What’s it like to live in a forest?

Tonight I found wasabi peas in my motorcycle boot.

I sold my motorcycle many years ago, and don’t have much occasion now to wear the boots. But they looked pretty dusty from their time in deep storage, so tonight I added them to the pile of shoes to polish.

I will preface this story by saying the list of critters who’ve made guest appearances inside our house includes a bird, bat, squirrel, snakes, wasps, and many mice. And those are the visitors we know about. If I came home to find a baby porcupine sitting on the couch, I would be surprised, but not like surprised-surprised.

So when I reached into my boot this evening, and felt something small, round, and indistinct… Well, reaction time is important when you live in the woods. It’s how I almost-but-didn’t-quite step on the snake, how I caught the squirrel, and why I’m an adequate back-up pouncer, when our half-helpful cat Oliver drops a live mouse beside my bed.

Reaction time.

I immediately withdrew my hand, and upended my boot over the ground.

Out poured the peas. A whole trip to the bulk store’s worth. A cup and a half at least. Fully intact, carefully stored away.

Now, I haven’t bought wasabi peas in ages. It’s been years. And I store everything in bins and jars, so I can’t fathom the last time I had free-floating peas around. I’d imagine the mouse who stored these is also long, long gone. But what I wouldn’t give for some night-vision footage of what it looked like, a tiny bright-eyed, soft furred, big-eared grey mouse, retrieving one precious pea after the other, scaling the outside of my knee-high boots, cresting the top, and disappearing down to the toe with its treasure. There were dozens and dozens of wasabi peas, so this determined little endeavour must have occured over and over and over again.

There must be a metaphor in there somewhere for woodland life, but I’m still too baffled by the discovery to conjure it. That life in the woods is… Spicy? Unpredictable? Full of surprises?

Yes.

Have a wonderful easter weekend folks! May folklore’s lesser known “Wasabi Mouse” pass you by, and the only treats you find be made of chocolate and hidden by a bunny.