An important part of the ritual is cleaning out the pantry, taking stock, making lists. It is a large pantry with about four and a half miles of shelving.
The very large kitchen table, a relict of those days when I had to cook and serve enormous family meals each day, becomes the repository. One shelf load fills the table.
The table was almost full when I discovered that we had had (have) an unwelcome visitor living in amongst the dry goods.............presumably this mouse (click for the story), which two cats, a dog and the humane mouse trap have failed to capture.
I believe they are keeping it as a pet.
