Cute and cuddly..NOT!

 This is a side window next to my front door and this critter was taking refuge from the cold and wind one morning this week.  As I came downstairs, I came face to face with this strange looking creature.
Now I have lived most of my life in rural Colorado and Wyoming, but had actually never encountered this large rodent.  It is a pack-rat, or wood rat as they are sometimes called.  This window sits about 3 feet up from the ground and is about 12 inches wide to give you perspective. The Mr., with assistance from the dogs was able to do away with it and it became Magpie food, but this rat could jump.  He or she even jumped into the living room window sill outside before meeting his end.  They are terribly destructive and carry lice, fleas etc.  UGLY!

On the other hand, these are cute and cuddly. Although the little grey guy is not much bigger than Coalette, together they keep the mice away as much as possible.  (Don't think they would be much of a match for the rat though). She catches them and if he can get out to help her, he paws at them and "helps" her keep her prey. Understand that where we live, on 4.5 acres of prairie and sagebrush and near the river, we share our turf with all kinds of nature's critters.  We have bear, elk, moose, antelope and deer as well as the cuter but destructive rabbits, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, weasels, and the uglier badger, mice, rats, moles, and we have osprey, cranes and the bald and golden eagles.  We also have most of the other birds..the doves, robins, swallows, bluebirds, red-winged back bird, chickadees, and the hummers of course.  We just don't choose to live with some like the pack-rat above.  We have not seen another here and have no idea from whence he came, but he did not bring an Easter Basket so....gone, gone, gone.

Today our quilt group meets to exchange our 2nd rows.  It has been so much fun to do these and we all get so many good ideas from each exchange.  Although we have had some sunny days with more of it each day, the wind has blown so much and we are in for another batch of snow later this week, so it will be a good time to huddle up and quilt I think!