I know it’s a little early to start reciting “The Night Before Christmas,” but it’s been difficult not to for the last week or so because (unlike the charming poem), there has indeed, been a creature stirring in my house. It happens to most of us at this time of year, and with the temperature plummeting outdoors, it is almost impossible to avoid. Yep, there’s a mouse in the house. Even though my dog would like nothing more than a pet of her own, I’m highly allergic to cats, so keeping one around is out of the question. And while Dharma will chase a rodent in the house, she’s more interested in playing with it than well… you know.

While warming up the truck before heading out to ThunderBlast last Friday, I actually heard squeaking coming from my pantry. Cocking one ear, I leaned in and heard it again: adorable, high pitched squeaking, like that in a cartoon. Dharma heard it too, and tried to squeeze past me while I was attempting to locate the culprit. “I don’t have time to deal with this,” I muttered to the pup. “How much trouble can one little mouse make?” I thought, and shifted gears, headed for Roscoe, NY and the annual Toys for Tots extravaganza that seeks to fulfill the M&M Auto Group Mission (www.mmautogroup.com) that “No child in Thunder Country should be without a toy for the holidays.” Fabulous food (www.rocklandhouse.com), great entertainment provided by Iron Cowboy and the Somerville Brothers bands and folks streaming in to add to the ever-growing pile of unwrapped toys made for a fantastic and successful evening, as always. To locate a toy drop-off location near you, visit www.thunder102.com.

It was snowing when I left Roscoe and very picturesque. “Like a Victorian Christmas card,” I thought to myself, “but more slippery.” With both hands on the wheel, I headed toward home, reminded that I was scheduled to attend “Dickens on the Delaware” the next day. Even before taking off my boots, I noticed something was amiss in the kitchen. A grocery bag that hadn’t been there before was on the floor, along with a bread wrapper, crumbs, and a trail of same leading back to said pantry. Dharma showed no interest in either, so while more muttering ensued, I swept, scanned, and swore a little. Since real life is not an adorable cartoon, I went into action. Don’t get me wrong, I have compassion, I have a conscience and I even (contrary to popular belief) have a heart, therefore I Hav-A-Hart. You know, one of those no-kill traps that invite the little ones in and keeps them there (alive and unharmed) until I can let them out.

The only problem is that I keep it in the garage, and don’t check in very often, so when I hauled it out to set it up, well let’s just say there was no room at the inn, and while my heart was in the right place, the mice had checked out long ago. Oopsie. Shaking my head while shaking it out, I made a mental note to be more diligent and set the trap, along with a post-it on the front door reminding me to keep an eye on things and revved the engine again, this time headed for Dickens.

Sponsored by the Callicoon Business Association and the town’s “enthusiastic community-minded volunteers,” this yearly event has grown exponentially and is drawing visitors to the hamlet from near and far. Picking up a program on arrival is key, since there are scads of events and activities happening throughout the entire town. As a light snow fell, I strolled the streets, admiring the costumed carolers, the decorated store fronts and stopped frequently. Saying hello to Santa and watching the horse and buggy transport families to the holiday markets was charming, and I paused with the growing crowd to take in the “Beggars’ Opera” pastiche being performed by members of the NACL Theatre Troupe. They were dressed perfectly in Dickensian detail, springing to musical life every time someone dropped coins in their bucket, raising more than $300 in the process to assist “Doctors Without Borders” in Syria.

An action-packed day ensued, replete with visits to a book emporium, the holiday market inside the Western Hotel and an annotated performance of “The Nutcracker” presented by the Catskill Dance Company (like ‘em on Facebok!), which was far more adorable than the squeaking going on in my kitchen. Hoping that the mouse had taken up residence in the metal box on my floor, I made my way home to prepare for the next day, which was to include participating in the Bethel Council of the Arts (BCA) (like ‘em on Facebook!) Book and Photo Fair, which was being hosted by Stacy Cohen at the Catskill Distilling Co.

More crumbs/no mouse in sight and I considered taking the hunt to the next level, before setting up my booth next door to the Dancing Cat. The place looked gorgeous and visitors popped in all day to chat with local authors and photographers and purchase some gifts along the way, keeping my mind off of the situation at home. The BCA is new, but each event they hold has been fantastic (IMHO), and there’s quite a buzz around the county over their efforts to encourage the surrounding communities to support local artists.

Then it was back to home, where (clearly) there is more than one mouse and (clearly) they have no intention of leaving my warm, comfortable, well-stocked cupboards. As I busily seal up everything edible in mouse-proof containers while casting an eye on more “permanent” solutions, the swearing heats up while my resolve to “have a heart” wavers. So (as Aunt Ethel would say), “Don’t ask!” Not a creature was stirring? I wish.

For more photos of both ThunderBlast and Dickens on the Delaware, visit www.riverreporteronline.com or our Facebook page.