Out!

One of us went out today! And it wasn't a planned outing.

In between rain storms, the weather has been nice. Today was one of those nice days. So, before I sat down at the computer to work on a manuscript, I opened up the patio door, and the bedroom window.

Lucy & Ethel like to sit on a dresser top in the bedroom, where they are up close and personal to nature.

I got to work. Got deeply involved in work. I heard, but didn't pay any attention to a loud crash I heard. Lucy & Ethel often, during mid-day, run through the apartment, taking turns chasing each other with reckless abandonment, knocking all kinds of things to the floor.

Still deep into writing, Ethel started 'bugging' me. She didn't get up on my lap, obscuring the keyboard, like she usually does. She just kept winding around the base of my wheelchair, mewing pitifully.

I finally noticed her. I finally noticed that there was just ONE cat pestering me. I went looking for Lucy.

I saw the bent window screen as soon as I went into the bedroom. The large square screen was totally folded in half, kitty corner, so to speak, from top left corner to bottom right corner. This left a very large area of the bedroom, open to the outside.

My stomach immediately clenched in a knot. I grabbed Ethel, put her in the 'safe room' (the bathroom - which contains all the kitty necessities), closed the door firmly and went in search of Ethel.

All the while, beating myself up for not paying attention to the crash, as I figured, Ethel had probably been outside for at least an hour!

I went out to the sidewalk, making noise with the 'treats' container. I went up and down the sidewalk. There was no sign of her. I expanded to the neighboring buildings, behind the neighboring buildings. No Ethel!

Making one more pass around my own building, I spotted her. She was sitting under the bush, in the dirt, RIGHT UNDER THE WINDOW SHE'D FALLEN FROM. Now I got a really sick feeling. Was she hurt??? She must be! What cat would just sit in one place for over an hour???

Staying on the sidewalk because the grass was still really mushy from all the recent rains, and my wheelchair would have sunk right in and I would have been stuck! So we were separated by about 3 yards of grass. I called to her.

She came right out to me (why she hadn't before is beyond me). But after taking just a couple of steps (I was SO happy that she was moving, walking!) towards me, she was knee deep in dewy grass. Well, she would have none of that! She had never seen grass close up, let alone walked in it! Ethel retreated to the bare ground beneath the bush. We were at a standstill.

Luckily, I live in a HUGE apartment complex, and sure enough, after only a few minutes, a delivery man arrived with something for someone. He was kind enough to go behind the bushes, grab a placid Lucy, and deposit her in my lap.

I don't know which of us was happier to be securely back inside the 'den'. I checked Lucy over carefully, she didn't seem to be hurt. I let the complaining Ethel out of the bathroom. I put a call in to have the screen repaired. I closed the manuscript I'd been working on, and we all curled up for a much needed nap!