Ice Coated Mouse

It was moving slowly into the wind, sharp needles of cold snow scouring its face. A crust of ice had formed completely over its head. Blinded by its icy helmet and the driving snow and probably suffering from mild hypothermia it was lost on the wide, white drift. With no escape from the wind for hundreds of yards ahead of it, it would likely die. I decided right away to help the little guy and scooped it up in my hands. I carried it to a sheltered spot near some trees, out of the wind, and in the sun. For about a full minute it just sat there. Realizing maybe after a bit that first of all, whatever had picked it up had not eaten it and was probably not going to, and secondly the weather had just changed dramatically, it started working first of all to knock the ice mask off. Breaking it loose from its nose first, it then peeled it off all its head. With the old helmet of ice laying beside it, it started to clean its neck and chest. There was ice all over its body. After cleaning itself back to its shoulders, it shook a little and fluffed up its soft gray hair. The sun was helping to warm it up, too. During the cleaning operation, I had been making a few photographs. When I made the last macro photograph of it from about 18 inches away, it all of a sudden realized that whatever was in front of it was alive and may want to hurt it. With a startled jump it took off to the right and disappeared into a nearby bush.