The Cat Came Back

Like you, I try to present a respectable image. I mean, I want people to see me as a responsible citizen who does what’s right and moral. I smile and greet those I know, and they do the same when they see me.

For this reason, I didn’t see anything amiss when I met my neighbours at the corner on Monday. We waved to each other, and then drove on.

But….wait….there’s more…

You know that old Fred Penner song, “The Cat Came Back”? Well I’m singing it this way today:

The cat came back – ♪ ♫ the very next day.
Oh the cat came back -- (thanks to our neighbour)

Yes the cat came back ♪ ♫ and I hope that he's back to stay. ♫ ♪

I’ve mentioned it before…maybe several times…I don’t get off this place very often.

Well, apparently my cat feels the same way. I often catch him sneaking into a car if the door is open for any length of time. However, I didn’t realize that he had devised another way of escaping the isolation at the ‘end of the road.’


Yesterday, my neighbour drove into the yard while I was out calling for the cat. I hadn’t seen him (the cat) for a couple of days – and was beginning to worry about the coyote that I’d seen skulking around.

But lo and behold, my neighbour brought the cat with him.

“I’m really surprised he’d go that far,” I exclaimed. “That’s quite a walk -- over two miles.”

He explained that the cat hadn't walked -- he hitched a ride.

Our neighbours (the ones I met at the corner)

saw the cat standing on the roof of my car that day!

Their waving was more than just being neighbourly – it was,

“Hey, Joey! There’s a cat on top of your car!!!”

(So much for my attempt at a ‘respectable/responsible’ image.)

I mean what kind of person drives down the road at full speed with a cat on her car roof?

Apparently the cat has very sharp claws and held on for two miles. After that, he’d had enough and put himself up for adoption at the neighbours’ place.

I’m so glad that

The cat came back (thanks to our neighbour) ♪ ♫
Yes the cat came back and I hope that he's back to stay.♫ ♪

Treat Day

Many years ago, we began a tradition that continues today. The short version is: When we complete an ‘awful’ task, we get a treat.

Well, I can ‘awfulize’ a lot of things in order to get the treat, and this week my annual medical checkup qualified. While I was still in ‘that position’ in the Doc’s office, I contemplated my ‘treat’.

Maybe a specialty coffee with extra whipped topping…
What about lunch out?...
Maybe a new book (to add to my already mountainous collection of those yet unread!)

After telling my Doc how much I hate ‘that position’ and all that it entails, she humoured me with a story that one of her colleagues decided to give a prize to the first woman who claimed to enjoy that appointment.

Being the most competitive person I know, I asked what the prize was.

Doc didn’t know.

“It would have to be pretty good,” I thought, “Considering I get my own prize when it’s over anyway.”

I decided to forego the fancy coffee and get groceries instead. But when I got to the supermarket, I went straight to the book aisle – just to see….

I’m feeling just a little older today (in part due to the annual checkup reminder) and partly due to my bad eyes. I guess I should have put ‘bifocals’ on my list of possible treats, because when I started looking at the books, the first title to catch my eye was, Grits For All Occasions.

What? Do people really serve ‘grits’ for company? Maybe this is the latest ‘haute cuisine’ and I haven’t heard of it way out here at the end of the road.

“I’ll have to look for grits in the cereal aisle,” I thought, “I can’t be the only one who isn’t up on the latest culinary fad.”

But no, I looked more closely. The title was actually, Gifts For All Occasions. I started to laugh out loud at the thought of serving ‘grits’ to my next dinner guest. Sounds really yummy, don’t you think?

But my laughter stopped when other customers looked at me with grimaced faces and pursed lips, and started herding their children in the opposite direction.

On I went, to see another title. By this time, I put my glasses on to read, How the Scots Created Canada, and I started to laugh again. I’ve always been proud of my Scottish heritage, but I had no idea that my ancestors played such a major role in this great country!

In the end, I didn’t buy any books, but it was a treat to browse, just the same. I’m usually in such a hurry to get in and out and back to my work at the end of the road.

The next time you need a treat, maybe some time browsing book titles will be just the ticket. You never know what will bring a smile, chuckle, or a major giggle-fit.

And if you see a middle-aged woman giggling, relax. She might be fresh from the Doc’s office in need of a good old belly-laugh.