Missing Squirrel

I was downstairs in my sewing area, as I have been sewing a ton of Christmas items lately, and I decided to be kind to the animals and let the squirrels out.  I figure, as long as I am downstairs what's the harm?


Can I tell you that it is a little alarming to be sewing and suddenly have something crawl up your pant leg?  For some reason, Pepper loves to climb up and see what I am working on.


Anyway, I had been sewing for a hour or so and decided that I was cold and done with what I was working on, so it was time to wrangle the beasts.  In the past we have put the gliders dinner in their cage and they have come bounding out of where they have been playing like any other crazy house pet.  We rang the dinner bell.  No Pepper.  I put the cup of fruit and cottage cheese in the cage, Chili, the shy silent type appears from his hibernation pouch and starts chowing down.  No Pepper.


I turn on all the basement lights and rattle some of the shelving.  No Pepper.  I throw up my hands and call Hannah downstairs, since they are her pets and the least she can do is help wrangle Pepper since I played with them and fed them.  Hannah tries.  No Pepper.


I am getting tired, and colder, and finally tell Hannah I am going upstairs to bed and she can deal with the animals.  I'm done.  Put the missing squirrel posters up in the morning, I'm tired.  Hannah begs me to stay a few more minutes and help.  We try everything.  Food.  Pine nuts.  Shelving rattling.  Lights on in the crawl spaces.  I am starting to freak out.  I am thinking Pepper has gotten outside some how and she is a gonner.


Then, Hannah has the brilliant idea that we should let the dog downstairs.  Chloe will sniff the squirrel out.  Chloe is let downstairs and immediately goes over to the cage and starts harassing Chili.  Not what we wanted.  We wrangle Chloe away from the cage and she heads straight for the shelving and starts sniffing up a storm near the far shelf.


Pepper.  Not only is Pepper there, but she has somehow managed to get herself trapped in a clear plastic bin of Hannah's junk.  The poor thing.  If we had gone to bed, she would have been trapped there all night.


Pepper was freed.  Chloe was rewarded.  Everyone is going to bed.