Of course, I'm referencing our ever-growing list of animal encounters in our lovely rural neighborhood. We've had the pleasure of entertaining wild animals, farm animals and your usual outdoor pets.
So when Seth came in yesterday to confide that we had a guinea pig hiding in the stack of wood next to the shed, I figured I had misheard him. I mean, come on ... a guinea pig? I was sure it was actually another rock chuck. Or possibly (shudder) a rat without a tail.
But sure enough, it was a guinea pig. A big brown guinea pig.
We tried cornering it, but it managed to slip past us and hide under some other planks. At that point, I figured some investigation was in order. I walked next door and asked the neighbors if they owned such a pet. The look on Tina's face could be described as utter astonishment as she exclaimed, "He ran away two weeks ago!"
Between Seth, Taylor (Tina's daughter and the owner of the delinquent pet), Bekah, Ana and I, we managed to chase the guinea pig into Tina's arms. And although the little guy (Bekah thought he was a Zhu Zhu) squeaked in alarm, he seemed no worse for the wear.
How he survived outdoors for two weeks is still a mystery. He must have used his innate ninja-guinea skills to avoid the owls. But if his main source of sustenance was my vegetable garden, no amount of stealthiness will protect him from me.