A happy rat ... Lucky's big day.

[Jerry Freeman]

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Jerry Freeman]

Lucky had a big day yesterday.

We had some digging done in the backyard. The excavating contractor, a neighbor with whom I've worked a lot, had brought his nine or so year old grandson with him, as well as two shovel guys.

I thought Lucky might amuse them, especially the boy, so I put him in my shirt pocket and walked out to where the crew and junior apprentice were putting together a list of things for me to pick up at the hardware store.

I walked up, writing pad in hand, Lucky in pocket, and announced, "I brought my assistant."

In unison, all four looked at me with puzzled faces, not seeing anyone else. Then, one by one, their faces lit up as they noticed Lucky peering out in "Kilroy was here" fashion over the top of my pocket.

"Wow, cool! A RAT!! the boy exclaimed. "Can I hold him?"

So for the next few minutes, we discussed the rat. The excavating contractor petted his head inside my shirt pocket. I hauled Lucky out (always a battle; Lucky loves my pocket) to predictable amazement at how big he is. He climbed up the boy's arm and perched on his shoulder.

I then put Lucky away and drove off with my utility trailer to get the needed items. I unloaded the items where the crew was working and went inside to get Lucky for the boy to play with again. When I arrived back at the site, the excavator told me the hardware store had given me the wrong pipe fitting, and could I go back and exchange it. He gave me a piece of the type of pipe the fitting needed to match, along with the mismatched fitting to exchange.

That presented a dilemma.

I didn't want to hold up the work, but Lucky was still in my pocket. After weighing the hassle of going back inside, negotiating the dog and putting Lucky away, against the alternative, I decided to just jump in the car, Lucky in pocket, and go to the hardware store.

The ride to the store was uneventful. Lucky rode happily in my pocket, nose in the air, looking and sniffing with great interest.

When I got to the hardware store parking lot, I observed an elderly couple walking in and realized I couldn't just walk in the store with a rat sticking out of my pocket.

I determined that I could carry the piece of pipe under my left arm, left hand curled over the pocket to hide Lucky, with the pipe fitting in my right hand. This would look normal enough not to draw attention.

I walked into the store and went looking for Tina, the diminuitive, long haired blond manager of the store, who knows more about roof repair, septic systems, drywall finishing, etc., than the next ten hardware store people combined.

I found her in the paint section, conferring with another, male employee.

I approached them, moved my hand away from Lucky's pocket and said, "Hi, Tina. I'd like you to meet my assistant."

They both looked at me with the standard puzzlement. Then Tina's eyes lit up with a conspirational twinkle, indicating she had spotted my rat. The two made a fuss over Lucky, and Tina and I discussed how I could conclude my transaction without setting any customers or employees screaming.

"I'll check you out," she said, and proceeded to a vacant cash register.

In that store, the checkout lines are in pairs, with the cashiers side by side about three feet apart, facing counters in opposite directions.

The adjacent register was being tended by another female employee with whom I've done a lot of business. There were no customers at her counter. Tina tugged the cashier's sleeve and whispered, "Jerry, show Jamie."

I moved my hand away from Lucky's pocket, and Jamie lit up with delight. She and Tina fussed over Lucky for awhile more, both of them alight with the same conspirational twinkle. Then I concluded my transaction and exited the store.

On the way home, Lucky decided he was bored. For a short time, a running battle ensued as he tried to climb out of my pocket and I kept trying to push him back in.

Then I figured out that all I needed to do was hold my hand over the top of my pocket. The warmth of my hand, my scent masking any interesting ambient scents, and the darkness being far preferable to daylight for a rat, all combined to get him to settle down and stay put.

I went into the house and handed Lucky off to Genia, fourteen, who was sitting at the computer in the living room. Then I went back to the worksite to deliver the correct fitting.

On returning to the house, I observed Lucky perched on Genia's shoulder, ran for the camera and snapped the shot posted above.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Congratulations]

Cute!

[anniemcu]

LOL! Too cute... and Lucky is a lucky little guy indeed. I love rats!

[Lambchop]

Cute! You must have pockets like Captain Kangaroo.

[Jerry Freeman]

Cute! You must have pockets like Captain Kangaroo.

This is one of the magical things about Lucky. It looks like there's no way he can fit in a normal shirt pocket.

He's extremely liquid and flexible. He'll sit on my shoulder, then start looking around for somewhere else to go. He'll slide down the front of my shirt, pour himself headfirst into the pocket and then double back so his head emerges again out of the top. You wouldn't believe it possible.

This is why I wrote "predictable amazement at how big he is." When he emerges from the pocket, it's like one of those circus acts where an impossible number of clowns emerge from a Volkswagen Beetle.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[anniemcu]

Cute! You must have pockets like Captain Kangaroo.

This is one of the magical things about Lucky. It looks like there's no way he can fit in a normal shirt pocket.

He's extremely liquid and flexible. He'll sit on my shoulder, then start looking around for somewhere else to go. He'll slide down the front of my shirt, pour himself headfirst into the pocket and then double back so his head emerges again out of the top. You wouldn't believe it possible.

This is why I wrote "predictable amazement at how big he is." When he emerges from the pocket, it's like one of those circus acts where an impossible number of clowns emerge from a Volkswagen Beetle.

Best wishes,
Jerry

They are amazing, for sure... a largish one can get through an opening no bigger than a quarter.