By Donald R. Ford (the “R” stands for many things but mostly being Right)
This is a story about a night time escape from the confines of the “Ford Homestead”.
It was about dark thirty when I had been relegated to the task of “taking the trash out”. You would think that a retired person on a fixed income would not be expected to do any of this type of manual labor. A man’s home is said to be his castle, and my wife of 43 years has explained that the castle needs to have the trash removed occasionally.
Being a team player and never wanting to be known as a complainer, I cheerfully took on the degrading task of trash removal. The trash bag was only about half full but since the trash truck would be running on Monday morning I thought it best to remove the trash.
I placed the trash bag in the trash cart and started moving it to the curb. As I push the trash cart down the drive way I noticed a white cat under Dave’s vehicle. I assumed it would run as I approached the curb but no this feline was not impressed with my actions. I placed the cart within the prescribed two feet of the curb and stepped away. The stranger was watching me from under Dave’s vehicle. I called to her and she came out. She would walk within a couple feet of me but when I attempted to bend down she would walk away.
I used my communicator to summon my wife of 43 years. (That means I took the cell phone from my pocket and called Donna on the house phone.) Donna came out in the dark to see this feline stranger. Donna considers herself a cat person. The stranger would not come to either of us and after getting tired of our efforts to coax her out from under the vehicle the white feline disappeared in the dark.
Donna and I started back to the house. Donna noted that Miss Molly (our feline) would probably be at the door wanting to exit the house. I explained that she was usually afraid of the trash can that I would be taking back into the house with us and I did not think she would run out the door.
We opened the door and Miss Molly made her escape into the night. This cat is fast and she was past us and out of the garage in a flash. Out into the dark night she went toward the neighbor’s yard where two dogs were waiting for a cat supper. The dogs were barking which frightened Miss Molly so she turned and ran into our back yard. I had to go inside the house and get some shoes on and a flash light. Miss Molly usually hides in the flowers for a while then goes to the back door and goes back into the house.
This time she decides to venture forth and explore the area. She went through the fence and along the north side of the house heading for the front yard. The gate on this end of the house is locked so we could not follow. We had to go back around the other end of the house to get to the front yard. Arriving in the front yard both Donna and I had flash lights searching the area for Miss Molly.
She was hidden very well or she had left the area. Not finding her in front or on the north end of the house we returned to the back yard. Mysteriously she appeared in the back yard. Tejas decided he would help in the search and chased her to the shed.
Tejas and I had a discussion; I thanked him for his efforts and suggested he should go inside the house while we humans attempted to capture the feline escapee. Tejas made some off color comments under his breath but did go inside. Finally we decided that chasing Miss Molly was not working so Donna just stood still and called her. That and a can of cat food got her attention. Captured at last she was returned to the inside of the Ford Homestead.
We have been discussing an appropriate punishment for this feline escape artist. I suggested that each time she escapes we should give her a bath; (cats don’t like to be wet so that would be a punishment.)
Above is the feline “Miss Molly”. Do not allow her peaceful appearance to full you, she is a live wire when she is awake.
From the not always right but never left mind of Don Ford
All rights reserved; any reproduction or distribution without written permission is strictly prohibited.
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