I'm back!

Hi, Everybody!
I am sorry you all had to worry about me, but thank you for saying so many nice things about me while I was recovering from my big adventure! I know Biggun already told you about it, but she told you her version of the story, which is boring. Here is mine.
Annie came up to see me and then we all went up to K's house. When we went outside, I saw his beautiful garden again. This time, I had a plan. When they took me out of my carrying case and were going to put me into my ball, I got very squeezy and sneaky and popped right away and ran off into the garden. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT!! It was so perfect and beautiful! There were so many places for me to play and so much dirt and big plants that covered me and everyone was chasing me and it was the most fun I've had because Biggun and her friends are slow and they could not catch me! Kee kee kee! I ran behind them and ran around them and they could not get me, but finally, because they are not a ground squirrel like I am, I wore them out. They all had to sit down and rest.
Well, while they were resting, I got bored because no one was playing with me. I am a very brave explorer and I decided to do some looking around. I squeezed under a fence and there was a whole wide world. I sang a brave little song and went running around all over! I saw so many things! Biggun doesn't have anything like this in our house. There were stinky things and shiny things and pokey things. There were big things and small things and hard things and soft things and everything was very exciting. And I scurried and I scampered and I skittered and then I saw them! A bunch of cousins like Newt! My cousin Newt! There were a lot of them and since I like Newt, I thought I would go say Hello to these cousins and ask them if they wanted to play with me, since Biggun didn't. That was my mistake. I guess maybe these ones weren't my cousins because they did not like me. One jumped right on me and I thought we were playing, because it was poking me like Biggun does when we play, but then, when I tried to play chase, the Newt bit me! IT BIT ME! Not like Biggun does, but for reals! It hurt so badly! I had tears in my eyes and I started crying and fighting like Biggun taught me, but it bit me harder so I screamed. It was so scary and so owie! I screamed and I screamed and Biggun didn't come. She's never done that before! And then the Newt (oops, sorry, Biggun says it's a cat, not a Newt) picked me up and said it was going to eat me and it started walking away, far away from where Biggun was and I was crying and screaming because I hurt and I was very afraid. I guess this is why I am not supposed to go too far away from people. I get into trouble when they can't see me.
And then K, who is very brave, got the cat. The cat dropped me and I did not see K. I was just afraid, so I ran to find someplace safe to be, but it hurt to run because the cat bit me in the shoulder and it hurt really badly and there was some blood and a hole where its tooth went in me. I found a corner and something grabbed me again and I bit it, only it was not a cat or anything else that is scary. It was K. He was rescuing me, but I still didn't know it because I was too scared. I heard him talking and I heard Biggun and then, soon, Biggun was holding me and I was shaking and shaking and shaking. She put me in my case and I got very little and just closed my eyes because I was very upset.
When we got home, she washed the bite on my shoulder. It hurt and I squeaked, but then she tried to put me down and I didn't want her to because maybe there would be another cat. I held onto her hand and she gave me some of my yucky medicine and then she held me until I fell asleep. She made me sleep in my carrying case. She said she was afraid that if I got in my nest, I would get dirt in my bite hole and it would be infected. Then I slept in the bed with her and I was in the corner of my case, right next to her, so I could stay warm. It was a scary night for me.
The next day, we went back to the vet again (that's my doctor) and it was a different person this time. It was a girl, but not like Biggun. This girl was afraid of me! Kee kee kee! She thought I would bite her, but I only bite Biggun. Well, and K when I am afraid, but I didn't mean to and I hope I didn't hurt him because sometimes I know I bite too hard. But the vet didn't want to hold me and she didn't know how and she was afraid of me. That made me feel sort of brave. Biggun held me (she is not afraid of me, but sometimes she pretends she is when we play) and the vet poked my wound and it hurt so I squeaked. She wasn't very nice to me, not like the other vet when I was there. She pulled off my scab and she cleaned me while Biggun held me and I tried to get away. And they weighed me,too. I am 3 ounces! Biggun says that I am HUGE and am growing so big because last time I was there, I wasn't even one ounce yet and now I am 3! It's all the grasshoppers. They make me big and strong.

You would think that that was the worst of it, but it was not. When I went back home, I had to stay in my carrying case until I had a scab. Then, when I had a scab, I couldn't come out of my room to play. I had to stay in there for 3 days. I only got to come out when I got my medicine and it was horrible because I wanted to run around and check my nests, but Biggun wouldn't let me. She said I could get out on Thursday. And she let me play with her in the bedroom on Thursday morning, but I didn't get to run around the house on Thursday night because she wasn't here. She went some place. She is always going someplace. I think she is forgetting about me. When she came home yesterday, I still didn't get to run around because she put me back in my case! I did not want to be there but she said we were going somewhere.

We went to visit Carrie and her husband and Kagat who does not like me because I am cuter than he is. But, the whole time, I was kind of scared. I wanted to get out and run around because I was tired of being cooped up in little places, but when I got out, it was really scary. Biggun put me in my ball (she has to get me a new one because I am too big for mine), but I was scared there, too, and I did not run around. I just sat there and shivered. Then she put me back in my case and I just went to the corner and slept, or just looked out and didn't do anything because I was afraid of cats who are not Newt. It was very scary. I got to sleep with Biggun but she was worried this morning because I was sleeping weird, she said. So, she cuddled me and that made me feel a lot better, but I just wasn't happy. I was supposed to stay there again tonight and then we were supposed to go up to the mountains so I could see my other BiggunMom, but I told Biggun that I didn't want to, so she brought me home. Tomorrow, she will still go to the mountains, but I will stay here. I will be lonely without Biggun and I am a little mad because I won't be able to get out and play for so long and probably I will forget where everything is, but it is OK because I would rather stay here than go someplace else. No cats can get me here and this is where my food is.

So, that is what happened to me. Thank you, everybody, for thinking about me and saying such nice things. I am all better now and my scab itches really badly, so I have to scratch it a lot. I will tell Biggun to take some new pictures of me so that everyone can see that I am fine.

Your little friend,
Chico