I was recently interviewed by Dixie Redfearn, a writer for The Union newspaper. (She said story should run this Saturday the 13th or Monday the 15th.) By the end of our hour and a half together, we were talking all over the map.

Contrary to our high tech and often toxic solutions to basic problems, I was delighted by this story she told me. Dixie had some American friends who lived in Italy for several years. The couple moved into a house in the country to find it overrun with mice. They called the landlord who promptly responded, “I’ll be right over.” He showed up with a young cat under each arm. Sweet! Within a couple of weeks, the mice were gone. The cats became a part of the family and were brought back to the states (to provide mouse abatement services, I’m sure).