Illiterate Mice – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. Lady Human, about that poem “To a Mouse” you talked about, can mice read those ink scratches humans make on paper? ‘Cause I can’t and it’s not fair if they can.

Me: No, mice are as illiterate as bulldogs. You haven’t missed out.

Sweetie: That’s good! No mouse can ever be one up on a bulldog.

MoonCat: Yeah, I lay around all the time worrying about being one upped by a mouse. It’s one of my great fears in life.

©️ 2026. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. Lady Human, part of the tiny house fell off! Fix it! Fix it!

Me: The shed? Yeah, we have to put that right. Well, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, as a famous poet once said.

Sweetie: Was that a human? Sounds like it.

Me: Yeah, a Scottish man named Robert Burns wrote a poem entitled “To a Mouse”.

Sweetie: That causes problems. Never talk to mice. And never ever write to them.

Doodlebug: Of course mice plans go wrong. And as for humans…well…there’s that shed.

MoonCat: I wouldn’t pick on mice or humans too much, bulldogs. There’s plenty of “awry” to go around.

©️ 2026. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.