I’ve been laughing ever since I picked up my mail today. There was an orange envelope addressed to Lucy Kehret (Lucy is my dog) with the return address of “Molly.” Molly, of course, is my cat. The card inside shows a scowling cat wearing a witch’s hat and a black cape. Inside, the copy reads: “I was going to be a dog for Halloween, but it seemed like too much trouble to have my brain removed.” The card is unsigned.
I have several friends who could be responsible for this silliness. Eventually, one of them will confess. In the meantime, I’m chuckling. And, since I believe authors and publishers should always get credit for their work, I’ll mention that it is an American Greetings card, with credit to Fun Pix.
My oldest grandchild, Brett, was born on Halloween. She is a freshman this year at Whitman College so I won’t be with her on her special day, but we celebrated together last weekend, and I baked her favorite birthday cake for her. I wrote Horror at the Haunted House because I wanted a Halloween book to dedicate to Brett.
Because my house is set far back in the woods, with a long, winding driveway, children never come for “trick or treat.” I always buy some candy, just in case.
I will spend part of Halloween trying to solve The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat Toys. Gus, the foster cat, disposes of his toys as fast as I give them to him. My foster cat room has a concrete floor, so toys move nicely when they are batted. There are several cupboards that have just enough room for a small toy to roll under. The problem is that if I get down on the floor to fish out the toys, I have a hard time getting back up. That’s fine with Gus, who takes advantage of my position to rub against my head and purr. At the moment, I need to look for two fur mice, two stuffed catnip mice, one crinkle ball and one pingpong ball, all of which he has hidden in the last two days.
A few months ago, I bought a new printer. Molly has decided it is really a cat perch, the perfect spot from which to look at the back yard bird feeder. I put a towel on top of the printer, in an attempt to keep it free of cat fur, but that only served to make the perch more comfortable.