over Joseph's head, waiting for the class to end.