Vacation Part II – Namesake

(Appologies in the delay of posting this.  It was written in advance, but I felt the “need” to have some other things in place before posting)

While I was in the neighborhood to pick up the cat from Dr. Rambo’s office, I also picked Corie up for the first of a series of dates that we will be going on this year. Several hours later when I returned from our date, my still unnamed cat was crouched above a vent in the wall that lacked a vent cover. Peering into the dusty, dark ducts in the underbelly of my house, I am uncertain of what he was thinking. I tried to outflank him by making a maneuver around my recliner which sits next to the vent in question. The next thing I know this brave, or maybe dumb cat began a scouting expedition into the unknown. Crawling on all fours, he ventured five, maybe six feet into the duct system. There he stayed for the next seventeen hours. We tried going downstairs and banging on the vents to coax him out. (Note to the reader: cats do not instinctively leave vents when you bang on them from the outside.) I tried seducing him out with catnip. I tried shining a light. Nothing lured him out. He was committed to his adventure. Once he had studied all that was to be studied (or once he grew hungry), he began to come back to the mouth of the cave. I greeted him with bowls of food and water. When he came out, I promptly blocked the vent with a guitar case.

Saturday, January 26th 2008

Watch Rambo – Check
Stop cat from ever going back into the vent – Check

The next night we one up’ed the animal loving Dr. Andrew Rambo. A group of us went to Cinemark’s Palace on the Plaza to view the feature film, Rambo. Simply amazing. Not many other words are needed to describe such fine art.

When I returned home, I found my cat had squeezed his way under the curve of the guitar case and back into the vents. This time, it only took thirty minutes to get him to come back out. When he returned, I covered the vent with a window screen. Pinned the window screen against the wall with the guitar case, pinned the guitar case with my recliner. Now the cat will never get back into the vents!

Sunday, January 27th 2008

Wake up – Check
Keep cat out of vents – Check
Take shower – Check
Keep cat out of anything else dangerous – Check

After waking up, I found my cat missing. Rather, one might say that I did not find my cat…to begin with. I scoured the house. I looked under my desk, under the recliners, behind the entertainment center, on the kitchen shelves, behind the couch. This is not a big house, there are not many places to hide! Except, maybe inside the uncovered vent which was hidden behind the couch in the dining room.

Uhg!

Well, this time he came out in two minutes.

After taking a shower, I again looked for my cat without immediate success. Let me cut to the chase, he trapped himself behind my refrigerator. He could not move forward, he could not move backwards, he could not turn side to side. Stuck in all fashions. I should have left him there, taught him a lesson. But no, I am a compassionated person. I saved him from being burned in my car. I retrieved him from my vents where he was in danger of falling into the fiery furnace. Then I pulled him out from near the hot coils of my refrigerator. All of these dangerous places, and he has come out unharmed. He must have the protection of God…or he has only six more lives left.

I think he now has a name! An almost God given name. Something that reflects the saving hand of God that must be on this beast. His name shall be Shadrach. For not a hair on his head has been burned.

To be continued…

Vacation Part I – Adoption

This story is not about a girl who fell in love. It is not about a virtuous hero who saved a nation. It is not the story of a young man who discovered himself or his destiny along an arduous journey. This is a much more simple, maybe much more boring story. This is the story of my vacation.

In a time not that long ago, in a not so distant land, I slept in.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the bed was warm and I had the next ten calendar days to do with whatever I deemed desirable. If I would have bothered to fill out my daily planner, my A1 action item would have been to sleep past noon.

Friday, January 25th 2008

Sleep past noon – Check
Take a shower – Check

Putting a check mark next to something truly gives one a sense of accomplishment. Normally I would have filled my task list out with more inactivity such as “Watch TV”, “Think about getting something to eat” or dare I say “Watch TV while thinking about getting something to eat.” No, I would not dare divide my attention. Nevertheless, these items were not on my list. I had a date. Nay! I had a two o’clock appointment. Not with destiny, not with opportunity, but with Rambo.

Dr. Rambo.

Let me back up…

If you refer to my previous post you will remember that my car had an appetite for stray cats. I mentioned that I may adopt a certain kitten that was nearly burned to a crisp behind the engine of my 2000 Volkswagen Jetta.

Upon my earliest opportunity, I did adopt the yet nameless cat. It was a Wednesday. After I had been approved to adopt this distressed feline, I drove to the Gladstone Animal Clinic and paid my eighty six dollars and forty two cents. This included adoption fees, flee treatment, shots, castrations, morphine and supposedly more. Supposedly, declawing. However, I did not get to take my cat home at this point. My cat had to go to the vet to receive many of the above treatments. Many of them…not all. Not declawed. It was not until Friday that I was able to pick up my cat.

Friday, January 25th 2008.

Pick cat up at Two O’Clock PM from the office of Dr. Andrew Rambo – Check

To be continued…