Homecoming…

A change in venue, the weather and the renewal of a bad habit marked our homecoming.

After a week of heat and sunshine, the day had dawned rainy and cool. We packed up early and were home before the sun finally broke through. Alice burst into the house, racing for her trunk in front of the window in the bedroom. From this perch she surveys her kingdom and she was denied that pleasure for five days. It was cool enough that I traded a sweatshirt for a sweater and went in search of Skeedles. While I was away, I had several folks checking on the house and making sure Skeedles cat was coming in regularly to eat. No one had seen her but all reported the food was regularly missing so I suspected she was fine. More importantly, there was no evidence of “outside toys” in the house.

I called from the back deck and heard her reply from the woods. And by reply I mean she meowed and howled all the way up to me. The familiarity of routine set in. They shifted with the sun and I patted myself on the back for doing a thorough cleaning before I had left. Laundry done, bills paid; all the little details quietly attended to.

As I was closing up windows and doors for the night, Skeedles came racing up the steps. Too late I saw the dark body in her jaws. “No, no, No, NO!! Skeedles, damn it!”

She let it loose and the chubby, blind mole darted for the planter. Skeedles sat and bathed, literally, in her glory.

“Shit, shit, shit!! Why do you do this at bedtime!!”

I weighed my options, to leave and grab a broom or other tool of destruction would also mean not seeing any change in venue. Sure enough, my gamble didn’t go well, I returned to find all attentions focused on the underside of the six-foot couch. “Oh Super! We are getting farther from the door!!”

Welding the metal rod I keep conveniently stashed for just such emergencies (and dryer malfunctions) I swept the underside of the couch viciously. Sure enough, Sir Mole rolled out  totally dazed and confused. Skeedles took one side-long look as she headed out the door. “Now you leave??! It’s not dead yet!!”

No one listens to me so I tell myself the poor thing will probably be miraculously gone in the morning and take myself off to bed. I can talk myself out of dealing with “outside toys” quite well; lots of recent training.

Yes, it is good to be home. Now to hold onto this calm…