Bad ! Kitty!! Very, Very Bad!!

We can always count on change.  Sometimes it comes slowly, almost unperceived; sometimes it smashes you over the head. Wednesday was a slammer.  When Kim and I left for work Wednesday morning, I noticed that Hermione hadn't been around for her normal breakfast.  I didn't give it a lot of thought as she'd done the same thing the day before.

It's beautiful out in her yard and that's where I assumed she was hanging out.

I came home early on Wednesday because Kim and I both have killer summer time colds...Upon arriving, still no Hermione.  That's when I went from 0 to 1000 in the change category.  She wears an Invisible Fence collar to keep her on the property.  From the first day we adopted her, she was a wanderer and had no respect for streets or traffic.  Three of the last straws (prior to the Invisible Fence) were:

1) Receiving a phone call from the local Pizza Hut at 10PM 

that she was outside their doors wandering the parking lot. 

2) Watching her amble home on another day, again from the direction of the Pizza Hut

with a huge piece of chicken in her mouth. 

3) Strolling across our busy street and stopping in the middle to groom herself.

Thus, the Invisible Fence and her collar.

I began my search for her. 

Up one street and down another.  

Throughout the house.  

Under bushes. 

I called the lost pet hotline. 

I looked everywhere.

 

 

 

As a result of my futile search, I drew 3 conclusions.

1) She was killed and taken by a raccoon.

2) She was killed and taken by a coyote. 

3) I would never see her again.

Kim helped me search for her and chose to hold out hope; between us, we had all our bases covered.

Wednesday night we headed for bed, both tearful.
Her dinner hour had come and gone.

The house was very quiet. 

Food and water bowls sat untouched.
I marked our calendar.

Now I know that you know how this story ends....but I will tell it anyway.
   About 4:30 AM I woke up because I thought I felt pressure at my feet.  I quickly told myself, "don't go there..."   But then, I heard rattle, rattle, the sound of her collar when she shakes her head.  Guess what I did?
  I just rolled over and went back to sleep.
  NO NO!!!  Just kidding.
I screamed "Hermione, Hermione!!!  Where have you been???????"
Kim bolted up and together we held Hermione.  Kim quickly noted that there was no purring going on and that she had a pretty frazzled look to her...
After a few minutes of hugging and intense greetings, she laid back down and went to sleep.

She has been this way for almost two days.  Getting up periodically but going right back to sleep.
Today she looks more peaceful:

So now, I have learned more things....

1. I never stop learning.
2. I tend to be quite pessimistic.
3. Pessimism is a survival mechanism.
4. Sometimes Kim is right.
5. I am VERY GLAD that Kim sometimes is right.
6. ALWAYS change the collar battery as soon as it arrives in the mail!
7. This was my fault for not changing the battery because Hermione, after 7 or so years of wearing her Invisible Fence collar continues to test its efficacy.

Kim added to our calendar:

We had a very nice and happy 27th year anniversary!!
Thank you. Thank you.
Guess who comes home next week for a visit?
Bad, Bad Kitty.

Bill Wins Out...

Today I sat with a client of mine who is quite ill.  He told me that he experienced a "life flashing before his eyes event" and he shared how impactful that was for him.  As I walked home from work, I was thinking about our conversation and I remembered that I never got back to writing...Since last writing, life has flashed by and much has occurred....

      The end of May we had a big surprise party for my brother in law, Bill.  He turned 80 and many of us gathered to celebrate.  Sister Gloria and his children did all the behind the scenes planning and Gloria pulled off getting him to the party without a hitch!

A well coordinated surprise!

We sang and cheered.

It was good to meet his side of the family and many friends.

And of course, there is our side...
We all love Bill dearly.

Later Bill and Gloria took me for a drive into the mountains around
Los Alamos...

This is AGAIN the area that was once again hit by the most recent fire...

There's new growth among the old dead wood. (WAS).

This is an ET call home dish....

Then, this-- just barely a month later.  I could hardly believe it when my sister Andela called me and told me that she and Los Alamos, were in the process of evacuating.  It brought back intense memories of a similar occurrence 11 years prior.

 I know that I am probably supposed to say more about this fire and all of its implications but I find that I can't. I find that I have to keep it to myself because I do realize that I am grieving--for all the animals killed, the destruction, the chaos and the threat to the nuclear, plutonium and other hazardous sites.  I am grateful to the fire fighters, the Red Cross, and the Northern NM communities that came to the aid of my home town.  Thank you.


So there is a life flashing before ones eyes, and the celebration of a life well lived and a horrific fire; all are rumbling inside my mind.  Out of all of this, I want to focus upon Bill, this great man who married my sister Gloria many years ago--I don't remember the number.   But what I do remember is that Bill has always been there for ALL of us.  He has shuttled me back and forth from Albuquerque to Los Alamos more times than I can count.  He is there for sister Andie who struggles with recreating her life and stabilizing her family; he becomes a great male role model for her children.  He was there for my parents--loving and respecting them both.  I don't think I can remember him ever saying no to a request for aid or a favor.   He loves  green chili and burritos and he always is offering to bring me one when I am visiting.  AND, this is the man who brought me a ton of rocks from NM to Seattle for my garden this past year--hauling them in the back of his SUV.
  One thing I do know about Bill Long is that he l o v e s to drive and travel and he holds a zest for life that inspires me. I wish you continued safe driving Bill.  I love you and thank you for being in our lives-for being such a terrific brother.  You, sir, are the best.