Argghhh! How can I be posting about Halloween and it's the last week of Nov? I truly believe I am trapped in some kind of domestically induced time warp.
Nonetheless, here I am with nothing earth shattering to report. A fact for which I am most grateful. Halloween was a roaring success and my homemade costumes were a hit. My son can be still be found on any day of the week attired in his plumage and dancing around the living room. Aubrie only wears the mermaid outfit (on which I still haven't hand- sewn all the sequins) when the thermostat reaches something more temperate, She refuses to layer under it. "Mummy, mermaids do not wear turtlenecks!" I hesitate to point out that neither do they reside in the great frigid plains of the North. (If they did, they would probably have turtlenecks with gills on them.) In truth, we are neither of us much of an authority on mermaid evolution. Here is a layout done for her:
I haven't yet scrapped the parrot costume:
and finally here are the candy bags I sent her to school with:

OK, so that holiday is done...! Now we are chugging along merrily towards Christmas.
I may even have a chance to stay ahead on this one: the Christmas cake is soaking in rum, my card is designed, letter is done, even my gift list is mostly filled in. It's looking good so far....
Mind you, I've learned never to count my rum balls until the New Year's ball drops!

It takes a cat

The only thing I scrapped last week was a 'missing' poster.

My beloved companion of 16 years went missing last Thursday. He has moderate kidney failure (as many elderly cats do) and has always been an indoor animal. But, with our unseasonably warm weather, he begged to be allowed out to munch grass and 'rough-it' in the garden for a bit. I relented. Then, he was gone. He may simply have had a 'senior' moment, or the racket created by city workers nearby may have frightened him off, but either way, he did not find his way home again. Twenty four hours passed, then forty eight....
I walked the neighborhood at midnight and again at three thirty in the morning. I clucked, called his name, shook cat food in his bowl opened cans of tuna, and left them outside. I cursed him, the city workers, and his crummy kidneys. I was losing my marbles over the stupid cat!
Saturday night,while crying into my pizza (and glass of vino), the doorbell rang. And from the arms of his rescuers sprang one thirsty, footsore, and relieved old kitty!
The ordeal is over now, and you can imagine how much cuddling and thankfulness fill our home.
What have I taken away from this entire experience, you ask? After all it really was only a silly, if well-loved, feline! Well, it leaves me shaking in my boots to imagine the experience of parents and family who have a loved one go missing and never truly know what has become of them. I cannot imagine the strength it takes to get up every morning and forge on. I ache at the thought.
On a more selfish note, I was utterly astounded by my hubby, whom truth be told, has no affection whatsoever for my cat. He searched longer and farther and more thoroughly than I, time and again. And he did it entirely for me. Though I often think him oblivious (seemingly callous) to my emotional state(s) (ok, so it can be hard to keep up with them), he saw my misery and was affected by it. He was amazing. Even my kids marched up and down the neighborhood without complaint, stuffing mailboxes with flyers.
In the end, not only do I have my cat-companion back, but I have another reason to wonder at and fall in love again with the three people who share my life everyday. I am so grateful for them (of course, from this day forward none of them will be allowed outside without a leash either)!!
Go now! Scratch your hubby behind the ear and give your kitty a kiss on the lips for me will you?!